Let’s move beyond climate ignorance

The “trifecta of climate ignorance,” a term used in The Baltimore Sun editorial board’s recent editorial regarding severe weather (“Hurricane Florence may reshape the climate change debate,” Sept. 11), cleverly describes the three recent rollbacks of Obama era climate change regulations: loosening of emission standards on vehicles and coal power plants as well as the more recent roll back of regulations on methane leaks from oil and gas wells.

As accurate death toll numbers emerge from Hurricane Maria’s assault on Puerto Rico and as Hurricane Florence’s death toll continues to climb, the Trump administration rollbacks feel very much like a punch in the gut. Who in this country doesn’t know someone adversely affected by an extreme climate event? How many lives need to be lost? How many billions of dollars can be spent cleaning up after disasters? Clearly, something must change.

My family has felt the impacts of extreme weather events exacerbated by warming oceans or severe drought from Super Storm Sandy in New York to fires in California and now flooding in North Carolina. Yet I am heartened to know that we have options other than those given to us by this administration whose energy policies shamelessly aim to support the fossil fuel industry at all cost.

States such as California are making big investments in clean energy solutions. Maryland is so close to following suit. The Clean Energy Jobs Act will increase renewable electricity in Maryland to 50 percent by 2030 and is the best vehicle to get Maryland to 100 percent renewable by 2050. It’s time to move beyond ignorance to solutions.