Thank you for this! Poor education and lack of critical thinking skills allow many people to be misled by politicians and business leaders for short term profit, to all of our detriment.
Thank you. so very much for this honest, clear, column about the choices facing us on Nov 5th--There are so few people willing to speak out clearly about the choices facing us regarding climate change and other important issues. So thank you for telling it like it is, as they say!
I'd add that having conversations with people about I-2117 so they don't miss it on their ballot would be helpful. There is a lot to take in this election and we need to have as many "no" votes as possible on that one. It needs to be a resounding loss.
Thanks for the important observations. It can be added that the politicians who "spew lies about climate change" are doing the bidding of their financial supporters among the fossil fuel industries. Republicans aren't (all) that stupid; they're doing what they are paid to do by their donors.
Just because everyone is doing it, doesn't mean you should do it, too. Every politician has an obligation to obtain the best information he/she can to provide their constituency with enlightened direction for our times.
I like to point out how thin the atmosphere is. The troposphere (where most of the weather forms) is about 10 miles high. The earth's radius is 4000 miles. So say if the earth was the size of a basketball (9.5 in diameter), the troposphere would be less than the height of the bumps (I come to find is called pebbling). How could one not think we're affecting it.
Thanks for writing this. The basic relationships between CO2 (and other gases) and temperature and atmospheric changes are not difficult to understand. You’re right: the political leaders who deny and impinge safety for their own citizens are despicable.
The other day I noticed a bird in my NE Seattle neighborhood that I didn't immediately recognize. I had a hunch based on some I've seen in Oregon. It was a Scrub Jay. It was the first I'd seen here in Seattle. Their range is extending North from N. Calif and Oregon. Just another example of Climate Change. -Jim
Agreed!! It disgusts and disappoints me this election is even close. Denying climate change science, political history, the January 6th riot in the Capital, and the ubiquitous lies of a narcissistic candidate, is a recipe for disaster. General lack of education and short-term gain motivation are obviously difficult to overcome.
Thank you for saying this, David. It takes courage, especially on the internet, to step out of your usual themes and tone to address something that many of us worry about but has been so oddly divisive. Reading through the comments, I have no doubt that many in your readership are already good voters, ready to make their voices heard through the representatives they choose. May those not yet registered or decided see your words and exercise their vote for representatives who will be better stewards of the planet.
Thank you for bearing witness to reality. I vividly recall a conservation with my brother about climate change and the existential threat it poses. He listened (or I thought he did) until I posed this question:”doesn’t climate change scare you?”, to which he replied, “no, it’s just gods will”. No denial, no argument but a simple belief that a higher power was in charge and humans were not part of the problem, or the solution. It’s hard to argue with that logic and left me with a greater understanding of why some believe what they do.
Must say I welcome your post on our quasi political/climate situation. Living on the lower end of the Olympic Peninsula for the past 30 years, I have watched thousands of logging trucks go by my house year after year. And though some of the lands they have cleared go back into mono-culture forest production, many, many acres do not benefit even that sad change. Many acres become housing or business developments or just lay bare of the forests that protected the ground water and harbored the forests' unfathomable diversity of wildlife. If Kamala Harris is elected president, I will advocate for better education of our children with regard to such things as critical thinking, civics, and Eco systems as well as our part in protecting our earth and climate. The loss of migrating birds and wildlife - both flora and fauna just since I have lived here is heartbreaking. Though this summer was less stressful, the 3 hot summers prior were very stressful to the trees, and undergrowth.
Thank you for this! Poor education and lack of critical thinking skills allow many people to be misled by politicians and business leaders for short term profit, to all of our detriment.
Thank you. so very much for this honest, clear, column about the choices facing us on Nov 5th--There are so few people willing to speak out clearly about the choices facing us regarding climate change and other important issues. So thank you for telling it like it is, as they say!
I'd add that having conversations with people about I-2117 so they don't miss it on their ballot would be helpful. There is a lot to take in this election and we need to have as many "no" votes as possible on that one. It needs to be a resounding loss.
Thanks for the important observations. It can be added that the politicians who "spew lies about climate change" are doing the bidding of their financial supporters among the fossil fuel industries. Republicans aren't (all) that stupid; they're doing what they are paid to do by their donors.
Just because everyone is doing it, doesn't mean you should do it, too. Every politician has an obligation to obtain the best information he/she can to provide their constituency with enlightened direction for our times.
I like to point out how thin the atmosphere is. The troposphere (where most of the weather forms) is about 10 miles high. The earth's radius is 4000 miles. So say if the earth was the size of a basketball (9.5 in diameter), the troposphere would be less than the height of the bumps (I come to find is called pebbling). How could one not think we're affecting it.
Thanks for writing this. The basic relationships between CO2 (and other gases) and temperature and atmospheric changes are not difficult to understand. You’re right: the political leaders who deny and impinge safety for their own citizens are despicable.
The other day I noticed a bird in my NE Seattle neighborhood that I didn't immediately recognize. I had a hunch based on some I've seen in Oregon. It was a Scrub Jay. It was the first I'd seen here in Seattle. Their range is extending North from N. Calif and Oregon. Just another example of Climate Change. -Jim
Agreed!! It disgusts and disappoints me this election is even close. Denying climate change science, political history, the January 6th riot in the Capital, and the ubiquitous lies of a narcissistic candidate, is a recipe for disaster. General lack of education and short-term gain motivation are obviously difficult to overcome.
Thanks for adding your voice.
Thank you for saying this, David. It takes courage, especially on the internet, to step out of your usual themes and tone to address something that many of us worry about but has been so oddly divisive. Reading through the comments, I have no doubt that many in your readership are already good voters, ready to make their voices heard through the representatives they choose. May those not yet registered or decided see your words and exercise their vote for representatives who will be better stewards of the planet.
Excellent! Thank you for your clear and important words
Thank you for bearing witness to reality. I vividly recall a conservation with my brother about climate change and the existential threat it poses. He listened (or I thought he did) until I posed this question:”doesn’t climate change scare you?”, to which he replied, “no, it’s just gods will”. No denial, no argument but a simple belief that a higher power was in charge and humans were not part of the problem, or the solution. It’s hard to argue with that logic and left me with a greater understanding of why some believe what they do.
Must say I welcome your post on our quasi political/climate situation. Living on the lower end of the Olympic Peninsula for the past 30 years, I have watched thousands of logging trucks go by my house year after year. And though some of the lands they have cleared go back into mono-culture forest production, many, many acres do not benefit even that sad change. Many acres become housing or business developments or just lay bare of the forests that protected the ground water and harbored the forests' unfathomable diversity of wildlife. If Kamala Harris is elected president, I will advocate for better education of our children with regard to such things as critical thinking, civics, and Eco systems as well as our part in protecting our earth and climate. The loss of migrating birds and wildlife - both flora and fauna just since I have lived here is heartbreaking. Though this summer was less stressful, the 3 hot summers prior were very stressful to the trees, and undergrowth.