Letter: Combating climate change is the imperative of our time

Decades of warnings of coastal inundation by climate scientists from the melting of the polar ice caps and ocean expansion as the ocean temperature rises are now a reality. A high tide and brisk wind sends seawater flooding low-lying roads in Norfolk, Va. The occurrence is so frequent that huge vertical rulers are in place along the side of the road so people can judge if it is too deep to drive through (New York Times, Sept. 4). Billions of dollars are being requested of state and federal governments to pay for damage from coastal flooding along the Eastern seaboard.

Global warming doesn’t care if you believe it or not, it will continue to advance until we show the will to confront it. Washington voters have that chance by passing Initiative 732, which puts a price on carbon pollution and lowers the sales tax by 1 percent. An abundance of hydropower is not an excuse for inaction. Hydropower is the backbone of a British Columbia economy that taxes carbon pollution.

If we are to ensure a livable world for future generations, then combating climate change becomes in Kantian ethics the categorical imperative of our time.

This story was originally published October 9, 2016 at 4:21 AM with the headline "Letter: Combating climate change is the imperative of our time."