As we count down to Super Bowl XLVIII, most folks are putting the final touches on their party plans and placing their last round of bets on the game's outcome. While enjoying the distraction of the game, many Americans living in the Western United States are instead engaged in a serious worry over the lack of water. Yes, as snow and freezing rain hits the deep South, including Northern Florida, most of us are unaware that a serious "500 year drought" is ravaging our nation. Now I don't want anyone to think I am a raving "tree hugging environmentalist" because I am not. I am though, concerned about the health of our planet. As many of my friends know, my wife is an "aggressive" recycler and we rarely accept purchases without using reusable bags. But we incorporate these measures not only out of our own interests, but for the future for our children and grandchildren's children!
It never ceases to amaze me when ultra-conservatives argue our national debt must be addressed before other matters because we can not afford to leave the burden of our spending on future generations, yet when it comes to the environment, there seemingly is no similar concern. I mean, the unborn life must be preserved at all costs, but a potential dangerous environment that will lead to illness and difficult lives, can somehow be ignored. I know, we may never be able to predict the future, but shouldn't we be prepared just in case? The "risk-reward" levels seemingly demand our attention...now!
My point is simple. We have a myriad of issues facing us as Americans, all tough enough to deserve our attention. But with the Keystone XL Pipeline being the number one priority of the "Fox News and Ted Cruz" crowd, shouldn't someone begin to remind them that we are now in actual phases of the very climate change scientists have been warning about for over a decade? Despite the "head in the sand" climate change deniers, are we not beginning to see the symptoms of some major climate change, none of which is for our collective good?
I know, science is science, religion is religion and politics is politics. But when was it decided that the three elements cannot agree? I mean, science is real, I am a religious man (believing we owe a duty to protect our great Earth) and clearly politics can be employed to take measures to protect us all (instead of benefiting the wealthy polluting special interests).
It used to be humorous to read comments from folks disrespecting climate change due to the current spate of low temperatures and snow storms, as if weather incidents involving deep freeze and "polar vortexes" somehow prove our planet is not warming. But the sheer ignorance illustrated by these beliefs is no longer funny. When the deep South is experiencing harsh winter climate and classes are actually cancelled at Florida State University due to snow and ice, shouldn't we all begin to be a bit concerned about global warming/climate change? And now, while many Americans are distracted by "politics as usual", Americans out West are experiencing the worst drought ever seen in the United States (much worse than the Depression Era Dust Bowl). Will we ever wake up and do something before it truly is too late? And what punishment can be meted out to those climate change deniers when the truth actually is revealed when we face permanent damage to our environment?
Years ago I recall folks claiming water will one day be more precious than oil, and even gold. Today, it appears such claims may actually be prescient. Take a look at the charts published in a recent New York Times article and think what this actually means to the lives of Americans directly affected, as well as our collective long-term economy (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/18/us/as-californias-drought-deepens-a-sense-of-dread-grows.html?_r=0).
So instead of arguing about pipeline projects for oil, perhaps we should be prioritizing building pipelines for water instead? As anyone can tell you, I am no "The Sky is Falling" kind of guy, but it doesn't take a scientist to appreciate that something bad is happening with our climate, and faith alone in conservative self-serving special interest groups will not solve the problems we along with our children will face in the near future. Environmental protection is an American problem, not a Liberal or Conservative one. As President Theodore Roosevelt once said; " Rhetoric is a poor substitute for action, and we have trusted only to rhetoric. If we are really to be a great nation, we must not merely talk; we must act big." Isn't it high time to stop talking and start acting?
It never ceases to amaze me when ultra-conservatives argue our national debt must be addressed before other matters because we can not afford to leave the burden of our spending on future generations, yet when it comes to the environment, there seemingly is no similar concern. I mean, the unborn life must be preserved at all costs, but a potential dangerous environment that will lead to illness and difficult lives, can somehow be ignored. I know, we may never be able to predict the future, but shouldn't we be prepared just in case? The "risk-reward" levels seemingly demand our attention...now!
My point is simple. We have a myriad of issues facing us as Americans, all tough enough to deserve our attention. But with the Keystone XL Pipeline being the number one priority of the "Fox News and Ted Cruz" crowd, shouldn't someone begin to remind them that we are now in actual phases of the very climate change scientists have been warning about for over a decade? Despite the "head in the sand" climate change deniers, are we not beginning to see the symptoms of some major climate change, none of which is for our collective good?
I know, science is science, religion is religion and politics is politics. But when was it decided that the three elements cannot agree? I mean, science is real, I am a religious man (believing we owe a duty to protect our great Earth) and clearly politics can be employed to take measures to protect us all (instead of benefiting the wealthy polluting special interests).
It used to be humorous to read comments from folks disrespecting climate change due to the current spate of low temperatures and snow storms, as if weather incidents involving deep freeze and "polar vortexes" somehow prove our planet is not warming. But the sheer ignorance illustrated by these beliefs is no longer funny. When the deep South is experiencing harsh winter climate and classes are actually cancelled at Florida State University due to snow and ice, shouldn't we all begin to be a bit concerned about global warming/climate change? And now, while many Americans are distracted by "politics as usual", Americans out West are experiencing the worst drought ever seen in the United States (much worse than the Depression Era Dust Bowl). Will we ever wake up and do something before it truly is too late? And what punishment can be meted out to those climate change deniers when the truth actually is revealed when we face permanent damage to our environment?
Years ago I recall folks claiming water will one day be more precious than oil, and even gold. Today, it appears such claims may actually be prescient. Take a look at the charts published in a recent New York Times article and think what this actually means to the lives of Americans directly affected, as well as our collective long-term economy (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/18/us/as-californias-drought-deepens-a-sense-of-dread-grows.html?_r=0).
So instead of arguing about pipeline projects for oil, perhaps we should be prioritizing building pipelines for water instead? As anyone can tell you, I am no "The Sky is Falling" kind of guy, but it doesn't take a scientist to appreciate that something bad is happening with our climate, and faith alone in conservative self-serving special interest groups will not solve the problems we along with our children will face in the near future. Environmental protection is an American problem, not a Liberal or Conservative one. As President Theodore Roosevelt once said; " Rhetoric is a poor substitute for action, and we have trusted only to rhetoric. If we are really to be a great nation, we must not merely talk; we must act big." Isn't it high time to stop talking and start acting?
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