Editorial: Climate Change Is Real

Residents of the Lower Cape understand how vulnerable the region is to the effects of climate change. At least they should, but amazingly, we still hear from some who tout the false position that climate change is a hoax.

 That fallacy comes from the top down — President Trump recently told the United Nations that climate change is a “con job” and a “scam” “made by stupid people.” Sticking their heads in the eroding sand, administration officials have removed climate change reports from official government websites and have ordered agencies to remove any reference to climate change from webpages and documents. According to NPR, the Department of Energy recently told employees to avoid the use of the phrase, as well as the words "green" and "sustainable." 

 This attitude is deliberately sabotaging the health and safety of citizens as well as national security, something top officials like Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth appear completely oblivious of. As a speaker at last week’s forum on climate change in Chatham pointed out, there is a 99.9 percent consensus of peer-reviewed research concluding that human influence is a major factor and that climate change is real. Those of us who trust our own eyes have witnessed the impact of ocean warming, sea level rise and more intense storms — just visit the devastated former headquarters of the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge on Chatham’s Morris Island. Hiding studies and banning words doesn’t change reality.

 Fortunately, our local communities accept this and are working toward adopting policies and pursuing projects that reflect the coastal resilience needed to preserve our communities. Cape Cod Commission studies have shown that billions of dollars worth of property could be lost if we ignore what is plainly evident to anyone who cares to pay attention. This isn’t easy and will not be cheap, as participants in last week’s forum pointed out, but the alternative will mean a Lower Cape that we don’t recognize in 50 to 100 years. It’s a threat to be taken seriously, and we’re thankful that our local leaders agree.