The problem with letting the baby boomer politicians make policy decisions related to the future of the planet and climate is that they’ll be dead.
As of today, today, the average age of a Representative is 57 and the average of a Senator is 61. It’s the oldest congress EVER. Think about that. They will be dead within 30 years. They’re making decisions that will effect us, not them. So what do they care? They’re just looking to get richer and make sure their family is taken care of.
I don’t understand why this is a partisan issue. Why does the Blue team care about the climate, and the Red team does not? Both teams are on the same planet. I guess the Red team won’t care about this until it starts to hurt the economy since that’s the stereotype for them?
Enter us regular folk. Did you read the report? Holy fucking shit. We need to stop talking about Climate Change like it’s a future problem. It is here. Right now. Climate Change is already happening. 97% of the scientific community agrees on this.
Here are some optimistic notes from the Climate Report that came from the US Government:
- The authors warn that neither climate adaptation or the pace of emissions cuts are keeping up with the severity and swiftness of the challenge.
- The report finds that under a worst-case climate change scenario, in which emissions continue to climb at current rates, extreme heat would cause labor-related losses of an estimated $155 billion per year by 2090. At the same time, coastal property damage in the U.S. from sea level rise and storm surge flooding could reach nearly $120 billion per year.
- The global average temperature is much higher and is rising more rapidly than anything modern civilization has experienced, and this warming trend can only be explained by human activities
- Humans are living with the warmest temperatures in modern history. Even if the best-case scenario were to happen and greenhouse gas emissions were to drop to nothing, the world is on track to warm 1.1 degrees Fahrenheit.
- As of now, not a single G20 country is meeting climate targets, research shows. (THIS IS REALLY FUCKING SCARY)
- The quality and quantity of their crops will decline across the country due to higher temperatures, drought and flooding.
- The Midwest alone, which is predicted to have the largest increase in extreme temperature, will see an additional 2,000 premature deaths per year by 2090
- Wildfire seasons — already longer and more destructive than before — could burn up to six times more forest area annually by 2050 in parts of the United States. Burned areas in Southwestern California alone could double by 2050.