The fact that Trump, his administration, and the GOP have copped a ‘tude’ on Climate Change (despite all sensibility, they still think it’s a hoax) doesn’t mean this crisis doesn’t have to be addressed, or that we the people will shut up about it. The moral failing and political irresponsibility of our federal government on Climate Change and our environment must be addressed as urgently and rigorously as possible. The window of opportunity to address this crisis on a scale and time frame that will matter is quickly closing.
Heatwaves, melting glaciers, sea level rise, wildlife changes, ecosystem collapses—in short, all the things you would expect from a quickly warming planet—including these consequences on the massive human population and their infrastructures—are happening. So please, enough with the we’ve had climate changes before and we got through them or they make us stronger blah, blah, blah.
Disgusted with the lack of leadership at the highest levels of our government, we are coming together yet again to send a signal, a stronger one, that Climate Change is happening, and it needs to be addressed:
Rise For Climate SEPTEMBER 8, 2018 — JOIN A GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION Real climate leadership rises from the grassroots up. Local action is leading the way — Be part of the movement that’s ending the era of fossil fuels and building 100% renewable energy for all. Find an event near you: FIND AN EVENT
Admittedly, grassroots efforts to address Climate Change are kind of desperate: First, because climate science itself hasn’t motivated enough effort, and because we really have to get serious about the science.
In that effort, check out this great video: Dr. John Cook - Responding to Alternative Facts in a Post-Truth World. Dr. Cook has been focusing on one of the major conundrums of our times: Communicating the climate science behind Climate Change effectively. The video contains some of the highlights of his website Skeptical Science, his books, and his online courses.
Secondly, efforts to inform people that our politics should be free of climate denial have failed. Check out this humongous list from National Geographic on “A Running List of How Trump Is Changing the Environment”. If you’re thinking that there isn’t a relationship between humanity’s ability to address environmental matters, including Climate Change, and our whacky politics, think again. Who we put in charge of our nations matters to our collective, long-term survival.
We are desperate. Science isn’t convincing enough people, nations are more focused on fending off attacks by Trump than motivating world efforts to solve this crisis, our media (which has finally ‘gotten it’ on Climate Change) is being ignored by the very people who should be paying attention, and the freaking heat is getting worse.
2018 Global Heat So Far With the release of the monthly global temperature analysis from NOAA today, it is a good opportunity to compare temperatures so far this year to their historical levels. And as greenhouse gases continue to accumulate in the atmosphere, the heat goes on both globally and here in the U.S. Globally, the past four years have been the hottest four years on record, and 2018 so far is coming in as the 4th hottest. All-time record heat has peppered the Northern Hemisphere this summer. Here a few stats compiled by Weather Underground: Glasgow, Scotland had its hottest day on record, reaching 89°F on June 28. Montreal, Canada set a new all-time high, reaching 98°F on June 29. Ouargla, Algeria had the highest temperature on record in Africa, reaching 124°F on July 5. This is believed to be the hottest temperature reliably measured in Africa. Tianxiang, Taiwan had the hottest temperature on record in Taiwan, reaching 105°F on July 10. According to the WMO, 2018 has been the hottest La Niña year on record, with La Niña years today consistently warmer than El Niño years from 30 years ago. Consensus forecasts are trending toward a new El Niño before the end of the year, meaning 2018 will probably finish as one of the 10 hottest years on record globally. (July 18, 2018) Climate Central [more on Climate Change in our area]
Having been involved in many climate actions over the years myself, it does feel increasingly repetitive: doing the same thing and expecting different results. Yet, not entirely so. We are changing our actions as time goes on, as things become more dire and the science more certain. The rise of social media, the importance of telling our stories, the importance of meeting with our local leaders, the lessons learned from psychology, history, and getting the vote out (probably the most important thing we can do) are being gleaned for clues on how to get ourselves out of this climate mess we created. How does humanity talk to itself about something very urgent and very inconvenient without pissing ourselves off so much we won’t even listen? Again, VOTE, help get others to vote and use candidates environmental record to help choose wisely. {See: League of Conservation Voters Scorecard.]
Our politics have become so crazy that even the environmentalists themselves are downplaying the science because it turns off the people who have themselves turned off the message from science. Well, what are you going to do? (If you were a physician and your patient’s complaints turned out to be cancer, would you remove ‘cancer’ from your diagnosis?) We have an administration that isn’t compelled by science to do the right thing and is continually burying “Climate Change” to cover their interests. The public is getting tired of hearing about Climate Change. And the place continues to warm up.
It must be like the end of Reconstruction and the election of Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876, where even the Republicans and the people of the North were tired of trying to make elections fair, and so they deluded themselves that the South would keep their promises to treat the former slaves fairly and the North would pull federal troops out of the South. Of course, then the Jim Crow era began with a vengeance where open, public murder of a free people became common. Inaction doesn’t accomplish change.
Getting tired of fighting for people’s rights results in people losing rights. Getting tired of fighting to address Climate Change means it’s going to be more difficult to address this crisis, if at all. Getting tired of governmental interference and regulations is going to incur the very Big-Brother scenario those tired of this fear the most.
Which is to say, living on a quickly warming planet with such an intelligent but ‘complicated’ species as ourselves is getting very weird. If we choose to ignore Climate Change, give up and go about our business, we are still committing this crazy suicide on a quickly warming planet. Climate Change doesn’t change because we change our minds; it changes when we change our collective behavior.
A note of hope: Those thinking that we’ll get sick and tired of making a fuss about this worldwide existential crisis, think again. We’re going to keep thinking of ways to press the case for addressing Climate Change because survival is hard-wired into our genes. And it would be nice to know that we have a fighting chance for a viable future.
In the Rochester region, many folks are working on plans for the #RiseForClimate event. Check out this from the Rochester People’s Climate Coalition (RPCC):
Save the Date: "Rise for Climate" on Sept. 8 As part of 350.org's global day of action on September 8, we invite you to Rise for Climate. People are rising up around the world on September 8th to demand real climate leadership from every level of government. Together, we’ll show that people everywhere are committed to a just transition away from fossil fuels to 100% renewable energy for all. Here in Rochester, everyday people affected by climate change will share their stories with local decision-makers and advocate for the community wide solutions that we need. Please join us! Mark your calendar for Saturday, September 8, roughly 10am-noon. Details will be forthcoming; our local event will be up on the Rise for Climate website soon.
Time passes.
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