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In “A different perspective on climate,” (12/19) Katie Tubb of the Heritage Foundation first claims there are “areas of uncertainty in our scientific understanding” of climate change. Then she changes that to “considerable uncertainty” and then to “great uncertainty,” building up to the familiar assertion that debate continues within the scientific community. She believes climate skepticism is justified.
The United States Department of Defense is not in agreement with the above statement. In October, it reported that “Increasing temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and more frequent, intense, and unpredictable extreme weather conditions caused by climate change are exacerbating existing risks and creating new security challenges for U.S. interests.” Americans can be confident the DoD did its homework on this issue.
The CEOs of Business Roundtable are also in disagreement. “There is scientific consensus that the climate is changing and that human activities are contributing to that change,” they state. “Unchecked, the changing climate poses significant environmental, economic, public health and security threats.” The nation’s top business leaders would not risk the $7.5 trillion dollars of revenue they oversee if climate science was not convincing.
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Global public health is at risk from the rapidly warming climate, according to more than 200 medical journals. Not 10, 20, 50, but 200 journals agree.
470 Climate Mayors, representing both parties and 48 States, have been at the frontlines of climate change. They represent 74 million Americans and accept the science and promise to take effective action.
The Red Cross, seeing the hardship it is already causing, calls climate change “a humanitarian crisis.” Similarly, Habitat for Humanity says climate change presents “far-reaching impacts” in the more than 70 countries around the world where it works.
It’s one of three “defining issues of our age,” says the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund, imparting the urgency of a crime thriller, says “Climate change remains a clear and present threat.”
![Nations around the world are answering the clarion call to cut greenhouse gas emissions in response to climate change. At the United Nations Glasgow climate summit in November, nearly 200 nations agreed to speed up the fight against climate change and commit to stronger climate pledges. The United States and China -- the world's two […]](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/2021/12/21/USATODAY/usatsports/imageForEntry36-DRe.jpg?width=660&height=372&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Locally, FGCU affirms, “The world’s climate is changing and the impacts on Florida will be acute. Rising sea levels, decreased water quality, and ocean acidification could have “major negative impact” on our health and tourist economy.
The National Academy of Sciences (NASA, NOAA), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (US Commodity Futures Trading Commission), the Smithsonian and the American Meteorological Society all confirm the science of human-caused global warming.
This is a convincing consensus from all levels of government, local and international. Sounding tired of skepticism, Scientific American is forthright: “We are living in a climate emergency and we’re going to say so.”
Resisting the science and consensus, Ms. Tubb advocates against quickly transitioning away from fossil fuels and opposes any “economy-altering responses.” Once again, esteemed authorities, such as former Chairs of the Federal Reserve and thousands of American economists, disagree.
Adhering to “sound economic principles,” they state, by “correcting a well-known market failure, a carbon tax will send a powerful price signal that harnesses the invisible hand of the marketplace to steer economic actors towards a low-carbon future,” and in the process financially benefit most American families.
Congress has never come closer to adopting a carbon tax than now, but it’s far from certain they will. Whether as part of eventual Build Back Better legislation or a stand-alone bill, Citizens’ Climate Lobby continues to urge Congress to pass a price on carbon and we urge all citizens and local governments to urge them as well.
Our children and grandchildren depend on us to reduce the damage we do to the planet. On the eve of 2022, let’s lay claims of climate science uncertainty to rest and resolve to take critically needed action now.
Joseph Bonasia is Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s volunteer liaison to Senator Rick Scott’s office.
