The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, with its clear warning that time is running out if we hope to stave off the worst of climate disaster, seems to have disappeared after its 15 seconds of fame. That report, and its call to action, still matters.

The multiple crises we face, within the U.S. and internationally, are interconnected; they won’t be solved by a “flavor of the week” hopping from scandal to scandal. Every government official at every level (and every candidate for office) needs to read the IPCC report (IPCC.ch/report/ar6/wg2), pledge their commitment to real zero emissions, and act on those pledges.

More often than not, “net zero” pledges are nothing more than greenwashing schemes. We deserve better. Instead of relying on unproven future technologies, we must demand climate plans that radically reduce emissions to zero. Question the candidates, call your representatives, march in the streets and vote in every single election. We must put pressure on for meaningful climate action now.

Amalia Gladhart

Eugene