Warm Climate, Cold Change

Yesterday, it was 98 degrees and sunny in Minnesota. Out west, temperatures are as high as 115 degrees, and the forest fire danger is off the charts. In Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas there is severe flooding. And the Southeast is going through its worst drought ever.


Meanwhile, at venues all over the world, the Live Earth concerts to raise awareness about the growing threat of man-made climate change were held. Millions of people who watched on TV or on the Internet saw 150 of the biggerst names in music such as Madonna, Bon Jovi, The Police, Shakira and Alicia Keys perform.

Former Vice President Al Gore also appeared, whether live or via hologram, to spread the gospel of possible environmental disaster and to urge concertgoers to pressure their leaders to do something about the problem. Gore has made quite a name for himself since he lost the 2000 presidential election on account of hanging chads and a right-tilting Supreme Court, His environmental lectures led to the film "An Inconvenient Truth", which won an Academy Award for best documentary. And he continues to deny that he's running for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.

Critics have charged that Live Earth was a waste of time and resources, noting that the rock stars tended to use large amounts of energy in their acts. (Now there's an idea: go acoustic.) They also said that the concert did not have the impact Live Aid did 20 years ago. At least no money was wasted on corrupt regimes who kept the donations to themselves rather than distribute them to starving people.

Climate change is real, and we're seeing it every day. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) says that 2007 will likely wind up as the second warmest year on record. And the polar ice caps are melting, meaning Antartica and the Artic might soon become beach property.

According to an ABC News poll, 85% of the people interviewed believe global warming is occuring. However, there are some folks out there who think all this is liberal BS, that they'd rather let nature take its course. Could it be that, since the full environmental effects might take place over several decades, these skeptics don't have to care about it since they won't be around to see it?

One of the objectives of Live Earth, according to Gore in an ABC news interview, is to get leaders of the world in business and government to make changes on environmental policy. That will be the responsibility of the next American president, since the current one seems to care more about his cronies than the people he's supposed to serve.

(In the interests of full disclosure, I drive an SUV. I rationalize this by saying because of the winters in Minnesota, I need a four-wheel drive to get me through the snow and ice. But I've noticed that winter is not what it used to be around here, with infrequent snowfall and warmer weather. So I've had second thoughts about whether my next car should be an SUV or not.)

Today it was 93 degrees before thunderstorms came through the area, knocking the temperature down 20 degrees. But it'll be hot again soon. Will it be that way 365 days a year? Are we already too late in trying to reverse things?