Denial of a fact doesn’t make it go away. No longer can our nation support the greed of big business and ignore the harm it is enacting on our environment. The entire developed world recognizes the fact that climate change is the result of man’s use of fossil fuels. The very act of extracting crude oil and natural gas from the earth is destructive, and its use is equally harmful.

The only humans on the planet who deny climate change and fail to recognize its causes, are a small group of men and women who call themselves Republicans.

If they truly believe what they profess, they must go back to school, or take a high school equivalency test to prove that they received a basic education. It is far more likely that they have chosen not to face the facts, in support of their employers. Corporations continuously operate under minimal restrictions to control their pollution of our air, soil, and water.

It begins with the petroleum industry. Its latest method for extracting the products from which gasoline and home heating materials are manufactured, is the most dangerous practice in history.

Fracking is rampant across our nation, and the process is creating severe dangers for the people of the United States. As many as four million gallons of water is mixed with sand, and 600 chemicals, some of which are carcinogens. This mixture is forced deep into the earth under extreme pressure. When the shale is broken, the crude and natural gas is brought to the surface. Not all of this deadly mixture is recovered; much of it seeps into underground rivers and streams. A secondary problem is that the process is causing seismic activity in the mining areas; some of which have never previously experienced earthquakes.

The fact is that climate change is the predicted Armageddon. The glaciers are melting at an alarming rate, and our oceans are rising. Extreme weather has become the norm. As droughts increase in our fertile agricultural areas, food production and drinkable water are diminishing. Continued denial by an entire political party will not save the world.

Some Republicans have claimed ‘the science regarding climate change is unsettled;’ that’s a blatant lie. 95 percent of the world’s scientists who study the world’s climate agree that the use of fossil fuels is the prime reason for climate change.

The policy of ‘profit before people’ must cease. The United States presently has 536 billionaires; and the number is growing. How much money does anyone need to live a life of luxury and privilege? The wealthy must give back; instead of denying climate change, they should be leading the fight to slow its damage to the environment.

Teddy Roosevelt was a Republican; he is known as the greatest environmental president. In modern history both Dwight D. Eisenhower, and George H.W. Bush took actions to protect air, land, and water. Today’s “Republicans” are opposed to any controls over the pollution of industry, and support fracking, even in our most pristine forests and national parks.

There is only one choice; change or die.

Op-Ed

By James Turnage

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