You Say Potato…
Some Republicans responded to what looks to be the hottest July on record by saying “it’s called summer.”
And they would be right and not being disturbingly heartless, condescending and flippant if this were just a fluke. But we have year after year after year of records being broken and a clear trend. 2023 is going to be in the top 10 of hottest years; that will make the last 10 years consecutively the hottest 10 years on record.
It is estimated that there were almost 62,000 deaths in Europe between May 30 and September 4, 2022, predominantly the elderly and women more than men. (Ballester J et al. Heat-related mortality in Europe during the summer of 2022. Nature Medicine Vol 29:1857-1866, July 2023). We won’t know this year’s death toll for months as heat waves and extreme weather events and fires are still going strong, but this year is likely to be worse. And while deaths are the most critical and tragic outcome, the death toll alone doesn’t fully measure what we are facing. For every death there are many who are suffering, many going to emergency rooms and clinician’s offices, impacting health care, and with lost productivity and the economic impact of lost resources, summer has become a bellweather for climate change and a sample of more to come if we don’t act. Often the most impacted are workers, the elderly, the sick, the young, the poor, and people of color. But eventually it is all of us.
Yes, we all call it “summer.” But what does “summer” mean now?
We HAVE to act! Our leaders have to act, whatever party they list themselves under or caucus with, there is no excuse!
Vote for those who know that playing with words and trivializing suffering and destruction is cruel. Who know that we have changed the meaning of summer, from hazy lazy to hot and deadly on a scale not seen in human recorded history.
Let’s not leave this post at that. For positive news, a couple of examples of democracy in action:
Once more Brazil comes through! After just 9 months since Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office his environmental minister, Marina Silva (Marina d Silva Vaz de Lima), reported that deforestation is down a whoping 60% since July 2022.
Deforestation accounts for almost 20% of carbon emissions and 40% of that has been Brazil, which has had the most deforestation of any nation.
Also, in the United States the Inflation reduction act (IRA) is having an impact on employment. As many as 70,000 new jobs and over 200 large projects have been developed under the IRA in less than a year.
Finally, I want to encourage people to follow the climate scientist, activist and author of the book Saving Us, Katherine Hayhoe, on Linkedin or Facebook if you are on those platforms. She is a great source for stories like these, as well as hard truths. The following list of ways to get involved is from her August 8, 2023 Linkedin post. Even though several are already on our Groups and Websites page, I would like to share her suggestions in full:
“So this week, look for an organization that aligns with your values on climate action. Start by following them on social media or subscribing to their updates and sharing what you learn with people you know. Look into how you can contribute to their work. By teaming up, you can amplify your impact and make a real difference.
For example, are you a …
Parent? Check out Science Moms, Mothers Out Front, Moms Clean Air Force, Australian Parents for Climate Action, and Our Kids Climate
Older Adult? See Third Act (that’s Bill’s organization!) and Elder’s Climate Action
Christian? There’s A Rocha, the Evangelical Environmental Network, Catholic Climate Covenant, Young Evangelicals for Climate Action and more
Other faiths? Start with Interfaith Power and Light or Green Muslims
Nature-Lover? How about The Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, or WWF
And if you’re a citizen in nearly any country who just wants to tell politicians what they should be doing better? Citizen’s Climate Lobby is all about that!
There are climate action groups for young people and schools, healthcare professionals and athletes. For more ideas, see this handy quiz I helped create with Science Moms.
Do you have a favourite organization I didn’t mention? Let us know!”
Thanks Dr. Hayhoe. Strong work as always.