If we look at the catastrophic weather events just in 2017 to the present there has been a loss of life and property at horrific levels on a global scale including earthquakes, tsunamis, wildfires, tornadoes, and hurricanes. The four hurricanes in 2017 Harvey, Irma, Jose, and Maria ranked second in most damage caused since Katrina in 2005. Hurricane Maria has caused Puerto Rico to completely rebuild its infrastructure due to the cataclysmic damage it caused with over 3,000 lives lost. In 2018, we are dealing once again with the aftermath of hurricanes Florence and Michael, which have devastated both the Carolinas and the Florida Gulf Coast. It is undeniable that weather-related events are coming more often and with more fury than in years past. Climate scientists have for decades been warning us of the effects of global warming and the increased emission of greenhouse gases.
Denial that climate change is real has been a political football for years and years. Many people just don’t believe it, even though the scientific data bears witness to the REALITY. It’s happening folks! In fact, without science and the meteorologists who continue to watch and research the weather, analyzing its patterns over years and decades of study we would not be able to alert populations that are in the path of devastating weather events ahead of time. The National Weather Service and its alert systems have unequivocally saved millions of lives. We, indeed, are the beneficiaries of their dedicated study and tenacious pursuit of the truth of man-made climate change. Time is up for these ridiculous and ill-informed denials of the FACTS. Sticking your head in the sand and pretending that what is happening isn’t actually happening because it doesn’t suit your political agenda constitutes a malpractice of leadership.
Our air, our water, and the very Earth we inhabit are being adversely effected by our lack of active engagement to make the changes we MUST make in order to mitigate the dire circumstances in which we find ourselves today. We The People cannot allow our elected officials locally, regionally or nationally to continue to ignore the urgency of this moment with regard to our national and global interests when it comes to climate change. It is our government’s responsibility to participate actively with the rest of the Global Community to come up with a strategic and immediate response to the scientific community’s clarion call for ACTION! Time is indeed running out. And although clean air and water are not partisan issues, we do need leadership that is NOT in DENIAL. We need the Environmental Protection Agency.
We need “All Hands On Deck!” The intense weather-related events that we are experiencing would continue to increase exponentially if we continue to ignore the Truth. We all need to engage in DOING something. Remember to VOTE in November and remember that there are candidates who don’t believe in science and, hence, they laugh in the face of the scientists who have been sounding the alarm for years. If we want a planet to pass on to our children we cannot sit idly by and allow the earth to continue to devolve as climate change continues to go unaddressed. We cannot afford to continue to do NOTHING! By the way Flint, Michigan STILL does not have clean drinking water!
