There are no more abstractions.
Hitting Home
Climate change is a threat to both polar bears in America and other people around the globe that has been long considered an abstract concern by many Americans.
However, this is not true. The threat of climate change is everywhere. This was evident yet again in Wednesday's terrible weather event. Look at Hurricane Ida's devastation in New Orleans, as it headed northeast to cause massive destruction and death in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania last Wednesday. Robert Young, a Western Carolina University geologist, wrote in a New York Times opinion piece that the unusual destruction caused by Hurricane Ida is due to climate change. Leaders must take immediate steps to end it.
Young wrote that we need to recognize the increasing dangers facing the coast zone unless we address the changing climate in a meaningful manner. All the resilience spending is a band-aid, not a cure.
Weather Report
Hurricane Ida, which swept through the NYC area on September 11, flooded streets and subways, and caused extensive damage to homes. The New York Times reported that at least 20 people were killed in the Northeast by Hurricane Ida. This is in addition to the rising death toll in Louisiana.
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Central Park received 3.14 inches of rain within an hour at one point. Newark Airport, New Jersey, recorded 3.24 inches of rain in an hour. This kind of record-breaking, intense rainfall is normally considered an once-in-500-years phenomenon. However, Axios points out that this type of storm will probably occur more often due to environmental degradation.
Although it may have been a wake-up call for some, this is not the first sign that climate change is affecting the US. The Pacific Northwest has been on fire since months, and droughts are ravaging large stretches of the country. Deadly flooding is another indicator that we are in trouble. We need to take immediate, urgent action.
READ MORE: The Truth is You Can't Protect Everything from Every Hurricane [The New York Times]
More about Hurricane Ida: Scientists say that today's deadly hurricane is linked to climate change
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