I'm proud of Gov. Wes Moore for sending the Maryland Army National Guard to help survivors of the Hurricane Helene climate disaster ("Gov. Wes Moore mobilizes Maryland's National Guard to aid in Helene disaster relief," Sept. 30). I often feel depressed about the state of the world, but Governor Moore's act of solidarity reminds me that we can all help each other in these hard times. As climate change progresses, there will be more extreme weather events and more need to provide aid.

However, we don't need to wait for another disaster to take action. We can work together to reduce the impacts of climate change. We can support nonpartisan climate groups like Citizen's Climate Lobby, which pushes Congress for climate legislation. As individuals, we can adopt greener lifestyles to reduce our carbon footprints. Most importantly, we can vote for candidates who not only say "climate" out loud but propose real-world solutions.

It's important to recognize that our efforts can save lives. The governor sent aid last weekend because it was the right thing to do. We don't need to be governors or National Guard soldiers to follow the golden rule -- it is just what we should all do. Addressing climate change is about caring for others as we would wish them to care for ourselves.

-- Andrew Hellerstein, Silver Spring