By Robert Weiner and Charlyn Chu
When Galileo said that the Sun was the center of the universe, not the Earth, hardly anyone believed him. When scientists first warned that climate change was real and human activity was causing it, many Republicans laughed. Yet, the truth always prevails. Even now with Ukraine and Israel wars, the Trump trials, and House Republican chaos dominating the news, climate continues--and always will.
When Al Gore produced the 2006 documentary "Inconvenient Truth" showing the graph for CO2 soaring up since the industrial revolution began and icebergs breaking apart, the naysayers said, "Oh that's just Gore." They said the same about nuclear physics specialist Jimmy Carter's warnings even before that. Opponents of climate change facts still must join the clear science.
Data shows that the past 8 years have been the hottest on record and global temperatures are projected to continue surging. NASA research reveals that "human activities have raised the atmosphere's carbon dioxide content by 50% in less than 200 years."
This past year, Canada's unprecedented wildfires have blanketed US cities and caused air quality indexes to soar above 100. Maui joined the list of the deadliest wildfires in US history. Experts cite that increasing frequency and intensity of many natural disasters are a product of climate change; a recent study even found that climate change doubled the chances of Canadian wildfires.
Yet, our nation's politicians deny the "scientific consensus of human-induced climate change". Trump slashed EPA funding and rolled back 100+ environmental rules. GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy recently called climate change a hoax. Other Republicans have admitted climate change is real, but still cut programs that would promote clean energy and reduce pollution.
Nikki Haley has claimed liberal ideas to cut down greenhouse gas emissions "would cost trillions and destroy our economy". Yet, her blabber on carbon capture is more of a buzzword than a real climate solution. By using carbon capture to capture emissions from fossil fuel giants instead of reducing emissions in the first place, the root of the problem is left unsolved.
Furthermore, the US Department of Energy has already wasted hundreds of millions of dollars on failed Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) projects, and carbon capture could make electricity more expensive for consumers.
By downplaying climate change's threat, the idea that Earth will become inadequate for human survival may not stay an idea for much longer. Ask the polar bears who've lost their ice caps, the salmon that are yawning to death instead of fawning to birth, and the seals that don't know where to breathe. Ask the families impacted by extreme weather events, who have nothing left after climate disasters wrecked their homes.
THE SOLUTIONS:
Environmental protection does not mean sacrificing economic health. A thriving economy can not just be measured by its GDP in recent years of development; it must be measured also by the health of citizens and its ability to sustain itself long-term. Investing in renewable forms of energy to gradually shift dependence away from the fossil fuel sector should be a priority.
However, Republican rhetoric to arouse fear around job losses is an understandable concern. That's not to say there isn't a solution. Biden's Inflation Reduction Act will create more than 9 million jobs in the next 10 years and is just one step towards our climate goals.
In addition to this, legislators must implement training programs for coal miners and others who work in fossil-fuel extraction to ease the transition into sectors of wind and solar. They must offer short-term aid during the transition period and ensure higher salaries for these greener sectors, in order to address and alleviate workers' concerns of job loss.
In a recent op-ed by Bernie Sanders, he wrote US and China must "mutually cut their military budgets and use the savings to move aggressively to improve energy efficiency". While this proposal may not be viable, Sanders does have a point: change is needed on all scales, institutionally and internationally.
Global warming emphasizes that climate change must be a concern and priority for all countries. Otherwise, individual governments will only continue to approve oil and gas projects to stay competitive in the global market and keep economic benefits 'at home'.
HOW TO DEAL WITH CLIMATE DENIERS:
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