Who is in charge?
Nature flexed its muscles in 2020, and humanity with all its power has been at times rendered powerless.
A virus along with fires, storms and hurricanes brought the most powerful nation in the world to its knees. Towns and villages were incinerated; mansions and humble shacks were wiped off the map as a record number of hurricanes visited our shores. Silently, the virus spread across the land killing more each day than 9/11 and Pearl Harbor. The real tragedy was that no one was in charge.
Denial is a terrible disease in itself. The lessons of not being prepared and denial will haunt us for generations. Could we have done better?
As the fires, storms and virus raged, hope arrived in the form of science. Gradually and slowly the scientist鈥檚 voices were heard and people began to listen to them. Preventative measures were adopted and we began to get a grip on the virus, and climate science was at least allowed to tell its story.
Work began and the miracle of science produced a vaccine at the same time that a few leaders started to heed the warnings of science and began to discuss mitigation and risk reduction efforts to tackle the problems of climate change.
While the fires and storms appear not to be as deadly as the virus, hidden is the real cost to the health of humanity from the ever-increasing toll of pollution and rising sea levels brought on by melting ice.
Just last week, our National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists issued their new report on the Arctic, a joint effort of 133 scientists from 15 countries. Alaska and Siberia have experienced record warmth along with increased fires and melting of the perma-frost. The fires in our country were the worst in a century as were the number of storms.
This year saw fires in the U.S. consume an area the size of Delaware, and the smoke caused respiratory problems for people hundreds of miles from the fires
Both the virus and climate change know no boundaries, no age limits, no gender, no race or religion. They attack humanity 鈥� often at its weakest point.
Imagine for a minute a world where we welcome the efforts of science. As hope spreads from the efforts of science in combating the COVID-19 crisis, let us think about similar efforts to tackle that other killer, climate change.
We can do this if we abandon the efforts of denial and embrace the efforts of science.