Our climate: Catastrophe, costs and a cry for action

Larry Smith It will come as no surprise that we are experiencing unprecedented climatic upheavals in America and across the globe. This is no longer an issue that lurks in esoteric hypotheticals and game theory; it stands glaringly in the daylight of increasingly frequent disasters. In short, the evidence of climate change has been laid bare for all to see. Wildfires devour forests with an insatiable fury. Hurricanes batter coastlines with increased intensity. Droughts drain the lifeblood of lands that were once lush. These are not mere strokes of God’s wrath; they are amplified echoes of human indifference. Each disaster leaves a trail of devastation — homes razed, dreams dashed, and most importantly, lives lost. Rescue efforts consistently morph into recovery missions before our eyes. We then attempt to rebuild what was lost, but those are just “things.” Reconstituting life and relationships is a much more evasive task. To make matters worse, amidst the swirling winds of chaos, a tempest of misinformation, disinformation, and inaction continues to rage. Whether due to greed or ignorance, there are still too many people who stubbornly refuse to acknowledge the reality of anthropogenic (i.e., human-caused) climate change. Our saving grace ultimately might be the...