It's getting hot in here

Following the political changes in this country is exhausting.  If you can block out all of the infidelities and petty character assassinations, there's still so many sweeping decisions that impact my family in both the short term and the long term.  For example: because I live in NJ, the revised Federal tax laws will likely screw us in the short term.  And, this administration's policy on ignoring climate change means that I need to take my children to see the glaciers now before they've completely melted. 

It's this second part that is especially disturbing.  The Tax laws, as one-sided as they are, will have exploitable loopholes...and plugs for those holes, and more loop holes.  The natural world, however, doesn't have any escape.  As the ferocity of natural disasters increases (floods, hurricanes, droughts, etc.), so does the bottom line of costs associated with clean-up and restoration, only to be knocked down again.  And, the paths of destruction are symptoms of the larger issues associated with global warming.  Ignoring those causation only to treat the symptoms seems like a losing battle.

I know it happens to every generation, but conversations about "when I was your age" are going to change dramatically, at least for my children.  Currently, the amazement is that, in 1993 and 1994, you could buy gasoline for less than $1/gallon, and the baby boomers saw gas prices at a fraction of that.  I'm afraid that my kids, instead of talking about gasoline prices, will compare their childhoods by how many natural wonders they were able to see, and that's a terrifying, but completely possible outcome.  In addition to the melting glaciers, questions my children will likely be asking in 30 years will be more like these:

Remember when we could grow apples outside?
Remember when we could spend more than 15 minutes at the beach without getting sunburn?
Remember when there were whales?
Remember when going further north meant cooler temperatures?
Remember when you could drink water from a well in the ground?

I hope that I'm exaggerating.  I hope that this, in 30 years will seem like the silliest post.  However, we know that ignoring the issues don't make them disappear.  As the global temperature increases, so do our oceans.  By 2060, most of New Jersey will be on a constant flood watch due to ocean rise.  While this article is from 2015, additional studies have shown that we are exceeding expectations already, and the global warming is accelerating.  Yes, it may hurt our economic bottom line, however we can't ignore it any longer regardless of the political leadership in this country refusing to acknowledge this very real threat.  This story has slipped away from us as we learn every day who the President has screwed and when (literally and metaphorically).  It's time to resurrect this cause and start beating the drums for sustainable material development and energy efficiency improvements to ensure that future generations of all species, including ours, will be able to continue to thrive.