A Few More Storms Like Typhoon Haiyan May Finally Make Our Leaders Act on Climate Change - the Washington Post 2/14/14 11:52 AM

A few more storms like Typhoon Haiyan may finally make our leaders act on climate change - The Washington Post 2/14/14 11:52 AM

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A few more storms like Typhoon Haiyan may finally make our leaders act on climate change

Dondi Tawatao/Getty Images - A child walks along a devastated area in Tacloban City on Nov. 14, 2013. Typhoon Haiyan, which ripped through Philippines this past week, is one of the most powerful typhoons ever to hit land.

By Jeffrey D. Sachs, Published: November 15

Jeffrey D. Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, is the author of “The Price of Civilization: Reawakening American Virtue and Prosperity.” The Post Most: Opinions By some early measures, Typhoon Haiyan — which ripped through the Philippines and claimed thousands of lives — is the strongest storm on record to make landfall. But mega- The GOP's health crisis storms like Haiyan and Hurricane Sandy are just one of the many warnings that we are ! flying toward climate disaster. Obamacare's war on jobs In the past couple of years, the United States has experienced the worst East Coast flooding " in decades, as well as the most intense and largest drought in decades; 2012 was the warmest year on record in the lower 48 states. Massive forest fires have blazed throughout the drought-ridden West. Globally, the number of weather-related catastrophes has roughly http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-few-more-storms-like-typ…hange/2013/11/15/f1b5baa0-4c94-11e3-be6b-d3d28122e6d4_story.html Page 1 of 6 A few more storms like Typhoon Haiyan may finally make our leaders act on climate change - The Washington Post 2/14/14 11:52 AM

doubled since 1980 , according to comprehensive data collected by the insurance company The Hillary we see Munich Re. There is more bad news to come: rising sea levels, more-acidic oceans and more climate-related disasters. #

After running the rat race, some Through all of this, Congress sits supine. women are slowing down their pace More from Outlook And it’s no mystery why: The oil and gas $ Do kids make parents unhappy? industry has spent about $1.5 billion on Marisa Bellack FEB 6 registered lobbying in the past 15 years and Progressives takes lessons A review of “All Joy and No Fun.” from 'Downton Abbey' hundreds of millions on federal campaign % contributions. This industry largesse has helped bury climate-change information What’s so bad about just being and policies, while the United States and the Mommy? world suffer ever more disasters. Yet this Nora Krug FEB 6 In her new memoir, “Glitter and paralysis could end soon — just a few more Glue,” Kelly Corrigan builds on her big storms, droughts and heat waves are Connect with PostOpinions brand as a proud suburban mother. likely to trump the oil industry’s big bucks.

How much does sex matter in sports? The lobbyists’ main talking point — that David Epstein FEB 7 Facebook: Become a fan of Washington Post Opinions There are good reasons to separate controlling climate change would wreck the men’s and women’s competitions. economy — is designed to foster confusion Voice Your Opinions and inaction. After each catastrophe, we are told there is no proof that the particular Contact the reader representative Lily Tomlin, marriage and me disaster was caused by human-made climate Have questions about Post content or Barrie Jean Borich FEB 4 practices? After her wedding, my partner and I change. And that’s true enough. Nature is ask: Should we legally tie the knot? variable. But it’s also true that the frequency Send a letter to the editor and severity of weather-related disasters are on the rise. Just as smoking causes lung Write a response to a piece in The Post. The eternal slogan cancer but not every case of it, human- J. Courtney Sullivan FEB 7 “A Diamond Is Forever”— and so is induced climate change leads to more Submit an op-ed the ad campaign. weather-related disasters but does not cause Make an argument about a topic in the every one. news.

Imagine if the pilot on your next flight were Gallery to use the same logic as the oil industry and its congressional stalwarts. Just before takeoff, he announces that several alarm signals show that the engines are dangerously overheated. But, he adds, we’ll take off anyway because the signals are Today’s Opinions poll often false alarms. By the end of the announcement, you and the other Do you agree with E.J. Dionne that passengers would be rushing for the exits, if immigration reform supporters should try to force a vote in the House of not storming the cockpit. So too will the Representatives? American people eventually react, and Memorable myths of 2013:!Fact or fiction? probably much sooner than our leaders Yes A collection from Outlook’s popular Five Myths series. realize. No

Submit Americans are not as obtuse as the oil See Results | Disclaimer industry hopes, despite the misinformation the lobbyists shovel at us. In a climate Join a Discussion survey last month, the Pew Research Center 11:00 AM CANCELED - The Fix Live found that 67 percent of Americans believe 11:00 AM that there is “solid evidence the earth is Real Wheels Live warming.” And of that strong majority, 12:00 PM Carolyn Hax Live - Valentine's Day edition (Friday, February 14) around two-thirds attributed the warming

“mostly” to human activity rather than Weekly schedule, past shows

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-few-more-storms-like-typ…hange/2013/11/15/f1b5baa0-4c94-11e3-be6b-d3d28122e6d4_story.html Page 2 of 6 A few more storms like Typhoon Haiyan may finally make our leaders act on climate change - The Washington Post 2/14/14 11:52 AM

natural causes, in line with the scientific Personal Post consensus. By a wide margin in another recent poll — 58 percent to 34 percent — Top recommendations for you

Americans favored developing alternative DIGITAL ETIQUETTE 4h energy sources such as wind, solar and Style Blog: Valentine's Day is hydrogen technology over expanding oil, the worst day to run social media for a... coal and natural gas exploration and DUKE ENERGY production. 4h Terps Insider: Previewing Maryland-Duke basketball from Environmental catastrophes have a nasty 1930 way of overturning the political order. The JOEL KINNAMAN Soviets learned this with the Chernobyl 4h 'Robocop,' 'About Last Night' nuclear meltdown in 1986. George W. Bush and other new movies, reviewed learned it when he failed to respond SPEED SKATING effectively to Hurricane Katrina. Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak and Syria’s Bashar al-Assad 4h Skater Emily Scott gets help on learned it when severe droughts hit their countries in recent years, leading to soaring food way to Sochi prices that stoked unrest. Mitt Romney learned it when Hurricane Sandy pushed Chris

Christie into the arms of President Obama. And China’s leaders are learning it today, as the CBS 4h public recoils from the severely polluted air and water. 'Waltons' patriarch Ralph Waite dies at 85

I predict that America’s next political movement will not be a tea party but an More headlines for you > environmental revolt. Another spate of catastrophes, perhaps a mix of extreme drought, storms and heat waves — all to be dreaded but, alas, to be expected — could provide the is trending. tipping point. 15 Annoying Grammatical Mistakes That People Americans already sense that the oil, coal and gas industries are threats, not saviors. Yes, we Always Make will need oil and gas for some time to come — coal should certainly be the first to go — but public opinion already backs low-carbon energy. With a strategy for developing these Grotesque NFL reaction to an openly gay player alternatives, America could produce and use energy far more cleanly, safely and efficiently, proves why Con... without threatening the planet. And so, too, could the rest of the world. Pouring Beer Into A Searing Hot Frying Pan Creates Something ... We will continue for a while longer, no doubt, in our lobbyist-induced paralysis. Many more communities around the world are likely to bury their dead in the wake of extraordinary floods, famines and storms. And then, finally, we will awaken to the new realities. Americans will support leaders with the vision and plans to create a safe and responsible energy system, who offer a credible road map for rolling out low-carbon energy technologies that are cost-effective and will improve our safety and quality of life.

Close to the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, let’s remember that he called on America to go to the moon and undertake other space ventures “not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills.”

This time, those energies and skills will be directed right here on Earth.

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11/16/2013 11:58 PM EST

It continues to amaze me that people are more willing to believe the propaganda put out by industries that have billions of dollars at stake over the information and belief of scientists all over the planet. Not only are they much more prone to believe that paid enormous amounts to lie and conive over those who are paid a pittance in salaries, they become completely convinced that they are right.

In politics, it always pays to follow the money. Who has the most money at stake to convince you their opinion is the one to believe? The idea that somehow a bunch of researchers getting paid university salaries are all publishing false data is simply ludicrous. Really people. What would be their motivation? You think they want to change our society and turn out the lights? What financial or other benefit would they gain?

On the other hand anyone would have to be a blind idiot to fail to see that the oil and gas industry don't have hundreds of billions of dollars at stake in keeping the status quo as long as possible. By confusing the issue as much as possible, they stand to gain huge.

So all you climate change deniers I would ask... why are you swallowing the lies that the oil and gas industry is feeding you? Don't you have any powers of reasoning left? Do you like being led around by your nose ring?

Calvin Grubbs responds: 11/17/2013 12:04 AM EST

So all you climate change promoters I would ask... why are you swallowing the lies that the man made global warming industry is feeding you? Don't you have any powers of reasoning left? Do you like being led around by your nose ring?

SIR PLEASE LET ME ASK YOU THE SAME QUESTION. WHAT MAKES YOUR OPINION ANY BETTER THAN ANYBODY ELSE. YOU ARE ALL PART OF THE SAME SCAM.

dalyplanet responds: 11/17/2013 12:09 AM EST

It is not scientists stating that the weather is coming from the tailpipe of your car. In this case it is a very well connected global policy maker looking for control over the worlds energy supply.

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