Climate Change

As Thanksgiving Day approaches, let us reflect on the things for which we are grateful. Let us give thanks . . . That Superstorm Sandy didn't do much damage in Maryland - and that we have a federal government to respond to the less fortunate areas where it did. That utility crews work in ice, rain and mud to fix power lines while we moan about how uncomfortable we are. That postal carriers got our mail delivered even as Sandy slammed into...

"I would say that those who are callous about babies and callous about life ought to be brought to bear the callousness of their indifference. " - Newt Gingrich "It's about some phony ideal, some phony theology. " - Rick Santorum, on environmental stewardship What's it been like as a pro-lifer, during this year's big-money campaign? It's been an experience of split personality, I would say as a pro-life conservationist. Most conservationists I know tend to be pro-life.

Not only has the GOP lost the support of female, black, Latino and Asian voters, they've also lost the support of those concerned about the diversity of the natural world, and how that diversity will be impacted by climate change ("What went wrong," Nov. 8). Wouldn't it be something if House Speaker John Boehner, who indicated that he understood the risks of climate change in 2008 only to backtrack under tea party pressure, announced that he also understood the lessons of Hurricane Sandy and would now work in a bipartisan fashion to craft legislation that would limit carbon emissions?

The Sun portrays the defeat of George Bush's immigration reform bill as due to the fact that he "failed to get [it] past his own party" ("Obama's mandate," Nov. 7). In fact, 15 Democrats in the Senate failed to vote for the bill; it would have passed with their support. Why not mention that as a reason why the bill failed, rather than blame it on Republicans? I thought all Democrats were for immigration reform. Perhaps President Obama should "start talking about climate change," but he should do nothing.

Global warming should be more in the news, with interviews with climatologists and scientists who study weather. There has been much coverage of the destruction wrought by Superstorm Sandy, but little about the changing weather patterns that cause such events. Many people believe that weather patterns are cyclical. But while the weather does seem to go in cycles, the number and ferocity of storms has increased in recent years. Yet there are people who remain in denial about the damage done to the people and places where these killer storms strike.

I applaud Thomas F. Schaller's column on President Obama's modest background ("The virtues of a president with humble origins," Oct. 31). The last thing this country needs is another arrogant son of a rich man who lives on a different planet than the rest of us. In my opinion, the election of Mitt Romney as president would be a tragedy for the nation and lead to perilous times. The two existential threats that face our country are income disparity and climate change, and the Republican Party is on the wrong side of both issues.

Hurricane Sandy is one more dramatic demonstration that climate change and its extreme weather patterns are now part of our future. Although we're unlikely to reverse climate change, we can still mitigate its effects by reducing our driving, our energy use and our meat consumption. Yes, meat consumption. A 2006 United Nations report estimated that meat consumption accounts for 18 percent of man-made greenhouse gases. A 2009 article in the respected World Watch magazine suggested the real figure may be closer to 50 percent.

Yes, let's talk about why despite so much climate silence, the power and mendacity of the fossil fuel industry has intimidated the American political and media system into remaining silent about the chief threat to our existence ("Now can we talk about it?" Nov. 1). And let's talk about the required solution to the problem: a rebated or revenue-neutral carbon fee that will protect consumers while inducing the energy industry to ramp up investment in clean, reliable power. It will take political courage to make this solution a reality.

For almost 30 years now, Hieronimus & Co. in its various radio broadcasts, television, print, online, and other public forums has addressed the increasing weather extremes as a result of global warming. This discussion began in earnest in 1985 among scientists, and only now is it becoming self-evident with the October surprise of Hurricane Sandy, not to mention the severe droughts, floods, record temperatures worldwide, and other anomalous weather patterns and their deleterious impacts on animals, nature and humans.

Every four years, presidential candidates tell the American people that this election is a turning point for the country. This year they might actually be right. To be sure, there are always differences between candidates. On a range of issues, from health care to tax reform, voters face a real choice about two different approaches to governing. But the most profound turning point in this election may be the fact that the neither candidate is talking about one of the most critical issues of our time.