Will the Heat Dome Change Climate Politics Here and Nationally? By J.E. Dean

Over the weekend, science educator Bill Nye said the abnormal heat that plagued the Eastern Shore and much of the rest of America may be “the new abnormal.”  He suggested that heat indexes of more than 100 degrees could become routine in future summers. That is scary. I was miserable last week.

Over the weekend, I told a friend that the Heat Dome was a message that it is time to take climate change more seriously. Yes, I know that the Biden Administration has already devoted billions to climate change, but more needs to be done. And I am also worried that Trump supporters cheer wildly when Trump promises to end measures to hasten the transition to electric cars. Trump wants to pump more oil and mine more coal. That is also scary.

Tomorrow is the first presidential debate. Pundits, including the Spy’s From and Fuller videos, have provided plenty of knowledgeable predictions on what will happen in Atlanta. One thing I have not seen from the pundits is a prediction that climate change will be a major focus of the debate. In reviewing four or five articles while writing this column, I did not see a single reference to climate change.

Dare I say that climate change is more important than all other topics that will be addressed at the debate, including border security, abortion, crime (Trump’s and others), gender politics, and even the economy. Climate change could change our way of life so significantly that it could eclipse all other key issues of our time.

Ridiculous? Climate change can (and will) destroy agriculture, leading to starvation crises abroad. It could flood much of the Eastern Shore and change the ecology of Chesapeake Bay. Climate change could force school districts in much of the U.S. to rebuild or replace their schools with buildings equipped to cope with elevated temperatures between May and mid-October. Millions of Americans will suffer heat-related illnesses, some of them long-term. I could go on.

Climate change deniers will, no doubt, condemn new warnings about climate change as yet another “panic attack” or as a not-too-subtle way to pursue a socialist agenda and take away individual rights. Is the right to drive a gas-guzzling car or truck or otherwise continue to contribute to climate change a Constitutional right? I looked. No such right to destroy the environment is in the Constitution. 

Last week’s heat wave should have been a wake-up call to all, but it will prove not to be. It may take three or more additional Heat Domes this summer to convince some of us that something dangerous is going on, something that demands a change in our political priorities, something that needs to be done if we want our children to live in a world not plagued by periods where going outside means risking your health.

I will watch President Biden and Trump duke it out on Thursday. I hope for a civil debate but fear that will not happen. I hope that “takeaways” from the debate will be something other than comments on how senile Biden is and how insane Trump has become. I am not holding my breath for a substantive, civilized debate and a healthy discussion.

As I write this column, I almost forgot to mention Andy Harris, our local champion of the Second Amendment and one of the few members of the House of Representatives to prove his fealty to the Second Amendment by attempting to carry a loaded handgun onto the floor of the House of Representatives. Andy Harris has a lifetime score of two percent from the League of Conservation Voters. He has also been a major beneficiary of political contributions from the oil and gas industry.

Let me state the obvious—if you are worried, even a little, about Climate Change, please know that Congressman Andy Harris is not representing you. 

J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant. He writes on politics, government, and, too infrequently, other subjects.