Despite Opposing Enough Funding to Reduce Risk of Children Dying in the Future From Climate Change, Republicans Retain Voter Support
Anomaly on claimed values
Real Reason for the US-Viet Nam War
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Despite Opposing Enough Funding to Reduce Risk of Children Dying in the Future From Climate Change, Republicans Retain Voter Support
Anomaly on claimed values
World scientists raise stark warnings that the increase in global warming increases a risk of a future of devastating danger to today’s children and grandchildren. The obvious danger is stated by Save the Children:[i]
In the face of this specter, Republican leaders have refused US federal legislation even for an inadequate $30 Billion per year to work at curbing climate change. Even some young Republicans point out that older Republican leaders are wrong on climate change, NPR reports. The impending danger to the world’s children was demonstrated by the recent Hurricane Ian.[ii]
Ian did more than kill. It highlighted the folly of Republican adults who claimed the US could not even afford $30 Billion in one year to combat climate change. For, in just about one day, Hurricane Ian caused the US about $50 Billion in damage. Even some children can see the folly in that Republican math.
Ian did more than highlight that Republican folly. Hurricane Ian struck with high damage prior to the approaching era of tipping points. Tipping points are detrimental changes in major components of the world’s weather system. The melting of polar ice, for example, will be one tipping point. Polar ice, being white, reflects much of the sun’s heat back into space. But climate change is melting that ice. When polar ice is gone, and other tipping points strike as well, atmospheric disturbances will make Hurricane Ian look like child’s play.
The prospect of such events raises a higher risk that today’s children and grandchildren will face higher odds of being killed by such events. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) clearly warned in 2018 that the world’s population has 12 years in which to take serious steps including reduction of fossil fuel use, to curb climate change.[iii]
Why, as November 2022 national elections approach, do enough voters support Republican candidates to keep them on the ballot? For, the failure to act sufficiently on the world climate emergency, with itst threat of death to children and grandchildren, is an anomaly on two of the right wing’s claimed principles:
First, Republicans claim to support a “right to life.” So, they take a major political stance against abortion. But their failure to support “right to life” for the world’s children in global warming raises a question about the “right to life” on abortion. Is it only a prop to make a political gain? Why else would people not try to protect their own children or grandchildren from a time when “every child will inherit a planet with more frequent extreme weather events than ever before.”?[iv]
Second, many Republican evangelicals claim to follow the way of Jesus, but they vote for Republican candidates who oppose more funding for the effort to curb global warming. Global warming’s threat of death to grandchildren invokes the teaching of Jesus.
Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven’” (Matt 19:13-14).
https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/jesus-and-violence-against-children.html
The risk in the future to defenseless children and grandchildren of today is no secret to many of them. This is shown by a sign carried by a youth at a demonstration.
Photo: Sign held by youth at climate change demonstration.
Pexels.com
[i] https://www.savethechildren.org/us/what-we-do/emergency-response/climate-change
[ii] For Democrats, climate change is a pressing reality. For Republican leadership - not so much. https://www.npr.org/2019/04/28/717970463/young-republicans-and-climate-change
[iii] 12 years to curb the worst of global warming and avert unlivable, uncontrollable catastrophe. https://www.vox.com/2018/10/8/17948832/climate-change-global-warming-un-ipcc-report.2
[iv] https://www.savethechildren.org/us/what-we-do/emergency-response/climate-change