If Not Now, Then When Should We Talk About Climate Change?

by Susan Sun Nunamaker · September 11, 2017

Calm After The Dark, post-Hurricane Irma (photo by Susan Sun Nunamaker, presented at WindermereSun.com)
Calm After The Dark, post-Hurricane Irma (photo by Susan Sun Nunamaker, presented at WindermereSun.com)
Calm After The Dark, post-Hurricane Irma (photo by Susan Sun Nunamaker, presented at WindermereSun.com)
2 Palm Trees Down, a common scene in Central Florida (photo of Susan Sun Nunamaker, presented at WindermereSun.com)
Scott Pruitt, Director of EPA (presented at WindermereSun.com)
Map of Power Outage for Duke Energy (presented at WindermereSun.com)
Long Line at Little Caesars Pizza post-Irma (photo by Helen Starkweather, presented at WindermereSun.com)

Dear Friends & Neighbors,

Calm After The Dark, post-Hurricane Irma (photo by Susan Sun Nunamaker, presented at WindermereSun.com)

2 Palm Trees Down, a common scene in Central Florida (photo of Susan Sun Nunamaker, presented at WindermereSun.com)

Scott Pruitt, Director of EPA (presented at WindermereSun.com)

Map of Power Outage for Duke Energy (presented at WindermereSun.com)

Long Line at Little Caesars Pizza post-Irma (photo by Helen Starkweather, presented at WindermereSun.com)

Windermere Blue Sunset (credit: Windermere Sun-Susan Sun Nunamaker)

(Please click on red links & note magenta)

Calm After The Dark, post-Hurricane Irma (photo by Susan Sun Nunamaker, presented at WindermereSun.com)

Even if Hurricane Irma had completed her visit in Central Florida, as of Monday (Sep. 11, 2017) night at 10:00 pm, there are 6 million Floridians who are out of power and 197,137 people out of power in Orange County as of 11:09 am on Sunday (Sep. 10, 2017). If you have Duke Energy as your power source, please refer to the website outage map.duke-energy.com (or view the image above) in order to find out when the power in a particular area has returned. Some of the Central Floridians have checked into hotels while others waited in line at Little Ceasars (of Orlando) for their Pizza dinner. At 1:30 pm today (Sep. 11, 2017), Orange County remains under curfew until 6:00 pm. Safety hazards include more than 50% of the traffic signs out in the county, as well as debris on the roadways and downed power lines. When the curfew lifts at 6:00 pm, it is essential that every one follows the four-way stop procedure at traffic intersections without a working signal, according to Orange County.

At this point, I’d like to take the opportunity to use my soapbox, exclaiming, “If this is not the right and appropriate time to talk about Climate Change, when will be the right/appropriate time?” This is in response to Scott Pruitt, head of the federal EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), who on Friday (Sep. 8, 2017) told a television interviewer that the moment was inappropriate for discussing climate change because there were other issues to discuss. “Here’s the issue,” Pruitt said, “to have any kind of focus on the causes and effect of the storm, versus helping people or actually facing the effect of the storm, is misplaced.” This is totally ludicrous!!! This is the perfect time to draw attention toward the impact of Climate Change, helping people to realize how damaging it may be if we do not address the issue of Climate Change. This is the perfect time to discuss measures and policies that local and federal governments can implement in order to slow down the Climate Change, to decrease frequency of future hurricanes and severe weather conditions that are surely to follow if we do not address the issue of Climate Change. Global warming may not have caused these hurricanes, but it certainly makes these storms much stronger, more frequent, and much quicker to intensify, according to climate experts.

It is not too surprising why Pruitt took the position he did. Below, I’ve discovered why Pruitt has such an anti-Climate Change attitude, from wikipedia, in italics:

Pruitt received campaign contributions from the fossil fuel industry. As Oklahoma’s Attorney General, Pruitt sued the Environmental Protection Agency at least 14 times regarding the agency’s actions. In 2012, Pruitt was elected as chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association, and re-elected for a second term in February 2013. Pruitt rejects the scientific consensus that human activities are a primary contributor to climate change and that carbon dioxide is the primary contributor.

Aside from politics, I’d like to remind you all that Tomorrow (Tuesday, Sep.12, 2017) night, at 8:00 pm, there will be a Hand In Hand Benefit Concert For Hurricane Harvey & Hurricane Irma Relief.

If you’re interested in taking part in slowing down the Climate Change, you may be interested in these actions and posts: