As we alternately swelter in the heat and humidity or watch thunderstorms dump heavy rains on increasingly saturated soils, there is little acknowledgement by our political leaders that the climate change clock is ticking and action needs to be taken now.
Northern New York and Vermont have long been viewed as insulated from climate change to a greater extent than say the Southwest. Sure it may get a little warmer in the summer, but certainly not the triple digit heat and humidity that even NYC is experiencing.
That smug certainty was wiped away in a few hours on Monday as up to 9 inches of rain fell on Vermont in the space of a few hours. Later in the day, the state's capitol, Montpelier, was inundated by floodwaters even worse than those caused by tropical storm Irene. Both were called thousand year events, yet they occurred less than 20 years apart.
As the air warms it can trap and hold more and more moisture which eventually falls to the ground often thousands of miles away. Water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico are as high as 97 degrees. This accelerates the process. Meanwhile another large insurance company has announced it will no longer cover homes and businesses in Florida because it is too risky.
The change is accelerating, but our leaders heads are still buried in the sand. Bill Nye, the science guy, recently said each candidate for public office should by asked if they believe in climate change and what plans do they have to mitigate it. He challenged the media to do its job. We need to vote like our lives depend on it, because they do.
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