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To the Editor:
A resident of Carter County for around 45 years, I am forever grateful that my husband and I were fortunate to raise our daughter here in these beautiful mountains.As a member of the Carter County Collaborative, I am frequently reminded of how the health and welfare of all members of our county continue to be important to all of us, especially the ones among us who are less fortunate.
According to Kids Count-State of the Child 2021 provided by the Tennessee State Government and the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, our state has been recognized internationally as a leader in preventing and mitigating Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) through community (that means all of us) engagement especially led by all the smart, hardworking and caring people of the Carter County Collaborative. Of course, we have more work to do as we work to decrease Adverse Childhood Experiences. While focusing on community disruption, poor housing quality and affordability, we must keep our attention on extreme weather events due to climate change. Some disruptors include extreme heat that is difficult to manage for people without air conditioning or even a home; flooding in certain areas of our county; fires during drought conditions; and even strong winds or tornadoes — all made worse by climate change.
As we move in the direction of providing more electricity through clean energy, we will at the same time decrease air pollution by having a policy that puts a price on carbon emissions into our atmosphere. One of the best ideas for pricing carbon includes a dividend from the fees on emissions that would be distributed to each household. This policy would not increase the size of the government but does increase innovation that companies would employ in order to decrease their fees and save money.
Cleaner air, fewer extreme weather events, more innovation and jobs are all things we value and can come together and agree on as these things would help our children in Carter County have a better quality environment in which to grow.

Norma Morrison
Hampton