Climate change is a global problem. Climate action is a local solution | Bhavya Reddy

The issue is too pressing to wait for action at federal and international levels. Small communities can - and must - act

As state and federal governments continue to fail at halting climate change at the global and national levels, smaller communities have a great opportunity to take change-making initiative. Without assistance from national governments, municipal environmental groups have set up their own local peer-to-peer networks, and indigenous communities like the Lubicon Cree First Nation have reclaimed tar sands for solar. Supporting the expansion of such projects from one community to another could be the key for rapid and inclusive action, and this grassroots domino effect could make it less likely that climate action is an elitist and expensive imposition.

In my small village of Sleepy Hollow, New York, I'm trying to put us on the map for something other than fictional horror stories, looking at these existing initiatives where other small communities are already taking the lead on climate action in the face of higher-level indifference and even pushback.