Columns

New: ECLECTIC RANT: Climate Change is Happening -- the Time to Act is Now

Ralph E. Stone
Saturday September 16, 2017 - 03:11:00 PM

Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Jose collectively represent the most hurricane activity in the Atlantic Ocean, in terms of strength and size, in recorded history. The National Hurricane Center scientist Eric Blake pointed out the three hurricanes are threatened land at the same time. Again, that’s never happened before.  

Is this what climate change scientists predicted? Yes, climate scientists such as Michael Mann at Penn State states, "The science is now fairly clear that climate change will make stronger storms stronger." Or wetter. 

Clearly there a scientific consensus on climate change caused by human activity. Climate change is no longer about science; it is now a political, economic, and social debate. In other words, what do we do about climate change?  

Why is the Trump administration, and too many Republicans in Congress, not addressing climate change head on? It is no mystery to me. These so-called climate change deniers have made a self-interested political decision, rather than a scientific one. By denying climate change, they have an excuse to do little or nothing about it; they don't want to alienate their friends in the fossil fuel industry,  

It is not coincidental that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and 21 other Republicans, whose campaigns have collected more than $10 million in oil, gas and, coal money since 2012, sent a letter to the president urging him to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord.  

It way past time for this administration to develop and implement an action plan. Planet Earth is our home; we have no place to evacuate if our home becomes uninhabitable.