I gave in.
I hauled the air conditioner from its tomb of dust and linen, pushed its ass through an open window into the great outdoors, plugged it in, turned it on, and then I sat before it in all its magnificence.
And I feel guilty.
I am contributing to the smog that hounds the health of so many; I’m adding to the burden of CO2 that’s wrapping so much of our planet in heat, drought and hunger; and I’m giving succor to the likes of Tim Hudak who lures our votes with siren songs of cheap and plentiful energy and happiness forever and ever. But in reality, I know it doesn’t matter.
Today, for example, I read a news report that said car sales are down in Canada. There is no good news in that story. Not in the main story that speaks to an economic slowdown, car sales being a major barometer of consumer confidence, but also not in the part of the article that tells us light truck sales still surpass car sales by almost a third. The Ford F Series leads the pack. Despite increased fuel costs, smog, heat waves, and wars over oil and water, Canadians still want gas guzzlers.
Still, no matter how disconnected we Canadians may be between cause and effect, Americans still trump us by a wide margin on the insane-o-meter. Sure, in an act of collective self-flagellation Toronto elected Rob Ford, but in Texas and Oklahoma they elected genuine, dyed-in-the-wool, nut cases.
First, let me set the scene: The southern US, including Texas and Oklahoma, two oil states, are enduring a drought of biblical proportions. See the animation and note the dates:
The drought is so bad, at risk are millions of head of cattle, the livelihoods of many ranchers, a good part of the economy, and cheap meat for many North Americans. Read about it at the Christian Science Monitor.
So here we have two oil states, facing the possibility of a 60 year drought, according to some scientists, led by Governors who are climate change deniers. (It would almost be like a poetic justice except we can be sure the political elite will be the first to board a plane to rapture themselves out of the rising southern lake of fire.) Rick Perry, governor of Florida, claims climate change is “all one contrived phony mess that is falling apart under its own weight.”
Oklahoma governor, Mary Fallin “has called climate legislation ‘entirely unnecessary.’ Fallin signed the Americans for Prosperity No Climate Tax pledge and has been endorsed by global warming deniers Sarah Palin and Sen. Jim Inhofe. She received $5000 from Koch Industries in campaign contributions,” according to Think Progress.
So, what is the answer for these two politicians leading states that have been pummeled by tornadoes and are now being ravaged by drought? Pray! Yes, pray.
Just this week Mary Fallin asked Oklahoma to pray for rain. Back in April, Rick Perry declared three whole days of prayer for rain. God hasn’t delivered. Possibly, because God has nothing at all to do with it.
Over a year ago, Fallin asked, “Does leadership really think that our surveillance satellites should be aimed at polar ice caps and not terror cells, and that spies should be investigating global warming?” Well, Mary, what has Al Qaeda done to Oklahoma that can match the drought that commands your prayers?
Unfortunately, addressing the challenge of climate change requires more than technology, plans, and a few well motivated people. It requires a change in culture and we’re not there yet. Not even close.
Posted on July 20, 2011
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