Among the issues that are most important to Franklin County residents, taking action on climate change ranks high. In less than two weeks, constituents of Rep. Natalie Blais will have an opportunity to take tangible legislative action in the voting booth through two ballot questions exclusively for 1st Franklin District residents.

The first question instructs Rep. Blais to support legislation requiring Massachusetts to reach 100 percent renewable energy within two decades.

“This is a way to raise the volume on the urgency and importance of passing meaningful, strong climate legislation,” said Sally Pick, owner of SJP Environmental Consulting LLC in Montague.

This editorial board supports the environmental measure, which 1st Franklin District residents will find listed as Question 3, and, based on Rep. Blais’ voting record, she will, too. Here in Western Massachusetts, Pick says, “we have climate champions” in both Rep. Blais and Sen. Jo Comerford, who represents the Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester District. Pick noted that Rep. Blais has been a co-sponsor of a 100 percent renewable energies bills, and Comerford serves on the Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change.

The other measure to be voted on, Question 4, is tangentially related to the issue of climate change in that it would allow state residents to find out exactly where house lawmakers stand on the issue. If passed, the question would instruct Rep. Blais to support future legislation that would make “all votes in Legislative committees publicly available on the Legislature’s website,” according to ballot information.

Currently, Pick said, many committee votes on legislation are not recorded, which can make it hard to know a politician’s full voting history or who is responsible if a bill doesn’t pass. She said there are currently rules to make votes in the state senate publicly available, but this is not the case for the house.

“If a committee votes on a climate-related bill, we would know how each member votes, and could hold them more accountable,” Pick said.

We support a “yes” vote on Question 4, as well. When it comes to representation, transparency is almost always favorable.

Of course, contained within the vastness of Planet Earth, the 1st Franklin District — which is comprised of Ashfield, Buckland, Chester, Chesterfield, Conway, Cummington, Deerfield, Goshen, Huntington, Leverett, Middlefield, Montague, Plainfield, Shelburne, Shutesbury, Sunderland, Whately, Williamsburg and Worthington — is minuscule.

But when it comes to changing the tide of America’s historical apathy to the impending threat of climate change, every action counts.