The Sky Doesn't Look Right

 

Go ahead, look up, does the sky look right to you? where I am, in North Carolina, the sky has changed somehow. It could be just dust from forest fires or dust from the Sahara. Whatever the reason, it no longer looks the same old Carolina blue. It seems to have an almost metallic edge to it. Thunderstorms are as much a part of summer as lightning bugs, July 4th and humid days. Yet, this year, they too feel different. More lightning, more thunder and it sure seems like a lot more rain. Maybe these are nothing more than strange vibes I'm collecting while I grow older. It could also be Mother Nature's way of trying to tell us something. Wildfires in California, flooding in Texas and derechos moving across the plains are by no means anything new. Somehow, this year's events feel different. Rather than facing this new challenge, our government is deciding to stick its head in the sand.

I'm sure climate change will just go away if we outlaw some words. We can also cut out reports that point to climate change and delete the agencies who study it. Problem solved! Maybe we can make a new word for such inconveniences, yeah, we can call it WOKE science! Hey, we cannot have forest fires if we just cut them all down. Besides, the woods can be creepy anyway. Do flood victims really need more than thoughts and prayers? They should learn how to rebuild with their bootstraps or something. Remember, your sacrifice is something the billionaires will certainly appreciate on the way to and from the bank. Yes, the Democrats’ response to climate change was pretty anemic. They would at least acknowledge it but then due next to nothing about it, clinging to the status quo like a priceless religious artifact. The fascists who run our government now,  knowingly or not, have decided to accelerate the process of climate change. They cling to dirty old forms of energy, fringy, outdated economic theories and a lust for a past that never really was. They are pushing us into uncharted territory rapidly and out of control.

The refugee situation around the world is desperate enough as it is. What's going to happen when millions upon millions of climate refugees are added to the mix? I have little faith those who cannot see beyond their own short-term bottom line will have anything close to a viable solution. Storms and fires will get worse and worse and more and more of planet Earth will become unlivable due to heat. By the time the “it's not my problem until it affects me” crowd gets the message, it will be way too late. It's too late already to stop climate change but hopefully we can mitigate the worst of it.

This is not a call for unconditional surrender. I'm still hopeful the Green Revolution in energy will still happen and we can dial back our demand for useless consumer goods. What the current regime doesn't understand is Green Energy is more efficient and cheaper than the dirty old fossil fuel energy it is replacing. They can slow down the transition but will not be able to stop it. In slowing it down, they will only cause more needless suffering and deaths. The big question is how bad are we going to let it get? There is a point of no return where we will not be able to undo the damage. We can ill afford any more mistakes. This is the ultimate challenge of our lifetime.