Climate change isn’t WWII

New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s recent claim that “Climate change is our World War II” shows how extreme political beliefs have become. When young people say these sort of things, my first impression is that schools are not what they once were, or perhaps their life experiences have not accumulated sufficiently to facilitate reasoned thought. The more I read, the more seriously I have to consider that opinion. She is not alone, millions of Americans believe exactly the same.

Man-made climate change is not the same as World War II. One is politically inspired theory, the other is historic fact.

Climate has changed on Earth from Ice Age to warming periods repeatedly throughout geological history, even before the emergence of man. If this is not taught in schools -- that’s a shame, and it needs to be fixed.

In World War II, over 2 percent of the global population, 55 million people, died in five years.

A total of 9,387 Americans are buried at Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville Sur Mer, which was called Omaha Beach on D-Day. Most of these Americans lost their lives during the D-Day landings and the subsequent liberation of France.

That’s more than we lost during the Sept. 11 World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks.

Climate change does not operate death camps, blitzkrieg neighboring nations, bomb Pearl Harbor or torture prisoners of war during the Bataan Death March. I’m glad the State of the Union featured World War II heroes who can still tell the story. Perhaps President Trump invited them to initiate the conversations we all need to have.