Climate change

The world is on the brink of transition and the only question is whether America will lead the way, or stand in the way. That is the question that we all should ponder as we connect the words of our political candidates with their real-life effects on our world, the economy, and our collective future.

The global climate accord signed last month in Paris offers enormous opportunity to reshape the world in a positive way, and those countries that take the lead will reap the rewards of the transition to a sustainable energy future. Those countries that truly invest in alternatives to fossil fuels will spark technological innovation and grow their economies. They’ll improve the health of their citizens by reducing polluting fossil fuel emissions. They’ll reduce the destructive effects of coal and oil mining and drilling, including the massive oil spills that are an inevitable byproduct of our current dependence on dirty energy. And, of course, they will make their contribution to the global problem of catastrophic climate change. The U.S. can, and should be, a leader in this transition to a better future.

Unfortunately, we have one major political party in this country that remains hopelessly wedded to the past—like advocates of the typewriter at the dawn of the computer age, only far more dangerous. To their shame, virtually every single Republican candidate for the White House has vowed that, if elected, they will tear up the Paris climate accord and demonstrate to the world that we are a nation that can’t be trusted to abide by its commitments or by the collective urgings of scientists and political leaders from virtually every other country on Earth. And they would go further, vowing to do absolutely nothing to advance the U.S. towards a more sustainable future. And virtually to a person, you will hear the same thing from every Republican member of Congress, who voted last month to repeal President Obama’s Clean Power Plan and to expedite the permitting for new oil and gas pipelines and other projects at a time when it has become apparent that we need to move in exactly the opposite direction. It’s a calculated stick-in-the-eye to the community of nations.

Such an extraordinary rejection of science and global opinion is an unequivocal statement that, under Republican leadership, America would make no pretense of real leadership on the world stage, only uninformed bluster and saber-rattling.

What is most distressing is that the almost Stone Age mentality that is gripping the GOP today does not reflect the real views of many in the party. It’s easy to forget that just ten years ago, many Republican leaders, like former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Arizona Sen. John McCain, and even former House Speaker Newt Gingrich were outspoken in support of action on climate change. Today, they march in lockstep in opposition to action they once supported.

Certainly, such a dramatic change can’t be accounted for by the science, which is far more overwhelming today than it was ten years ago. As 2015 draws to a close, we now know that it was the warmest year ever recorded globally, surpassing the previous record, set in 2014. And 2014 topped the previous record, set in 2010.

Indeed, seven of the ten hottest years on record occurred in the past ten years.

It is the power of money that keeps Republican heads-in-the-sand even as the sand grows hotter and hotter by the year. It has become a party highly dependent on the fossil fuel industry for its political campaign cash. As recently as 2014, the Center for Responsive Politics documented well over a half billion dollars spent by the fossil fuel industry either directly or indirectly (through dark money groups) to advance Republican candidates. The Koch Brothers and their allies, alone, are pledging to spend almost twice that to help Republicans in this fall’s election.

It’s the lure of money that has pushed Republicans to increasingly adopt the anti-climate change orthodoxy of the fossil fuel industry. Even the industry, of course, doesn’t believe its own lies on the subject. We now know that Exxon funded its own climate research more than a decade ago, that largely concurred with the findings of other climate scientists— namely that the rising levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are heating up the planet. But the company kept that research under wraps, to protect its profits. Republicans are doing exactly the same today, denying the science to protect their campaign contributions.

Hopefully, Americans won’t buy it. As the heat rises, as storms intensify, and droughts deepen, the reality of climate change is affecting our lives today. It’s more important than ever that we elect leaders who will take the action that this historical moment demands. It’s time to lead, or to get out of the way.