Year 3, Month 6, Day 20: The Rich Are Different From You And Me; They Have More Stupidity

The Wall Street Journal notes that things are getting hot:

The U.S. is experiencing record-setting high temperatures this year, with the lower 48 states hitting an average 49.2 degrees Fahrenheit, five degrees above long-term statistics, according to federal data released Thursday.

The exceptionally warm months between January and May have helped to make the last 12 months the warmest 12-month block since record keeping began more than a century ago.

The month of May, meanwhile, was the second warmest May on record, with the lower 48 states reporting an average temperature of 64.3 degrees, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Reports of record-setting temperatures, which often revive debate over climate change and national energy policies, coincide with efforts by industry groups to overturn rules that curb greenhouse gases and other power plant emissions.

The comments actually have a few voices of sanity, which is unusual for the WSJ. Sent on June 9:

In a recently published study in the journal Nature, 22 climate scientists assess the steadily accumulating evidence and conclude that humanity’s impact on Earth may well bring about dramatic and devastating climatic “tipping points” within our lifetimes. In this context, the news that last year brought record high temperatures in the United States should alarm the American business community.

The NOAA data will probably be dismissed by those more interested in quick short-term profits than in steady long-term returns. In ignoring this and similar findings over the past few decades, myopic corporate entities and their enablers in the political system operate under the delusion that the laws of physics and chemistry are akin to fiscal regulations imposed by governmental fiat, and thus can be violated with impunity. But the greenhouse effect offers no loopholes. It’s time for business to stop ignoring the climate crisis and start working to solve it.

Warren Senders