By Chester Sansbury, South
Carolina REP coordinator, published September 10, 2009, in
the New Irmo (SC)
News
Seattle
recently had the hottest spell in their recorded history. Window air
conditioner sales skyrocketed. At least one death from the heat was
reported.
Ocean water temps have risen 8 out of the last 10 years.
The increase of atmospheric carbon has caused a significant rise in
ocean acidity, resulting in massive dieoff of coral reefs and depletion
of ocean resources.
Texas has experienced one of its worst droughts on record.
Lake Lanier, near Atlanta, is drying up and Atlanta is considering
piping water from the Savannah River, which may set off more water
battles between South Carolina and Georgia.
Crop failures, droughts, diseases and other problems brought on by
climate change will cause increasing stress and costs for society.
Recent studies show the Arctic has warmed twice as fast as elsewhere,
and the Arctic Ocean’s ice cover has been reduced by tens of thousands
of square miles. The polar ice cap is near a record low.
Vice Admiral Dennis McGinn, USN (retired), a national security expert,
said at a recent conference in Charleston that global conflicts may
result from the effects of climate change and competition for dwindling
resources. And that climate change will have serious effects on our
national security.
In a recent Editorial column in the Charleston Post and Courier,
Admiral McGinn said:
"America's long-term prosperity, quality of life and, in a very real
sense, our national security, demand that we immediately add climate
change to the considerations guiding national security policy, and that
both our civilian and military sectors act decisively to help stem the
tide of environmental damage.
"The U.S. must take a leadership role in reducing greenhouse gas
emissions. Other nations are moving ahead and the U.S. must not only
join but be in the forefront of this effort. America 's military forces
can contribute to national solutions as a technological innovator and
early adopter.
"We also must put a true cost on carbon emissions and wean ourselves
from overdependence on overseas oil sources — for which the high price
of access has been entanglement in dangerous regional conflicts."
Scientists from the University of Georgia recently stated: (From Athens
Online)
"The evidence is clear that global temperatures are rising, and people
should slow down some of the human activities that contribute to that
temperature rise, such as burning fossil fuels and converting land from
forests to urban heat islands."
"The consensus is clear among climate scientists that our climate is
changing," and that humans play a major part in the change, said
Marshal Shepherd, a climate researcher in UGA's Department of Geography.
"In a few decades, summer highs will climb consistently into the 90s,
often hitting the 100 degree-mark - and that's in Athens. Deep South
Georgia temperatures will hit 90 on 165 days per year by 2080 as global
warming progresses - nearly half the days in the year, according to a
report recently released by the United States Global Change Research
Program," Shepherd continued.
Unfortunately, for apparently political partisan purposes,
paid propagandists, political ideologues, ill informed politicians, and
special interests continue to mislead citizens about the scientific
facts and costs concerning the House-passed Cap and Trade Bill.
A $3,100 estimate by opponents of Cap and Trade when referring to an
MIT study was repudiated by one of the study’s main authors, who says a
correct estimate is a net annual average household cost of about $340.
A study author also said: "Climate change poses severe risks for the
U.S. and the world. It will take efforts in the U.S. and abroad to
reduce emissions substantially to avoid the most serious risks of
climate change."
The Congressional Budget Office says the Cap and Trade Bill would
increase energy bill costs on average $175 per household each year. A
recent report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, America ’s
top energy forecaster, says it will increase annual costs only $114 in
2020 and $288 in 2030.
Those who ignore the documented scientific observations and facts and
rely on Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, political ideologues,
and others like them who say the planet is cooling and global warming
is a hoax, do themselves and society a disservice.
I pray that political ideology and propaganda will not overshadow the
need for responsible leadership in these critical times.
