The climate crisis is real, as are its solutions. In fact, the many solutions offer a plethora of side benefits, from good jobs and stronger economies to better health and greater equality.
The crisis itself is becoming increasingly costly and is meeting or exceeding predictions scientists and others have warned about for decades: more unpredictable and volatile weather events, flooding, droughts, intense wildfires, sea levels rising, ice sheets and glaciers melting, animals and plants going extinct, temperatures becoming unbearable in parts of the world, diseases spreading and much more.
Despite the indisputable scientific evidence, as well as easily observable proof, many political representatives are still denying the crisis exists or that it’s serious enough to require action!
A study by the Center for American Progress found that climate science deniers make up almost one- quarter of the United States Congress — 100 in the House of Representatives and 23 in the Senate! The somewhat good news is that those numbers are going down, from 150 in the 116th Congress to 139 in the 117th to 123 today.
“The report defined climate deniers as those who say that the climate crisis is not real or not primarily caused by humans, or claim that climate science is not settled, that extreme weather is not caused by global warming or that planet-warming pollution is beneficial,” the Guardian reports. Many are parroting thoroughly debunked information.
The report also found that the fossil fuel industry has given these elected officials more than US$52 million in campaign donations.
Noting that 2023 was the hottest year on record, with July hitting “the highest average global temperatures ever recorded” and the U.S. experiencing, “on average, a billion-dollar extreme weather event every three weeks, the report states, “Americans cannot afford to ignore the realities of global climate change. Climate-fueled extreme weather events continue to cost American lives and billions of dollars year after year, and the intensity and frequency of these events will continue to increase without action to address the causes of climate change.”
The report points to the International Energy Agency’s call for “the need to rapidly transition to a clean energy economy,” and its finding “that achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, even with significant growth in energy demand, does not require any new fossil fuel investment.”
Although the U.S. presents one of the most egregious examples of political leaders putting their constituents, and everyone else, at great risk for the sake of money, it’s not the only country where climate science deniers of various degrees hold positions of power and responsibility.
Some provincial and federal politicians here in Canada are campaigning against sound climate policies and enacting regulations and practices that favour gas, oil and coal over renewable energy. Other countries, especially those that produce fossil fuels, have their share of politicians who deny the reality and/or severity of the climate crisis. The United Nations says the fossil fuel industry is running “a massive mis- and disinformation campaign” to stall climate policies, even though most people favour them.
This denial from those elected to make difficult decisions about policies and governing delays much-needed change — and we have no time to lose. Even the many policies and programs already in place are inadequate to prevent the crisis from worsening. We’ve pumped so much carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere — gases that remain and cause damage for many years — that every delay increases the likelihood of catastrophe.
We still live under a global economic system largely governed by fossil fuel interests. Along with industry efforts to maintain power and profits, there’s a global movement away from democratic systems — to instil cynicism and disillusionment with governance systems and processes that at least attempt to give some power to the people being governed. It’s a reason some elected officials, especially in the U.S., are banning books and attacking teachers, librarians, universities and programs that encourage critical thinking and greater equality. Education is strength!
We need to stand up and hold onto the power we still have, and take back the power we’ve lost. That means being informed and getting involved in democratic processes, from voting and holding politicians to account to protesting and signing petitions — even running for office. Time is running out.
David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation. Written with David Suzuki Foundation Senior Writer and Editor Ian Hanington.
Learn more at davidsuzuki.org