The shocking extreme weather of 2021 has brought torrential rains and flooding to New York, a stunning heat dome over the Northwest, the deadly devastation of Hurricane Ida, and wildfires of unprecedented ferocity. None it has come as a surprise to scientists who warned for decades that we were heading toward climate catastrophe.
“These extremes are something we knew were coming,” climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe recently told the Washington Post. “The suffering that is here and now is because we have not heeded the warnings sufficiently.”
The warnings go back to 1988 when then-NASA scientist Dr. James Hansen described to Congress how carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels was trapping heat in our atmosphere.
Thirty-three years on, 2021 is providing an unwelcome glimpse of the hellish future that awaits if the world fails to take decisive action to drastically reduce the greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change.
A warming climate has contributed to supercharged conditions in the Gulf of Mexico with unusually warm seawater temperatures helping power Hurricane Ida inland on its path of destruction into Louisiana and beyond. The number of deaths linked to the hurricane and resulting tropical storm has surpassed 80.
So far this year, 18 weather disasters costing at least $1 billion each have hit the U.S. Last year, there were 22. We’ve seen deadly inland flooding in the South, unprecedented wildfires in the West, and record precipitation in the Northeast. When incidents occur back-to-back, cities and states do not have time to recover, putting them even more at risk.
Here in the valley, we aren’t immune to the effects of climate change. Many of our local farmers are struggling, and summer heat waves are getting worse, putting lives at risk. Climate scientists warn that New Englanders should expect hotter, wetter summers to come. This past July was the wettest on record in Massachusetts, one factor to blame for the mold outbreaks at several area schools. The cleanup at South Hadley High School cost the town over $800,000. Where will the costs from climate change hit our community next?
The cumulative effect of these weather-related disasters sends a clear message: The time to address climate change is now.
Signs of hope emerged recently during the budget reconciliation process in Congress. The budget blueprint contains measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with the aim of cutting those emissions in half within 10 years. In early September, news broke that the Senate Finance Committee was considering carbon pricing with “a potential tax on the carbon content of fossil fuels starting at $15 per ton,” as part of the budget package.
Bloomberg reported committee members were discussing a carbon tax with “rebates for low-income taxpayers and a border-adjustment tax aimed at ensuring foreign companies don’t get an advantage.” America would actually be the last developed nation to adopt a tax on carbon polluters. Without one, U.S. businesses face border-adjustment taxes imposed by important trading partners like the EU and Canada.
A robust price on carbon has bipartisan appeal and would ensure President Biden meets his goal of reducing carbon emissions in the U.S. by 50% by 2030. Previously, policy modeling outlined by Majority Leader Schumer fell short of that target by 5%.
To ensure that the indispensable tool of carbon pricing is included in upcoming legislation, we ask Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey and Congressman Jim McGovern to support a price on carbon as part of the budget reconciliation negotiations.
We are grateful to Senator Warren for making climate action a priority and to Sen. Markey, who has fought for years to address the climate crisis. We are grateful to Congressman McGovern for his leadership in the House, and we were encouraged to hear him tell Monte Belmonte on WRSI that putting a price on carbon is “certainly part of the solution.”
Recent extreme weather disasters underscore that we are running out of time to address climate change. Congress needs to go big on solutions, or we will all suffer the consequences.
Andrew Donson is a volunteer with the Pioneer Valley Chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby. Mark Reynolds is the executive director of Citizens’ Climate Lobby.