The pandemic dwarfs every other priority. Is there any point in talking about anything else?
Well, yes. We must take action to make the next pandemic—and other catastrophes—less likely.
Climate action should top that list. We’ll need a Green New Deal to put millions of Americans back to work, build a clean-energy economy, and shift as rapidly as possible from fossil fuels to renewables.
The alternative: a rise in greenhouse gases will continue to wreak havoc on our environment and our health. That means not only more frequent and more destructive storms, floods, wildfires, heat waves, and droughts but also more deadly outbreaks, as warmer temperatures drive the spread of disease-carrying species.
The case for climate action is overwhelming. Unfortunately, so are the political forces that stand in our way.
Republicans are not the only culprits here; the fossil-fuel industry subsidizes senators on both sides of the aisle. We need leaders willing to take on Big Oil, instead of hiding behind a pandemic to weaken emissions standards—as the Trump Administration did last week—or pursuing business as usual.
In 12 weeks, Colorado’s voters will get to weigh in, by choosing a nominee to replace Cory Gardner and combat the climate crisis. That decision will shape not only the course of our recovery but also the fate of life on Earth for decades to come.
“What’s happening to the planet isn’t going to stop just because we’re dealing with another crisis,” as The New Republic points out, “and this is no time to ease up on the climate fight.”
Andrew Romanoff
