From Nathan Dombeck

Janesville

To the Editor:

Trust in science remains strong. So says a new study from the University of Zurich, taking input from across 68 countries, which finds that on a scale of 1 (no trust) to 5 (very high trust), the public average on surveys scored a 3.62, indicating that we as a society generally trust our science and scientists.

How then to equate this with the first day of the Trump administration on January 20th, when multiple executive orders were signed with the express disregard of climate science? Pulling the US out of the Paris Accords and expanding fossil fuel production are clearly at odds with the established data showing we need strong climate action, and we need it now. The slim majority of the US population (and a somewhat bizarre Electoral College system) expressed through our national election in November that they clearly support these policies, regardless of how they fly in the face of common sense.

This is a call to action for the next four years. Put your trust in science and the scientific method, and explore the lessons it teaches us in the accumulated body of scientific knowledge, lessons that say with near-universal agreement that climate change is here, it is dangerous, and we need strong actions to combat it. Then share this belief with your friends, family, and neighbors. We need all hands on deck.