Did you enjoy Monday’s and Tuesday’s weather? Aren’t we lucky to have temperatures in the middle 90s, accompanied by high humidity, in mid-September?
My answers are “no” and “no.” I’m ready for cooler temperatures that are not accompanied by thunderstorms or remnants of one of this year’s many hurricanes. Eventually, I’ll get my wish, but that doesn’t mean I should stop thinking about why there is so much violent and extreme weather. My answer to the “why” is “climate change.”
If you ask friends and colleagues what the biggest problem facing the U.S. today is, some will say climate change, but they will be in the minority. I conducted my own informal, unscientific poll earlier this week. Among the answers I got were the pandemic, China, racism, greed, Republicans, Biden, and Trump.
Regular readers of my columns will be pleased to know that I don’t think Donald Trump is the biggest problem facing the U.S. He’s done and will continue to do a lot of bad things, but I don’t think he will ever put the Eastern Shore underwater. He may be a climate change denier, but that’s as bad as it gets.
I’m worried about climate change. Polls show that most Americans agree with me. A 2020 poll conducted by the Pew Research Center found that 24 percent of us believe that climate change is affecting our local communities “a great deal.” Another 39 percent answered “some.” A full 65 percent told Pew that the federal government is not doing enough about climate change.
With these levels of concern about climate change Congress should be rushing to pass legislation addressing the problem. Of course, it isn’t. The Republicans are blocking passage of bills that include billions to address various aspects of climate change. Democrats condemn them for doing so, but haven’t proposed a bill reflecting climate change as our greatest problem. The Democrats’ bills address climate change, but also all kinds of other problems.
At the risk of angering my Democratic friends, I think it’s unfortunate that the sense of crisis over climate change isn’t great enough to convince both parties to put together and pass a bill exclusively focused on that problem. The opportunity for a bipartisan climate change bill has been squandered.
Here on the Eastern Shore, worry over climate change should be greater than it is nationally. Temperatures might rise in most of the country, but we must worry about rising water and progressively more dangerous weather. Do our elected representatives agree?
Our two Senators are solid Democrats with good records on addressing climate change, but neither is recognized as the loudest voice on the subject in Congress. The Maryland House delegation also has strong ratings on supporting environmental legislation, with one exception. Anyone want to guess who the outlier is?
One poll I recently read gave Bethesda’s Representative Jamie Raskin a 100 percent rating on environmental legislation. Andy Harris got a zero. Yes, a zero.
Is Andy Harris a climate change denier? Judge for yourself—here’s what he says on his website about his support for “the environment.” Also note that Harris doesn’t even discuss climate change directly.
It appears that Harris avoids open admissions of his doubts about climate change, especially in the last few years, but believes any solution must be developed with “all stakeholders” at the table. That means balancing the interests of watermen, business, hunters, and others in crafting solutions rather than recognizing climate change as a crisis that demands immediate emergency action. That may mean not negotiating with “all the stakeholders.” FDR did not negotiate with stakeholders before asking Congress to declare war on Japan in 1941.
Do you agree that climate change is a crisis? Should the Eastern Shore’s representative in the House of Representatives have a zero rating from the League of Conservation Voters? If you answer “yes” to the first question and “no” to the second, you have a problem.
Getting Andy Harris to take climate change seriously or getting him out of Congress is not the solution, but it would be part of one.
J.E. Dean of Oxford is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant writing on politics, government, birds, and occasionally goldendoodles.
Stephen Schaare says
Mr. Dean, You assume that climate change is caused by man. Prove this please. Given that the filthiest polluters in the world are China and India, and they wish no part in this pie in the sky tomfoolery, what is the point? When Joe Biden states, publicly and loudly that these two rogue nations better “get in line”, I may pay closer attention.
Trillions and trillions being spent on everything, and you believe we can afford a stand alone bill and financing for this?
So many things come before this matter. Settling, welcoming millions of covid positive “migrants”, Afghanis, paying bribes to the now ruling
Taliban in that primitive hellhole.
Where does this stop? Again with the Harris bashing? Is he the sole member of the House and Senate opposed? What are there, 535 members?
Do you have any scorn for this dullard Secretary of State Blinkin? How ’bout this General Millie, allegedly going around the President to “chat” with China? Really?
What a shame. Andy Harris and climate change? C’mon, Mr. Dean.
Michael Davis says
There is no reason why Mr. Dean should answer a single one of these questions. Even if he answers with hundreds of facts, he will not change the mind of a single climate change denier. It is similar to wasting time arguing with anti-vaxxers, Trump Republicans, or QAnon members. Even death will not change the mind of a true believer – Google Jim Jomes as an example.
Harris is a Trump sycophant is terrified of looking like he thinks differently than his dear leader. That is why he will do nothing to help save the Eastern Shore.
Stephen Schaare says
Hi Michael, You used the term “true believer” were you referring to yourself and Mr Dean?
A question for you: Do you believe efforts to reduce climate change would be more effective if the two filthiest nations on Earth were engaged? I certainly do. Why does Mr. Biden fail to mention these toxic countries? Once again, blame America first. I also recognize we(the U.S.) no longer has the standing and influence we enjoyed prior to the Afghani tragedy..
Deirdre LaMotte says
You know what, there comes a point where one really need not engage. This is one. It is like a
SNL skit, but way more unbelievably obtuse
John Dean says
I spent more than 30 years running a company that provided energy and environmental consulting to the business community, primarily electric power companies. When I began, perhaps only 20% believed climate change was a problem but by the time I retired this year, that number who felt it imperative to address climate change easily exceeded 80%. Why the change? Slowly these companies came to understand that scientific facts were more important than their political orientation, and more importantly, climate change was becoming a serious threat to the viability of their operations. As individuals, we need to set aside our own biases and look at the facts as they are and the danger they represent to all of us in the form of climate change. Further, we need our political representatives to do the same. Unfortunately, Andy Harris fails miserably in this regard.
J. E. Dean says
Please note that the 4:06 response is not by the author of the subject article.
I appreciate John Dean reading the article and contributing to the discussion. In particular, I agree with him on the subject of Representative Harris.