Global Warming

As I noted some weeks ago in this blog, global warming is no longer a future threat—it’s here now. Now a report just out reveals that the world must reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 to avert climate catastrophe. As a result, we have wildfires in the Pacific northwest; flooding in Europe; unprecedented heat waves in the U.S., Asia, and at both polls; rising sea level threatening low-lying communities; and hurricanes like Ida ravaging our coastlines.

Despite the emergency, we are doing almost nothing to slow down the devastation. Coal burning goes on worldwide, with the U.S. in the lead. We continue to drive and manufacture automobiles with gasoline engines that pollute our air. How bad does it have to get before we wake up and change our ways?

Part of the problem is that belief in the threat of global warming, like mask wearing and getting vaccinated, has become politicized. Republicans, led by Donald Trump, pretend that climate change, like covid-19, doesn’t exist. Just as refusing to wear a mask or get vaccinated has become a political statement, good Republicans deny that the earth is getting so hot that we are in danger. Being a Republican is rapidly becoming ignorance writ large.

So I call upon all, especially Americans, to step up and take on global warming. We have proven historically that we can change the course of history through our joint efforts. Let’s do it again.