Not just Hot But Dry

A lot of people use the phrase Global Warming when referring to the ongoing changes in our climate. Increasing temperatures, decreasing polar ice caps, rising ocean levels are all a part of the global climate change process. Being a serious gardener I am extremely focused on rainfall and especially the lack of it. We had a good winter and spring and lake levels are pretty much normal but we are nearly 5 inches behind on rainfall for the year and we haven't had any significant rainfall in weeks and weeks. The AJC has declared that we are in a minor drought and that the La Nina this year is mostly the cause.

Kevin Drum points out something this morning that we really should be paying attention to.

Here are a few recent data points for you: (1) The New York Times reports that "skepticism and outright denial of global warming are among the articles of faith of the Tea Party movement." (2) In the National Journal, Ron Brownstein notes that "The GOP is stampeding toward an absolutist rejection of climate science that appears unmatched among major political parties around the globe, even conservative ones....Of the 20 serious GOP Senate challengers who have taken a position, 19 have declared that the science of climate change is inconclusive or flat-out incorrect." (3) It's not just Senate candidates. ThinkProgress notes that an analysis by Wonk Room "finds that 22 of the 37 Republican candidates for governor this November are deniers of the scientific consensus on global warming pollution." (4) The Wall Street Journal reports that "extreme drought" has taken hold in parts of nine states stretching from the Southeast to the lower Midwest.

One of the most glaring effects of climate change is the change in rainfall patterns around the world. And if predictions for the upcoming election hold true then we are electing a wave of "climate change deniers" that will make it virtually impossible to take any positive action to ameliorate the effects of the coming "Mega-drought". There are a lot of problems facing us in the short term...health care, defensive spending, unemployment. stagnate economy, and climate change and we are electing people that don't want to do anything about any of it. There is going to be much sadness and pain.