Don't delay on climate action

The movement to stave off the worst of climate change is a job that gets bigger with every day of inaction. We no longer need studies to verify that the earth's climate is changing. The evidence is before our eyes and growing.

That's why every bit of action to preserve our world for future generations is needed and must be amplified. On Friday, thousands are expected to take part in a global Youth Climate Strike. That includes young people in Minnesota, who will be gathering at the State Capitol. Their fervor should be taken seriously. They know it's their future that is at stake, and the more grown-ups shirk the hard decisions, the bigger and harder their job will be.

To that end, a small group of state lawmakers has formed a Climate Action Caucus, and they say they will be actively soliciting the views and energy of young people.

"We're in a crisis," said Rep. Frank Hornstein, chairman of the House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee and a member of the newly formed caucus. "It demands that we act at every level, elevate the issue wherever and whenever we can. The science is clear and the need is urgent."

The caucus will be led by Rep. Patty Acomb, a first-termer but steeped in the issues through her work at the state Department of Natural Resources, Hennepin County Environmental Services and on solar energy and modernizing water infrastructure. The task — to restart efforts on a climate change agenda that hit a hard stop in the Senate earlier this year — is a daunting one. Gov. Tim Walz pushed hard for a plan that would have adopted a 2050 deadline for carbon-free electricity statewide. That proposal deserves a second look. Skepticism is fine, but both sides should commit to setting aside ideology in the search for what's doable.

It starts with acknowledging that we have already delayed action too long to settle on easy answers. There are none. The choices ahead will involve some difficulty and cost. We brought that upon ourselves through inaction. But there is still time to spare the future generations a world that is less than the one we inherited.