Too Green To Be True

(Image Source: Truthdig)

After a term on the back burner, climate change is making its much needed comeback to the political stage. America’s energy dependency is declining while her energy productions increase, putting us on a path towards energy independence. During President Obama’s first state of the union of his second term he addressed climate change, reminding us of the West coast wild fires that were forgotten, on a national level, as quickly as they engulfed too many homes. In his address, Obama gave Americans two options referring to the increase of natural disasters; believing in “freak coincidences” or believing “in the overwhelming judgment of science".  Science. Could anything be farther back on the back burner?

In the Republican response to Obama’s address, Florida Senator and GOP presidential hopeful, Marco Rubio accepted solar and wind energy then snubbed the global crisis by stating, “God also blessed America with abundant coal, oil and natural gas.” Let us divert from Rubio’s audacity to fight against the system he is so proudly a product of and let's focus on the GOP’s consistent use of GOD to challenge climate change. Using God to justify the harmful use of coal and oil only goes to show Republicans’ inadequate use of facts and numbers, replacing scientific truth with religion. According to a Yale study last September, 70% of Americans believe that climate change is real and is happening. With a majority of the country on the side of science, why does the GOP continue to challenge facts?

Rubio had also stated, “When we point out that no matter how many job-killing laws we pass, our government can’t control the weather – [Obama] accuses us of wanting dirty water and dirty air.” A government may not be able to control the weather but alarming evidence of human impact on the climate is still being ignored. And, you may not want dirty water or air, but it is no secret clean energy will have an effect on your oil company constituents. In 2010, when Democrats gave up on attempting to pass a climate bill due to Republican refusal to a compromise, climate change efforts were faulted. 

Before his inaugural address, Obama was hoped to have had plans to tackle climate change in his second term. These plans now seem to be placed on an idle Congress’s shoulders; Obama urged “Congress to pursue a bipartisan market-based solution to climate change.” Will climate change be the healthcare reform of the second term? Or are efforts toward a cleaner America too green?