In case you’re not convinced yet, we’ll keep trying.
Per [link url=”https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/briefings/201601.pdf” title=”NOAA/NASA“]:
- 2013 was the sixth hottest year on record
- 2014 was the second hottest year on record
- 2015 was the hottest year on record by a WIDE margin
- January 2015 was the second hottest January on record
- January 2016 was the hottest January on record
- March, May, June, July, September, October, November, December of 2015: All hottest ever recorded for those months
As we’ve noted previously, [link url=”https://amuedge.com/wildfires-worst-ever-in-2015/” title=”2015 was the worst year ever for wildfires“], and the news out today is that record heat and wind [link url=”https://amuedge.com/edm-thursday-briefing-fbi-apple-battle-continues-heat-wave-brings-wildfire-concerns-aid-enters-syria/” title=”will bring red flag warnings“] of increased fire danger to the central US. In February.
We’ve also explored the threat to national security that climate change poses:
[relink url=”https://amuedge.com/the-homeland-security-threat-in-climate-change/”]
We’ve explored water issues that will come about because of the changing climate:
[relink url=”https://amuedge.com/water-management-too-much-or-too-little/” url2=”https://amuedge.com/groundwater-not-an-infinite-supply/” url3=”https://amuedge.com/more-on-water-issues/”]
We could go on. And we probably will go on. This is an issue that will likely not go away in our lifetimes, or our children’s, or their children’s…
One interesting historical tidbit is that the first testimony by a reputed climate scientist was entered [link url=”http://climatechange.procon.org/sourcefiles/1988_Hansen_Senate_Testimony.pdf” title=”into the congressional record in 1988.“] At that time, Dr. Hanson was projecting that climate change impacts would continue for hundreds of years to come.
One might surmise based on the seriousness of the issue that congress would have continued to act in a responsible manner to begin protecting the public and serving the public interest in the same manner that EDM professionals do. However, if we fast-forward to September of 2014, we find that [link url=”http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/09/18/3568720/john-holdren-science-house-climate-hearing/” title=”it really hasn’t turned out that way.“]
In fact, the recent hearings held by Senator Ted Cruz titled: [link url=”http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-environment/262392-ted-cruzs-climate-change-hearing-and-the-spreading-of” title=”Data or Dogma“] only invited climate deniers whose work has largely been discredited.
A Dangerous Trend
This trend in ignoring scientists and expert professionals in the effort to have a conversation about what we as a society should do about climate change has unquestionably caused damage to our ability to prepare, respond, mitigate, and adapt to what is widely becoming understood to be one of the greatest threats to our civilization.
The next decision that we will make is which of the paths we want to take on this issue, and we will decide that at the ballot box this fall.
As professionals yourselves, please DO plan to engage and choose wisely.
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