Climate Change for the Better

Finally! Progressive and appropriate actions towards saving our environment are being enacted. While many states lag behind in the implementation of renewable energy sources, Florida, the Sunshine State, is beginning to use solar power on a grand scale. Until recently, few people in Florida used solar power for anything more than heating their pools in the frigid seventy degree weather. On October 27, however, President Obama was able to stand in DeSoto County, Florida and speak at the unveiling of “Sun City”. This newly completed area contains large fields of solar panels which can capture enough power to run the entire city, year round.
The national unveiling of this project could not come at a better time for Democrats. Not only did it fall on the weekend that the non-governmental organization, 350.org, celebrated its national climate rallies, but it also came as Democratic Senators pushed for legislation combating climate change. Combating is not used here as a random adjective. Senator John Kerry, one of the main sponsors of the legislation, called climate change, “an urgent… threat to our national security”.
So, why now? Climate change has been debated and discussed numerous times, dating back to the publishing of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring in the 1960s. The truth is that the climate change legislation has made it this far into debate because of the increasing oil prices and lack of jobs. Kerry refers to climate change as a “threat to national security” because of America’s steadfast dependence on global oil. He and his cosponsors see a policy window slowly opening as common Americans shy away from expensive gas prices and increased dependence on the Middle East. Additionally, the unemployment rate is raising the window off its hinges. As unemployment skyrockets in the midst of a global recession, Kerry’s legislation, entitled the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, resonates in its ability to provide numerous job opportunities if the United States transfers to more sustainable forms of energy.
Even if these Senators do not believe in climate change and are merely using it as a means to reelection, it is nice that the issue is finally being acknowledged on a national level as more than scientific fiction and movie material. Perhaps the debate of Kerry’s legislature will empower the general public to learn more about climate change and rally for their representatives in Congress to make effective changes. Who knows? In ten years the United States could have numerous “Sun Cities” along with “Wind Cities” that power the population.