Imagine you are on a bike descending a long, steep hill when your brakes fail. As you gather more speed, you face a life-extinguishing event at the bottom unless the brakes start working again. This is an apt analogy for the greatest challenge to human existence on our small planet. As the monumental and varied environmental effects of climate change become undeniably apparent, our brakes are beginning to fail.
Climate change is among the topics 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls will address during future presidential debates. It should be. While the current administration’s efforts to leave the United Nations climate agreement have further politicized this issue, it is more than mere fodder for partisan politics.
Simply put, climate change is an existential threat to our health and continued life on the planet.
