Dear John,
With the wildfire smoke covering most of Wisconsin, the impacts of climate change have never felt more real or more personal.
I’ve had asthma most of my life. Never before have I felt debilitated by my asthma. It started with the first round of wildfire smoke over a month ago – trouble breathing, my chest hurting. Over the past two weeks, as the smoke increased, my asthma went from bad to worse. Coughing so hard and so often that muscles in my stomach and back ache. Several really scary moments when I just could not get a breath, and contemplated going to the emergency room. Seeing the worry in my daughter’s eyes as she watched her only parent struggle to breathe.
The inhalers and steroids my doctor prescribed for me help, but they are just no match for this level of pollution. My friends, family, and colleagues, probably like yours, are suffering from headaches, burning lungs, trouble with vision, and more. This wildfire smoke is only a preview of how much life on Earth will change if we don’t stop climate change.
There’s no time to waste. As the Executive Director of Wisconsin Conservation Voters, I feel the weight of our responsibility to change the course we are on and protect future generations from this very real threat.
At Wisconsin Conservation Voters, we’re focusing on accelerating Wisconsin’s transition to clean energy at the local, state, and federal level. We are working with local communities to pass 100 percent clean energy commitments. We are working with the Evers Administration to implement his Clean Energy Plan. And we’re working to implement the Biden Administration’s historic investment in climate action.
We need your help. You can support this work by becoming a monthly donor to Wisconsin Conservation Voters, or by supporting any of our partners in the Clean Economy Coalition of Wisconsin.
What we do here in Wisconsin matters. We’re part of a nationwide Conservation Voter Movement that’s leading the way for decarbonization across the country. We don’t have time to waste on despair. We have to move forward. It’s our only hope – and I refuse to give up hope.
Are you with me?
