In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, uncertainty was everywhere. Would the virus spread, and where? What did this mean for day-to-day life? Pretty quickly, that uncertainty showed up at the grocery store. I remember seeing partially empty shelves as people panicked and stocked up on food.

Today, plenty of uncertainty remains, but our grocery store shelves are full again. America’s food supply chain has proved to be strong and resilient. America’s farmers are at the beginning of that supply chain, including growers here in Western Pennsylvania. I’m so grateful for the work they’ve done to keep us fed even during these tumultuous times.

But COVID-19 is not the only challenge facing our country or our farmers. Climate change, with its unpredictable precipitation, rising heat, and stronger extreme weather events, brings another level of uncertainty to America’s agriculture sector. It’s time for Congress to enact legislation that will combat climate change and give farmers more support.

Encouragingly, a bipartisan group of senators and representatives has introduced the Growing Climate Solutions Act. This legislation provides the incentive for farmers and foresters to engage in sustainable practices by helping them to access lucrative carbon credit markets. Basically, it will be easier for farmers to get paid for emissions they reduce and carbon they sequester. The bill gives farmers technical assistance to develop practices that are eligible for carbon credits, measure the value of those credits, and certify them for trading on the market. This is good news for farmers and for the planet, since agriculture and forestry contribute an estimated 10.5 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to the USDA.

Here in Western Pennsylvania, climate change is already affecting our farmers through increased occurrences of heavy precipitation, average temperatures that have increased over 5 degrees Fahrenheit in the recent past, and infestations of crop- and tree-damaging pests. The Growing Climate Solutions Act would help farmers combat these concerning trends and reap a financial benefit while they do so.

I encourage Congressman Mike Kelly and Senators Bob Casey and Pat Toomey to add their names to the list of co-sponsors of these two bills.

In July, the Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing on this legislation. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, the ranking member on the committee and a co-sponsor of the Growing Climate Solutions Act, said, “While farmers are uniquely affected by the climate crisis, they are also a critically important part of the solution.”

I couldn’t agree more. Even as farmers need support to navigate our changing climate, they have huge potential to help prevent the worst of the possible changes. Congress should continue to work together to pass bipartisan legislation that values farmers’ contributions to feeding America and solving the challenge of climate change.

Bruce Cooper is the group leader with the Slippery Rock chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a Leader with the Climate Reality Project, and a member of the Environmental Defense Fund, the National Resources Defense Council, and the Sierra Club. He resides in Cranberry Township.