The New Normal

One of the unexpected hazards of global warming.

Last week, I was interviewed by a ridiculously bright young woman for her new journalism class about the 2012 election.  Her final question was "What would you like to see from Obama or the next president in 2013?"

My answer was some action on global warming, because time is running out.  In fact, it may have run out a long time ago on preventing wholesale changes to the earth's climate.

Right now, we're underwater here in New England.  It's one of the coolest, wettest springs I can remember; I think we've been above 80 degrees ONCE, and it's nearly June.  Meanwhile, tornadoes are becoming more frequent and more powerful.  We've had tornadoes here in Connecticut the last two summers and that's unheard of.

The science seems incontrovertible.  Carbon dioxide traps heat in the atmosphere.  Heat in the atmosphere means more water in the atmosphere.  More water and more heat in the atmosphere means more powerful storms.

This is why the assault on science and evidentiary based argument is so damned distressing.  We have it within our technological ability to make a HUGE dent in our carbon usage.  Wind, solar and nuclear would go a long way, but so would mass transit, fluorescent lightbulbs and better gas mileage in our cars.

Meanwhile, Chris Christie's main appeal to the GOP is that he killed a rail tunnel into Manhattan.  Meanwhile, Rand Paul whines about having to buy CFC bulbs is an assault on his liberty.  Meanwhile, any attempt at improving fuel efficiency is seen as socialism.

Global warming deniers who are bought and paid for by the hydrocarbon industry at least make sense.  But there are millions more who deny global climate science because they were told of Fox to disbelieve it or out of a reflexive mistrust of anything that whiffs of being from the left of Orrin Hatch.

We own a Honda Fit. I don't really like it, but I drive it, because it gets 35 MPG or so.  It doesn't make me less free to drive a car with an uncomfortable seat, but it does save me money.

Germany and China have both moved to address climate change, and they both have economies that coordinate a great deal between business and governmental leaders.  But here in the US, business leaders simply buy up governmental leaders and tell them how to vote.

It's distressing, but nearly as distressing as what the people of New Orleans, Tuscaloosa and Joplin have had to deal with.

This is the new normal. And it sucks.

And it's going to suck even more for Thing One and Thing Two.