I’ve been on the phone on and off today with my son who lives in Manhattan. He and his friends are having a hurricane party in his apartment–which is on the 14th floor of a new (read:lots of glass) building in a low-lying area one block from the Hudson river.
If that sounds like a worried mother to you, you are right.
The very unusual weather we are seeing more and more is to a large extent a product of climate change. It will get worse. How much worse depends on whether we get serious about the health of planet Earth. The scientific consensus on environmental issues is overwhelming.
And yet, only ONE Republican currently running for President (John Huntsman) admits to believing that climate change is real. For that matter, he’s the only one who believes in evolution.
That there are actually people who will vote for any of these throwbacks is absolutely terrifying.
I have genuine concern for the status of our global environment. However, even if there is sufficient data from sufficient sources that is untainted by politics, it will still require effort and funding from a global economy that is reeling- to do something about it.
If the U.S. wants to get serious (to which I’m sympathetic), I suggest we quit believing we can do so while simultaneously pursing nation-building in the Middle East, rescuing failing banks and corporations, providing health care for all, believing everyone can own a home, and subsidizing illegal immigration.
If we abandon a lot of our collective fantasical economics, maybe we have a better chance to collaborate on this global venture.