I’ve heard it said that ours is the first generation to feel the effects of climate change, and the last generation to have any power to correct it. Based upon the “leadership” in place in many states, especially in Florida, our climate will not survive and neither will millions of people and other species worldwide. So desperately sad and completely avoidable.
The pathos in your column today is palpable. I love how your daily comments so often articulate my own thoughts and concerns, it is very validating. One minor quibble which is not central to your thesis but I feel compelled to point out. When you list communities so often targeted: Especially those who are Black or brown, Native, and of Asian heritage; you leave out the Jews and the horrible specter of violent antisemitism rising in this country. Please consider including us in your perspective.
People have buried their heads in the sand for so long that they’ve become numb & immune to other’s suffering. (Or they are too selfish to care.) These trends must end before we run out of time and the world truly runs amok.
Thanks again Dan and Elliott for a thought-provoking column.
As a Floridian your words hit home. Fortunately, we are far from this week's terrifying storm. But when a once in a lifetime event such as Idelia hits us, we cannot help but be concerned. Where will the next Cat 4 or 5 hurricane hit? Will there be another Hurricane Andrew? These questions are on the minds of all Floridians.
Looking back now on the career of our governor, one can see that he is following a strategy concocted long ago. He thinks of himself as the next "Trump" and has been taking steps, one by one, to raise his public profile and appeal to the far right. It has been going on since he first took office as Governor.
He fired a State Health official for putting out the truth about Covid in Florida. He pushed the legislature far to the right on social issues such as abortion, prisons, and "woke" schools. He attacked one of in not the largest employer in Florida to make a political point and enhance his appeal to the MAGA crowd.
Now that he is under the microscope that comes with a campaign for President he is being shown to be cold and calculating. From wearing "lifts" to enhance his height, to attacking the democratic party and followers, his rhetoric sounds phony. Ron DeSantis is an educated man with degrees from institutions that are considered part of the Liberal world. He is denying his past in order to gain personal advantage.
We Floridians don't really know who Ron DeSantis is. Everyday, however, he reveals a new tidbit that shows how unfit he is for the highest office in the country. Having served in the Military does not qualify someone to be in charge of our Foreign Policy. Having been a congressman does not qualify someone to set the national agenda.
All anyone needs to know to understand that Ron DeSantis is only out for his own interests, is to know he forced the state legislature to pass a bill that eliminated the provision in the State that anyone seeking higher office needs to first resign their position. We need full time officials in Florida, not a national candidate who is neglecting the problems we face here.
Slam, dunk! This succinct summary: "politics built on delusion, division, and destruction is a big part of the story, and the problem." So, friends, let's change the story and correct the problem. You know what to do. "Just do it," as Phil Knight says.
As you sow, so shall you reap. Mother Nature was stern enough before we overlaid global warming on the mix. We deserve what we get. Scientists warned us but were brushed aside by industry whose only concern was profit. Soon they'll have to spend all that profit just to try to keep the planet livable.
I have lost many close relationships by speaking out about what I see happening around me. Your opinions help to validate my own. Those lost relationships are not nearly as important to me as my integrity. I refuse to pretend there is no problem when that problem is destroying us.
You said "When politicians rail against a “climate hoax,” they make future flooding more likely. When they avoid teaching unpleasant chapters of history in schools, they perpetuate a culture in which some Americans’ stories — and consequently, their worth — are deemed more important than others. This dynamic also makes people who are minorities in the country less safe. Especially those who are Black or brown, Native, and of Asian heritage. When people in political power — whether Republican, Democrat, or otherwise — refuse to pass popular commonsense gun laws, they make the use of a firearm in a deadly attack more likely. "
^^^ THIS is the message that needs to be shared on every social media site and every newsletter and blog. Put it on billboards. Make it a f***ing hashtag. #BadPolicyDestroys
In the 1970s I was in school writing papers and speeches about loss of the ozone layer at the poles. I was an environmentalist to the core as a kid. Now as a senior citizen, I see the results from decades of climate change denial. I ran my mouth about it at every opportunity when I was growing up, and I felt as if no one was listening to the scientists -- or me.
Today I see half our country's population in vicious, furious determination to deny the science. Some days I stare into space with no expression because I feel utterly powerless about climate change and about the social climate that now exists and is so different from the one I imagined would be my world. I pray the pendulum swings back to a better place for all of us.
"If we don’t deal with the truth, we will make ourselves only more vulnerable in the future. "
Thank you Dan and Elliot. This one statement applies to so many conditions in our culture, from how history is interpreted, banning books, ignoring climate change, continued use of fossil fuels, racism, the rise of fascism, poverty, the deterioration of our education and political systems, income inequality -- the list goes on. We ignore any and all at our peril of becoming a society much poorer in quality, and as stated, more vulnerable in the future.
WOW! Once again, thank you for putting it so succinctly! Our world, our species are in dire peril. If we don't find a way forward, we are doomed to climb the long ladder of civilization again. I, for one, don't want that for any of us. Let us hope we won't have to. Let us hope we will find a positive way forward for all our sakes.
Climate Matters
Thank you for the courage and integrity to point out the truth, Dan and Elliott.
I’ve heard it said that ours is the first generation to feel the effects of climate change, and the last generation to have any power to correct it. Based upon the “leadership” in place in many states, especially in Florida, our climate will not survive and neither will millions of people and other species worldwide. So desperately sad and completely avoidable.
The pathos in your column today is palpable. I love how your daily comments so often articulate my own thoughts and concerns, it is very validating. One minor quibble which is not central to your thesis but I feel compelled to point out. When you list communities so often targeted: Especially those who are Black or brown, Native, and of Asian heritage; you leave out the Jews and the horrible specter of violent antisemitism rising in this country. Please consider including us in your perspective.
People have buried their heads in the sand for so long that they’ve become numb & immune to other’s suffering. (Or they are too selfish to care.) These trends must end before we run out of time and the world truly runs amok.
Great piece, as usual, Gentlemen.
Anne in MD
🌻🙏🏻🌻
Thanks again Dan and Elliott for a thought-provoking column.
As a Floridian your words hit home. Fortunately, we are far from this week's terrifying storm. But when a once in a lifetime event such as Idelia hits us, we cannot help but be concerned. Where will the next Cat 4 or 5 hurricane hit? Will there be another Hurricane Andrew? These questions are on the minds of all Floridians.
Looking back now on the career of our governor, one can see that he is following a strategy concocted long ago. He thinks of himself as the next "Trump" and has been taking steps, one by one, to raise his public profile and appeal to the far right. It has been going on since he first took office as Governor.
He fired a State Health official for putting out the truth about Covid in Florida. He pushed the legislature far to the right on social issues such as abortion, prisons, and "woke" schools. He attacked one of in not the largest employer in Florida to make a political point and enhance his appeal to the MAGA crowd.
Now that he is under the microscope that comes with a campaign for President he is being shown to be cold and calculating. From wearing "lifts" to enhance his height, to attacking the democratic party and followers, his rhetoric sounds phony. Ron DeSantis is an educated man with degrees from institutions that are considered part of the Liberal world. He is denying his past in order to gain personal advantage.
We Floridians don't really know who Ron DeSantis is. Everyday, however, he reveals a new tidbit that shows how unfit he is for the highest office in the country. Having served in the Military does not qualify someone to be in charge of our Foreign Policy. Having been a congressman does not qualify someone to set the national agenda.
All anyone needs to know to understand that Ron DeSantis is only out for his own interests, is to know he forced the state legislature to pass a bill that eliminated the provision in the State that anyone seeking higher office needs to first resign their position. We need full time officials in Florida, not a national candidate who is neglecting the problems we face here.
Slam, dunk! This succinct summary: "politics built on delusion, division, and destruction is a big part of the story, and the problem." So, friends, let's change the story and correct the problem. You know what to do. "Just do it," as Phil Knight says.
As you sow, so shall you reap. Mother Nature was stern enough before we overlaid global warming on the mix. We deserve what we get. Scientists warned us but were brushed aside by industry whose only concern was profit. Soon they'll have to spend all that profit just to try to keep the planet livable.
I have lost many close relationships by speaking out about what I see happening around me. Your opinions help to validate my own. Those lost relationships are not nearly as important to me as my integrity. I refuse to pretend there is no problem when that problem is destroying us.
You said "When politicians rail against a “climate hoax,” they make future flooding more likely. When they avoid teaching unpleasant chapters of history in schools, they perpetuate a culture in which some Americans’ stories — and consequently, their worth — are deemed more important than others. This dynamic also makes people who are minorities in the country less safe. Especially those who are Black or brown, Native, and of Asian heritage. When people in political power — whether Republican, Democrat, or otherwise — refuse to pass popular commonsense gun laws, they make the use of a firearm in a deadly attack more likely. "
^^^ THIS is the message that needs to be shared on every social media site and every newsletter and blog. Put it on billboards. Make it a f***ing hashtag. #BadPolicyDestroys
In the 1970s I was in school writing papers and speeches about loss of the ozone layer at the poles. I was an environmentalist to the core as a kid. Now as a senior citizen, I see the results from decades of climate change denial. I ran my mouth about it at every opportunity when I was growing up, and I felt as if no one was listening to the scientists -- or me.
Today I see half our country's population in vicious, furious determination to deny the science. Some days I stare into space with no expression because I feel utterly powerless about climate change and about the social climate that now exists and is so different from the one I imagined would be my world. I pray the pendulum swings back to a better place for all of us.
"If we don’t deal with the truth, we will make ourselves only more vulnerable in the future. "
Thank you Dan and Elliot. This one statement applies to so many conditions in our culture, from how history is interpreted, banning books, ignoring climate change, continued use of fossil fuels, racism, the rise of fascism, poverty, the deterioration of our education and political systems, income inequality -- the list goes on. We ignore any and all at our peril of becoming a society much poorer in quality, and as stated, more vulnerable in the future.
Spot on Dan. Thank you for saying it so clearly.
WOW! Once again, thank you for putting it so succinctly! Our world, our species are in dire peril. If we don't find a way forward, we are doomed to climb the long ladder of civilization again. I, for one, don't want that for any of us. Let us hope we won't have to. Let us hope we will find a positive way forward for all our sakes.
Always writing the truth. Thank you Dan and Elliot.
This is an especially important newsletter today. Thank you for clearly defining what is so.
Excellent article and so true. This country has to wake up to these truths.