I am calling on Congresswoman Hayes, Senator Murphy, Senator Blumenthal, and Gov. Ned Lamont to up the fight needed to prioritize our health, climate, and future.

The outright disregard for the climate crisis by the president and his party deeply worries me and I ask that our state leaders to continue putting efforts toward such actions as:

Stopping the efforts by the current administration to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act’s climate and clean energy policies. These policies will put us on a path to cut climate pollution 40 percent by 2030, create 9 million jobs, and lower energy prices.

Spotted owls are disappearing fast, and federal cuts could mean no one’s left to count them

Blocking the Trump administration and unelected billionaire Elon Musk from cutting vital government programs and the staff that tirelessly work toward a brighter, cleaner, healthier future, in order to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy.

Resisting attempts to eliminate a multitude of environmental protection laws. Laws in place to look after the land and water, so we the people, all people, may all be granted the rights to healthy habitat for years to come.

As a human living on this magnificent Earth, these issues have a huge impact on me. Every day I wake up and wonder what kind of world the next 7 generations of children will live in. Will there still be clean water? Clean air? A surplus of biodiversity supporting all life? Will we be able to grow food in healthy soil? If we continue to pollute the land and water at the rate we are with no intervention, the answer to these questions might be “no.” Everything is connected and what we do to this planet we do to ourselves.

I urge our leaders to protect people in our community over corporate polluters. We need you to fight for us.

Erica Pierce, Burlington