DL Opinion columns

Don’t let climate change kill us – by Deborah Levine

originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

‘Hot’ only begins to describe the weather over the July 4th weekend. Let’s try some other terms: blistering, burning up, and Armageddon. A life-threatening heat dome brought extreme heat to more than 260 million people, And the storms which accompanied the heat led to mass evacuation of the National Mall in Washington D.C. ‘Stupid’ only begins to describe the claim by some Maga folks that the weather had been ‘geoengineered’ by left-wing types to sabotage Trump’s July 4th events. Let’s try some other terms: conspiracy theories, lethal ignorance.

Climate science is considered evil by this administration. It shut down climate.gov and fired its scientists. Thankfully, those scientist rebuilt their data independently to avoid censorship. Sadly, Trump just tagged a climate science critic to oversee reports on how climate change affects us. Fortunately, scientists elsewhere continue accurate reporting. The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service and Copernicus Marine Service confirm that temperatures on the ocean surface hit a record high in June and warn that rising temperatures may send the planet into uncharted territory.  

Why is this happening to us? “It’s consistent with what we’ve known for a long time — that the planet is warming because we’re emitting vast quantities of greenhouse gasses, primarily from fossil fuel burning, into the atmosphere and that’s stifling the ability of the planet to lose its heat to space,” says Richard Allan, professor of climate science at U.K.’s University of Reading.

Why should we care? Harvard Business School Professor Tarun Khanna explains that extreme, longer-lasting heat often leads to more absenteeism, increased cooling costs, lower productivity, and even more employee injuries and deaths.” We’ve already seen how this affects us. In 2020, the United Nations’ International Labour Organization estimated that excessive temperatures at job sites were responsible for 19,000 deaths and 23 million injuries. 

We’re experiencing one heat dome after another and each one feels hotter than 100 degrees. The stress and anxiety this causes sure doesn’t improve my mental state, and probably not yours, either. I called a friend who is a psychiatrist and asked if the heat was increasing her case load. “Yep, I’m rocked.” 

How can we not be stressed when NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)  reports that heat-related illnesses kill more Americans annually than any other type of extreme weather. And this years extreme heat is followed by nasty storms, so it’s no wonder that the National Mall was cleared out to protect folks from the potentially lethal combination during July 4. Folks, just say thanks for saving us then acknowledge that more dangerous weather is coming.

“It’s not an anomaly. It’s a preview,” says Michael Rawlins, associate director of the Climate System Research Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Yet, last year, President Trump called climate change a ‘con job’ at the United Nations.  And earlier this year, Trump revoked a scientific finding that climate change endangers public health, calling it “a scam.”  

Trump magnifies his climate change denial by expanding the use of fossil fuels and coal while revoking environmental protections including greenhouse gas emission standards for vehicles. And you can kiss good-bye to most alternative fuel sources like wind and solar. Trump has overseen the cancellation or downsizing of more than 200 clean energy projects.

What should we do? Let’s use the current extreme weather to speak loudly and often to our elected officials about the need to address climate change. Insist that they support alternative fuel projects as well as promote plans to protect us from lethal consequences. We must reject conspiracy theorists and climate change deniers. Vote to save the planet, and ourselves!

Editor-in-Chief
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