The Greenville News

As another unprecedented "monster" hurricane wreaks damage too close to home, it’s time to listen to climate scientists.

This week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the leading international body for the assessment of climate change, told us it is imperative we act now to lower greenhouse gas emissions to protect the planet. Devastating super storms, like Florence and Michael, only emphasize the urgency. We can’t hide from climate change, and continued inaction is putting our children and future generations in grave peril.

Letter:With climate change, Mother Nature is in control

Yes, hurricanes occur with or without global warming, but global warming influences how they behave. The energy that powers hurricanes comes from the warmth of ocean water. As the climate and oceans warm (due to rising greenhouse gas emissions) storms retain more energy and moisture, traveling farther inland with powerful winds and more rain. Sadly, record-breaking hurricanes, with their devastation and loss, are destined to be our new normal.

Climate change is going to affect us all in a myriad of ways. Powerful hurricanes and wildfires lead to growing costs in insurance; a warming planet means populations will need to move - forcing mass migration - when crops fail. (This is) not to mention those retreating away from coastal homes as sea levels rise.

It’s not all bad news. There are bright solutions. One is a revenue-neutral carbon fee, with proceeds returned to US households as a monthly dividend, as proposed by Citizens’ Climate Lobby.

Climate change may be daunting, but positives can be found. We just need to act now.



Charlotte Ward

Greenville

The writer is a volunteer with Citizens’ Climate Lobby.