The constitution acclaims “that
they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among
these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. As a 50-year-old
African-American male, those rights were denied me the early part of my life. Although,
most Americans will never feel the pain of Jim Crow but it was real. So too is climate
change.
Just like back then,
fighting climate change is morally, religious, and scientifically the right
thing to do. Is it right to leave an inhabitable planet to next generation? That’s like you and your older brothers
playing football in house and trashing the place. Your little brother comes in
and can’t believe what he’s seeing. Your parents come home and you put the blame
on your little brother. Is that morally
the right thing to do?
I’m not catholic
but when Pope Francis sounded the alarm about the climate, I listened. The Pope
made the point that the earth is God creation, not mans and it should be treated
as such. Man is trashing God creation. Whether you believe in God or not, it’s
safe to say, you didn’t create the earth so why are you trashing it? Using the earlier analogy, the house isn’t
yours so why are you trashing it? Your
parents come home and they know who did it and like God, they are not happy. Is
that religiously the right thing to do?
Now politicians
are shaking their responsibilities by stating that they deny climate change but
they are not scientist. THAT’S CRAZY! As of now, 97% of climatologist, who are
scientist, and other scientist involved in climate change debate agree that there
is no longer a debate. The planet is changing and it’s changing for the worse. That’s
like going to the doctor and he/she prescribes you some medication but you say
I’m not going to take it but I’m not a doctor. Is that scientifically the right
thing to do?
We can talk
about the data such as the Polar ice caps at the poles are melting resulting in
less reflection of the Sun’s rays. Or the dryness out west causing
uncontrollable wild fires. Or the heating of the oceans causing polar ice caps
to melt causing oceans to rise. Coastal cities will be flooded and thus, inhabitable. And does it mean anything that July was
hottest month on record or is too much science.
Another argument
that I will make is that climate change is causing unbearable heat. As
temperatures continue to rise, people with chronic illnesses will have to stay indoors
longer and run the air conditioner continuously. The levels of these harmful
greenhouse gases will most certainly increase in order to save lives only to have
those lives cut short because of the greenhouse effect on the atmosphere. Therefore,
it’s now time to leave oil, coal, and natural gas in the ground. The world must
move closer to cleaner forms of energy.
We must find ways to build on the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change
because when it mandatory, the world will find cleaner ways to power life. Besides,
isn’t it against God to commit suicide? Is that not what the Human race is
doing?
Finally, to all you
deniers out there, climate change is real. Dr. Martin Luther King said of the
civil rights movement “the fierce urgency of now” and the nation responded.
Well, climate change is today’s movement with a sense of urgency.
