None of us seem to talk or maybe think about this much, but it is happening. I am referring to the climate disaster we are witnessing in the western United States. I know it is out West so it is sort of out of sight, out of mind, but it is real and the ramifications are also real and big. So many have kind of dissed climate change, mostly I think, because the actions required mean changes and inconveniences, or worse. Also, it has worked to use climate change as another way to have culture wars and to ridicule those not of your partisan persuasion.
In a perverse way, those mostly directly affected have been the first to dismiss climate change as phony and a fun way to put down those with education, in this case, climate science (remember when the 2nd Bush administration would not let the the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA scientists mention climate change in any reports). It seems the folks in Utah are getting it – now. I would be asking, “What do we need to do to stop this and fix it?” I would not be looking to play more politics because time is running out, not just for those in the West, but for all of us.
This makes me think of what followed the 60s and many of us started to realize the “Hippies were right.” It looks like maybe after this environmental nuclear bomb strikes, and it is already out the bomb-bay door, some folks might say, “Hey, those Vermont libs were right.” That probably will not happen as it requires reflection and contemplation – both in short supply these days.
It is no consolation to be right about what is happening as I write this.
Here is link to a piece from the “Pittsburg Post Gazette” titled: “An ‘environmental nuclear bomb’ as Utah’s Great Salt Lake dries up.”
A Vermonter Writes - A Pathfinder 