If you hadn’t noticed, Virginia was scorching on Friday with Richmond temperatures rising as high as 101 degrees Fahrenheit. The intense heat that many states up and down the Atlantic coast suffered through in turn led to disastrous storms that have killed at least 6 people in Virginia according to Gov. Bob McDonnell.
For those of us who have argued for preventive measures to stem the severe consequences of global warming and climate change, this latest storm surge comes as a sad reminder of how far Virginia in particular has left to go to address these paramount problems.
As ecosystems in Virginia continue to crumble and other signs of global warming appear, there has been a notable and disturbing lack of political will or attention given to the issues of global warming and climate change, their effects, and how we can mitigate the effects.
The most disturbing aspect of this entire debacle of resistance to mitigation is that the “political leaders” who are supposed to look out for the welfare of their constituents (i.e. Virginians) seem just as ill informed, unconcerned, or even as hostile as your :Average Joe,” and in some cases the political figure portrays him or herself as an extreme version of climate change denier.
For those who would deny climate change on the basis of a paranoid fear that the federal government will somehow consume the individual freedom of Americans, I would like to hear a state-based plan by every state in the U.S. that will address global warming and climate change. Not…going…to…happen!
Thus, the idea of “state’s rights” regarding global warming and climate change is an antiquated idea that must be superseded by a practical set of federal policies that finally drag the U.S. into the sphere of mitigation.
If we as Virginians do not act now, we can expect to see a lot more 100 degree days and the consequent deadly climatic events that will follow. This is scientific fact!
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