To the editor:
Today (April 22) is the 50th year celebration of Earth Day, a day to celebrate Mother Earth and bring attention to the impact of human activity on climate change. Let Covid-19 serve as a global wake-up call. If nations are not prepared for a pandemic — whether it be a virus or rising seas — the threat will not wait.
After Donald Trump was elected president, a group of advisors from the Obama Administration met with a group of Trump advisers to bring them up to speed on protocols that were in place to meet three powerful threats — cyberattack, natural disasters, and pandemics. Each group was represented by about 30 advisers. The need for preparation and vigilance was emphasized. By the time the Covid-19 came to national attention, only about six of the original 30 advisors were still working in the Trump administration. And the U.S. Pandemic Response Team had been disbanded in 2018. No one was watching the store.
When Covid-19 exploded into Trump’s consciousness at the end of February, he called it another “hoax” propagated by the Democrats. “It’ll be over by April when it gets warm,” he promised. “It’s not going to be that bad. It’s one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. It’s going to be just fine.” Well, it’s April.
This Virus Denier became a Virus Blamer, as if that would change the course of Covid-19. The virus paid no attention, nor will climate change.
The President promised to have a vaccine in a few months. Scientists say that is not possible. He said free tests are available everywhere and that protective coverings for hospital staff are widely available. The hospitals say it is not so. On March 11, the president spoke from the Oval Office, ostensibly to reassure the country. Never has a leader in this country spoken on so serious an issue with so little information, so little conviction, and so little empathy as Trump did that evening. The next day, the stock market suffered its biggest meltdown since the 1987 crash. And that got his attention.
As the coronavirus moves silently around the world, it leaves a screaming trail of destruction. The impact is immediate. When we emerge from its grip, however, the biggest pan-threat of all time still awaits our urgent attention: climate change. Let us pause to reflect on what the coronavirus has taught us. Imagine the threat. Listen to the experts. Be proactive.
To wait and watch (or ignore) is irresponsible. Every president since JFK has warned about climate change. Decades ago, Jimmy Carter and Al Gore spoke to us with conviction and empathy, warning of devastating climate changes, and the need to act to reverse the trends. Nixon signed the National Environmental Policy Act in 1970. Reagan focused on ozone depletion. Bush 41 created the National Climate Assessment and focused on acid rain. Clinton created the Climate Initiative. Bush 43 took a detour and pulled out of the Kyoto Accords. Obama negotiated and signed the Paris Climate Agreement in 2016.
The alarms went off but the batteries are dying as Trump undermines 60 years of achievements. There will come a point where the planet can no longer support us any more than our hospitals can support those infected by Covid-19. There are no ventilators for our planet. The only masks are the ones that cover our eyes.
Wake up, America. This is a test. Let the lack of preparation and the delayed response to the coronavirus be a warning. It is abundantly clear that the nations of the world are interdependent. If we are to save our one planet, we will have to change our ways. The United States cannot step away from global engagement. Climate change is neither a hoax nor a political issue. It is a fact of life that knows nothing of political affiliation. It is a “virus” created by humans which humans must cure. We the people of the world have to step up to ensure that we take the necessary preventative measures in time to save our one precious Planet that sustains all life. We have only one chance.
Sincerely,
Sarah Cannon Holden
Weston Road