Isn’t it time to elect leaders who live in reality, rather than deniers?

I remember, back in the ’90s, reading papers about future climate predictions. They all said much the same thing. They predicted that regions, such as the American West, would face increasingly variable and extreme weather. They warned to expect long heat waves and droughts that would last much longer than before.

There would be massive storms fueled by the ability for warm air to hold and release more water, which would cause catastrophic flooding.

Fast forward to the present. The West is still recovering from a long, punishing drought. In California; it was followed by a harsh winter. Tragically in Texas, Hurricane Harvey is causing massive damage and suffering. There’s no doubt that the predictions of climate scientists are coming true.

Yet there still are many politicians and policy makers who refuse to acknowledge the basic science behind these extreme weather events. In fact, Congressman Devin Nunes goes so far as to label anyone who expresses concern about climate change as an “environmental extremist” or “alarmist.”

Now climate scientists are predicting that things will get even worse if we don’t act. Isn’t it time to elect leaders who live in reality rather than deny it?

This story was originally published September 11, 2017 at 4:49 PM with the headline "Isn’t it time to elect leaders who live in reality, rather than deniers?."