I became aware of climate change at a young age. The rising temperature of our planet has caused extreme weather in Pittsburgh. One winter we would get a foot of snow, the next we would get none. Heat waves have become more common. Seeing these changes made me passionate about solving climate change, and I’m glad that we now have leaders who feel strongly about this issue.

Scientists agree that in order to prevent severe effects of climate change, global warming pollution has to be reduced by 2050. This means we must act now, so I was excited to see that President Biden prioritized climate change during his first week in office by rejoining the Paris climate agreement and revoking the permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline.

While these steps are great at the federal level, Pennsylvania also can take steps to slow the effects of climate change. I urge our elected officials to support solutions like moving to 100% renewable energy so we can do our part in saving our planet.

Rebecca Rust

Swisshelm Park

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