Climate change is not something that will impact in the future \u2013 it\u2019s happening now.\u00a0 An unrelenting heat wave in California and on the west coast has helped fuel forest fires, there has been massive flooding in India, Bangladesh and Nepal that have devastated that region, hurricanes Irma and Maria have decimated the Caribbean, hurricane Harvey caused catastrophic flooding in Texas.<\/p>\n
Yet, these aren\u2019t the first catastrophes; 5 years ago this week Superstorm Sandy hammered New York and New Jersey.<\/p>\n
Sandy spawned incredible storm surge flooding, claimed 159 lives in the mid-Atlantic and northeastern regions of the country and left behind more than $70 billion in damage, making it one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history.<\/p>\n
Sandy hammered New York and New Jersey, leaving much of New York City powerless and in some areas under feet of water.<\/p>\n
Like the catastrophes left in Sandy\u2019s wake, the islands of the Caribbean, Texas, and the other nations have suffered unprecedented damage from this year\u2019s hurricanes.<\/p>\n
What do these storms have to do with climate change?<\/p>\n
Here is what we know: Global warming heats the atmosphere which leads to heat waves; higher temperatures lead to increased rates of evaporation, leading to rapid drying of soils, which not only contributes to droughts, it can also lead to forest fires.\u00a0 Global warming also leads to higher sea levels, which in turn increases the risk of storm surge, contributing to the damage brought by hurricanes.<\/p>\n
But you wouldn\u2019t know it from what we hear from Washington.\u00a0 There, climate deniers continue to argue that the science isn\u2019t settled, that programs to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases are useless, and, in fact, that the federal government should bail out the coal industry <\/em>\u2013 a leading contributor to the world\u2019s warming crisis.<\/p>\n Yeah, you read that correctly, Energy Secretary Rick Perry has advanced a plan<\/a> to bail out the coal industry.\u00a0 Under the proposal, the federal government would require anyone who receives an electric bill to pay owners of coal and<\/em> nuclear power plants their operating costs, plus a guaranteed profit\u00a0\u2013 regardless of whether their plants are selling electricity at a competitive price.<\/p>\n