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A number of Presidential candidates are trying to cast doubt on the reality of climate change. Some point to a handful of weather stations that have seen little change in temperature, despite the thousands of others that have recorded increases.
Other cast doubt on our role in altering the climate, pinning warming on fluctuations in the Sun’s activity, geologic cycles, or, in some extreme cases, other worldly interventions.
Yet for more than 100 years scientists have know that greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide emitted by burning coal and oil, have a warming effect in the Earth’s atmosphere. And by looking at the Earth’s geologic record, we can see that past variations in atmospheric carbon dioxide have been associated with climate change.
This is the stuff of high school science fairs, not science fiction.
Some Presidential candidates peddle climate change as a benign situation. Why sacrifice today’s economy for an uncertain tomorrow?
But we can’t afford to see climate change through rose-colored glasses. Instead, let’s take our cues from health agencies, insurance companies, and the Department of Defense. All are deeply concerned about climate change, and the ills associated with it, from extreme weather and shoreline instability to the spread of infectious disease.
This is one of the most serious issues facing our country. And voters can make a real difference in determining how our nation responds.
Photo, taken on October 17, 2000, courtesy of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center via Flickr.