TRANSCRIPT: Michael E. Mann’s remarks to Halloween Climate Rally in West Virginia
"It's not just about science and economics and policy and politics. It's about ethics. It's about our ethical obligation not to destroy this planet, for our children, for our grandchildren." ~ Dr. Michael E. Mann
CLICK TO VIEW remarks by Dr. Michael E. Mann to Halloween Rally for Climate Action Oct. 30, 2021 in Charleston WV | WVClimateAlliance.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: October 30, 2021
FROM: The West Virginia Climate Alliance
CONTACT: Perry Bryan, co-founder of the Climate Alliance: perrybryantwvAToutlook.com or 304-344-1673
FOR MORE INFO: Douglas John Imbrogno at wvclmateallliance@gmail.com or 304-638-9784
Dr. Michael Mann’s remarks to West Virginia Climate Rally: “The impacts of climate change are no longer subtle … We need every single Democratic senator, including you, Joe Manchin, voting for [the Build Back Better] bill.”
DR. MICHAEL E. MANN’s (virtual) remarks to OCT 30, 2021, Halloween Rally for Climate Action by the West Virginia Climate Alliance in Charleston WV. The renowned climatologist is Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Penn State and director of the Penn State Earth System Science Center. FOR MORE VIDEO CLIPS from this interview, see this link
DR. MICHAEL E. MANN: Climate change used to be this very exotic, far-off-feeling problem. It was about polar bears up in the Arctic decades from now. It didn't really feel like it had any immediacy or relevance to us in our everyday lives. Well, that has changed remarkably, over the past five years or so, where the impacts of climate change are no longer subtle. We're seeing them play out now in the form of unprecedented heat waves and wildfires, and droughts and super storms.
“The impacts of climate change are no longer subtle.” ~ Dr. Michael E. Mann.
As I speak to you, we're dealing with two different 'bomb cyclones.' These are unusually strong mid-latitude storms, one on the West Coast, another on the East Coast, fuelled by warmer oceans. If you're living in West Virginia, you've seen the devastating impacts of climate change. In recent years, some of the worst flooding events, some of the worst impacts of climate change, have played out in West Virginia, where a warmer atmosphere with more moisture and the potential for more flooding rains interacts with that mountainous topography that you have to wreak havoc. Dangerous climate change has arrived for West Virginians!
And now it's a question of how bad we're willing to let it get. We need our policymakers fully behind us, rather than acting on the behalf of polluters. We need them to be working for meaningful climate solutions. We can't wait five years, 10 years. We need to act now.
We have the solutions now in the form of renewable energy, wind, solar, geothermal, storage capacity, efficiency measures. We can do what's necessary to reduce carbon emissions by 50%. this decade. And get them down to zero by mid-century, which is what we need to do if we're going to avert a truly catastrophic three degree Fahrenheit warming of the planet. We can still do that. And we don't need miracles. We don't need new technology. The impediments right now — the barriers aren't technological in nature anymore. They're entirely political in nature.
“We have the solutions now in the form of renewable energy.” ~ Dr. Michael E. Mann.
Make no mistake. Right now we are on the precipice. We need major progress, we need to see major progress at this upcoming Glasgow climate summit, if we are to get on the path to averting catastrophic warming of the planet. Again, we need an agreement among the nations of the world to lower carbon emissions by 50% within the next decade. That's a monumental task. And the only way we're going to do it is if we have leadership at the highest level.
The good news is the United States is back at the table. We no longer have a climate change-denying president. We have a president in Joe Biden, who is leading on climate, who has made a very bold commitment on our part. He has committed the United States to decarbonizing its economy, to reducing its carbon emissions again by 50%, within the next decade.
But — in order for us to have the moral authority to ask other countries to do the same in Glasgow, we need to have our own house in order, Joe Biden needs to be able to go in there and back up his words. And show that the United States isn't just talking the talk, it's walking the walk. And the way he's going to do that is if we can reach an agreement. Maybe it's only a framework at this point. But a framework, an agreement, among — unfortunately, it's just the Democrats, we're not gonna see any Republicans vote for meaningful climate legislation — but with all of the Democrats on board, including Joe Manchin of West Virginia, we can get major climate legislation passed in the US Senate, and then the Congress, in the House of Representatives. And then signed by the President. We need this current bill, this current Build Back Better bill, to pass the Senate with the climate provisions intact, and we need every single Democratic senator — including you, Joe Manchin —voting for it.
“We need every single Democratic senator — including you, Joe Manchin —voting for [the Build Back Better] bill.” ~ Dr. Michael E. Mann.
That will, basically, allow Joe Biden to demonstrate that not only is he talking the right talk, he and the current administration are walking the right walk. Setting an example for other countries and bringing other countries to the table, so that we can get that global agreement that we need now, that gets us on the path to limiting warming below catastrophic levels.
And then finally, that comes together with a global climate movement led by the youth of our world, led by children. Greta Thunberg and other Youth Climate demonstrators and protesters that have re-centered again this conversation where it needs to be. Because it's not just about science and economics and policy and politics. It's about ethics. It's about our ethical obligation not to destroy this planet, for our children, for our grandchildren.
“It's still time for us to make the right choices so that we don't mortgage this planet.” ~ Dr. Michael E. Mann
It's still time for us to make the right choices so that we don't mortgage this planet. But we have to act now! This is a moment of consequences when it comes to the climate crisis. And we have to rise to that moment. We have to meet that moment, with meaningful action.
And that means that we need our politicians advocating for us. Doing what's right for the people they're supposed to represent, rather than doing the bidding for powerful polluters and entrenched interests. Well, now, something better than fossil fuels — safer, cleaner, healthier for our planet — has come along and that's renewable energy.
And those states that embrace this next economic revolution, the clean energy revolution, are the ones who are going to prosper. And if we care about the future of our children and our grandchildren and we want economic opportunity for them, t's simply not going to be in the area of fossil fuels. The age of fossil fuels is coming to an end. Again, the future is going to be about renewable and clean energy. And let's jump on board that train. Let's not get left behind at the station.