Notes from an Environmentalist; Anthony Blinken for President.
Time to Swing for the Stands;
Anthony Blinken for President
Two intertwined stories have dominated this summer’s news.
They are the stifling heat waves, and the equally stultifying political campaign.
The heat waves have prostrated most of the country in record breaking three digit temperatures. Palm Springs saw 124 lethal degrees, and Death Valley saw, well deadly, 127-degree weather.
More distressingly, the same is true for the oceans. Oceanographers are being kept up at night because they don’t even know why the oceans are boiling and ocean currents are collapsing. But the unprecedented new conditions are causing corals to bleach and fish to die in ninety-nine degree ocean water.
Last year Key West water temperatures reached 101.1 degrees, in late July, which is 11 degrees hotter than is safe for swimming.
This year such temperatures are fueling what is expected to be the most damaging hurricane season on record.
Hurricane Beryl has already shown us how vulnerable we are to heat waves and storms as Houston swelters in the deadly heat without water, electricity and life saving, but emissions producing air conditioning.
Of course the other story is politics.
While I remain skeptical that we can build our way out of this environmental crisis, I’m impressed with how effective Biden has been in leading our country in that direction.
But it looks more and more that Biden will drop out of the race. I think he is just waiting for the most opportune time so he can go out on his own terms and not leave the country saddled with a lame duck administration.
Frankly I doubt that that any of the people the Democratic Party are now considering to run for president have much of a chance of beating Donald Trump.
If he wins, he will be able stifle regulations, and dismantle governmental agencies just when we need them the most.
Most climate scientists think we only have two years to prevent unstoppable global heating far worse than what we are seeing this summer.
What can we do? A scientist friend of mine loved to fish in Woods Hole. But he always used gigantic lures. When asked why, he would answer, “Well if I’m not going to catch a fish I’d rather not catch a big fish than not catch a small fish.” That was the spirit that also won him the Nobel Prize.
I would like to see the Democratic Party also adopt this bigger fish philosophy and take a chance at running a fresh new face.
My choice would be Secretary of State Anthony Blinked who would provide continuity with the present administration and who has proven he has the chops to deal with the intertwined complexities of both foreign affairs and climate change.
To my mind those two issues will decide whether humanity can survive this existential crisis.
Beltway pundits will say that that foreign affairs and climate change are not the kitchen table issues that decide political campaigns.
But we are not living in normal times. Most people see serious flaws in both candidates and would welcome such a new but seasoned face. It is time for the Democratic Party to swing for the fences and nominate Anthony Blinked for president.
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People who are interested in hearing Anthony Blinker’s views can hear it on tonight’s podcast by fellow sub stacker Heather Cox Richardson.