Climate Change: A Moral Issue

Alongside the poignant scenes of devastated Angelenos fleeing apocalyptic fires or picking through the remains of their burned-out homes, I’m reminded of Gov. Jerry Brown’s assertion that our response to global warming is a deeply moral issue.

The science is clear: heat-trapping emissions from burning coal, oil and gas are over-heating our planet, making wildfires more frequent and intense. Those who deny this reality are contributing to the tragedies of lost lives and burned-out communities. Among those, of course, is our President- elect, who dismisses climate change as a hoax and a scam. Little wonder he ignorantly blames these fires on California water policies rather than the fierce winds and extreme drought conditions.

We should all be enraged at the failure of our society to hold fossil fuel polluters accountable for the devastation their products are causing. Fortunately, we have Santa Barbara political leaders who are working on solutions. Congressman Salud Carbajal has introduced legislation in Congress to tax coal, oil, and gas companies and return the revenues collected to households to support the transition to clean energy. State legislators Gregg Hart and Monique Limon are supporting climate initiatives that make corporate polluters pay part of their huge profits to repair the damages they have caused. These leaders deserve our support.

Every day that we deny or ignore human-induced climate change, and continue to do little about it, condemns our children and future generations to the horrors of a climate out of control – as evidenced this week by the unprecedented fires that are devastating Los Angeles County.