EPA chief ’s skepticism about global warming being all bad
“Pruitt asks whether global warming ’is a bad thing,’ ” Feb. 8 news story.
Scott Pruitt, head of the Environmental Protection Agency, is probably correct that there are places in the U.S. that will benefit from humancaused climate change. I don’t live in one of those places and neither do my loved ones. I live in southwestern Colorado, where higher average temperatures are already increasing the negative effects of drought on agriculture, outdoor recreation, and other important industries.
Carbon dioxide has a long life in the atmosphere, 100 years or more, which is why climate scientists are projecting the impact of today’s carbon pollution out to 2100. That’s also why it’s important that we move the needle now. The more carbon we emit between now and carbon net zero, the worse the effects to our climate.
Instead of urging Americans to relocate in the face of human-caused climate change, I urge Pruitt to have an open, honest, transparent debate about placing a market price on carbon pollution.
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Scott Pruitt is finally admitting that, OK, maybe scientists were right about climate change, but can’t also admit that maybe they’re right about the consequences. OK, Mr. Pruitt, maybe a warmer climate will be better for some places, but what about others? Maybe you can go for a warm summer walk in Iceland now, but what about the rest of the world?
If Pruitt wants to see an example of why global warming is “necessarily a bad thing,” he can look at the Syrian refugee crisis, which started when climate change caused Syrian crops to fail, forcing people out of their homes and into cities. Those new people didn’t have jobs, couldn’t feed their families, and the country broke out in civil war.
What happens when Colorado has to absorb South American, or even Arizonan, climate refugees? If America doesn’t start addressing climate change, we leave ourselves vulnerable to consequences like these. We need a stronger climate policy than “What’s the worst that could happen?”