Huffington Magazine Issue 22 | Page 29

Voices Put another way, we are turning the planet into something that we, and much of life as we know it, cannot live in. Don’t believe me? Ask the Pacific islanders of low lying nations like Papua New Guinea who are now climate refugees after permanently evacuating their homes in the wake of sea level rise. Ask the owners of the 275,000 homes that were destroyed during Hurricane Katrina, or the 600,000 pets that were killed or left without a home from that storm. It is going to be some time before we know the full costs of Hurricane Sandy. What we know for sure, however, is that until we open up a dialogue about climate change in this country, based on the premise that the 99 percent of climatologists who say that climate change is happening and that human beings are to blame, are correct, we do not stand a chance. When our leaders focus on an “all of the above energy strategy” and “clean coal and natural gas,” that sends the wrong signal. That says that we are not ready to think about the sweeping changes needed to stem the tide of these destructive weather events from which we seem to be perpetually recovering. JAMES McGARRY HUFFINGTON 11.11.12 We know what has to be done. Clean renewable energy that can produce electricity while emitting zero carbon dioxide is available today. Energy efficient appliances that can do the same Averting work as their less efthe worst ficient counterparts consequences with less energy are of global available now. Presiclimate dent Obama finalized change is new fuel economy not about standards for cars protecting and light trucks so the planet. It that by 2025 the is about U.S. auto fleet will protecting us.” have to get about 54.5 miles per gallon. This will save Americans roughly 3 million barrels of oil per day and $140 billion per year. That was a good step, but it is not by itself enough. The U.S. has to break its silence on climate change, accept that our current energy-intense lifestyles are responsible for the increasingly violent weather patterns, and tax, or otherwise limit the fossil fuels that are emitting climate-altering greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.  The planet does not need to be saved. We do.