Climate deniers keep their heads in the sand - The Seattle Times

Climate deniers keep their heads in the sand | The Seattle Times

For more than 30 years, scientists have been warning humanity that there would be catastrophic dangers ahead if our planet continued to be warmed by the burning of fossil fuels. Some among us refused to believe the science. For most of the rest of us, it was always a threat down the road, years away, another generation’s problem.

Now, faster than expected, climate change is no longer tomorrow’s trouble. It is here today.

July 2023 has brought several days hotter than any in Earth’s modern history. The month of June was the warmest on record. Texas, Mexico and India are experiencing killer heat. The ocean’s surface temperature around Key West is hitting hot tub levels. Smoke from wildfires in tinder-dry Canadian forests is inundating large swaths of the United States. Antarctic ice is rapidly melting. Multi-billion-dollar weather-related catastrophes are no longer infrequent, they are persistent.

Despite such stark evidence, people who, for political or economic reasons, have denied the reality of climate change continue to find reasons not to believe. Shills for the oil industry still nitpick climate science in Op-Ed essays. Republican politicians still block meaningful legislation and regulation that might mitigate the onslaught of climate disasters. Right-wing radio and TV bloviators still incite their listeners and viewers with bogus conspiracy theories about liberal elites using climate as an excuse to crush free enterprise.

And, thanks to them all, not nearly enough gets done to save us all from the worst that is yet to come.

See more of David Horsey’s cartoons at: st.news/davidhorsey

View other syndicated cartoonists at: st.news/cartoons

Editor’s note: Seattle Times Opinion no longer appends comment threads on David Horsey’s cartoons. Too many comments violated our community policies and reviewing the dozens that were flagged as inappropriate required too much of our limited staff time. You can comment via a Letter to the Editor. Please email us at letters@seattletimes.com and include your full name, address and telephone number for verification only. Letters are limited to 200 words.