Some political strategists and think tanks have urged candidates to emphasize affordability over climate change in their November election campaigns.

But advocates warned going silent on an issue 65% of Americans said they are worried about could leave critical votes on the table.

Paloma Greenwald, a public health nurse in Jefferson County and a member of the advocacy group Elders Climate Action, said voters across party lines need to hear how candidates plan to tackle common sense environmental concerns.

"I believe there's consensus by and large across the country, across political divides. People want clean air, soil, and water. We need our representatives to fully grasp that climate change is happening now," Greenwald urged.

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Greenwald pointed out Coloradans are already seeing the effects of a warming planet firsthand. Decades of drought have set the stage for bigger and more frequent wildfires, reduced Colorado River flows and bare mountaintops during ski season.

A recent poll found more than 60% of American voters believe extreme weather events like hurricanes, flash floods, droughts and heat waves have become more frequent over the past five years.

This summer’s wildfires across the West sent massive amounts of soot and smoke into the air and Greenwald stressed it can be especially harmful for vulnerable groups, including children and older adults. She noted fine particulate matter, measuring 2.5 micrometers or less, can damage lungs and cardiovascular systems.

"Leading potentially to arrhythmias or cardiac arrest, as well as stroke. Long term, there's a lot of emerging research that there's even dementia impacts among the elderly community," Greenwald outlined.

Margie Alt, director of the Climate Action Campaign, a national coalition of environmental groups calling for federal action, said most Americans know climate change is happening and fossil fuels are to blame but added too many of the nation's future leaders are avoiding the issue.

"We can't solve a problem that we don't talk about. So while the problem is plain to see and Americans are calling for action, we want to make sure that our politicians are hearing those calls and doing something about it," Alt underscored.