Welcome to the last Climate Week En Review before Election Day, the best day of the year. Obviously, on Tuesday we’ll be monitoring key races and will prepare an EcoRight outlook post once the dust has settled on the results. Follow us on Twitter to keep up with us. In the meantime, this Tom Petty song’s chorus feels like the intro music to my internal thoughts.
This week’s (non musical) must listen: Former GOP Congressman Continues to Speak Out About Climate Change (Spokane Public Radio) From the EnCourage Tour’s western reaches Bob Inglis talks about his climate journey. “The problem is not in the head, the problem is in the heart. It’s an identity issue,” Inglis said. “It’s whether saying climate change is real is somehow going to make you into a liberal or make it so you’re no longer welcome in the tribe and that you’re a Benedict Arnold as to your tribe. That’s the problem.”
This week’s must watch: What about the ozone hole? Katharine Hayhoe asks: what ever happened to that hole in the Ozone layer? They fixed that right? Find out on this episode of Global Weirding.
EcoRight in action: We have a strong team of volunteers who amplify our message. One of our most recent spokespeople is Alex Pilkington, also Florida State Coordinator for Students for Liberty.
Blessed to be bestowed the honor of being recognized as one of Students For Liberty’s top leaders.
I’ve come a long way from my neocon days and won’t be looking back.
Much #SFLove to my @eagles4liberty family that helped make this possible. ?? pic.twitter.com/KcUH8lpxUl
Alex Pilkington (@AlexForLiberty) October 29, 2018
We have found the members of Students for Liberty to be great partners. Here’s hoping that together we can make a brighter future. Way to go, Alex!
Straight talk: EcoRight champion Sen. Lisa Murkowski talked to worried Alaskans about the best way to prepare for the climate change. In a visit to the village of Quinhagak, as reported by KTOO Public Media, she addressed whether the designation of climate change as an emergency under FEMA would make sense in helping vulnerable Alaskan communities facing devastating impacts such as sea level rise, erosion and the need to relocate. “These are slow-moving disasters,” Murkowski said of climate impacts. “But our reality is, in my view, that FEMA is not necessarily the best entity for addressing the potential disaster that you can see coming.” Instead, the senior senator would like to see the Army Corps of Engineers involved. When pressed as to whether engagement of the Corps on preventative climate measures was likely under the current administration, she replied: “If what we’re talking about is a wholesale kind of overhaul of a department that would allow for prevention, adaptation, mitigation, strategy from the agency, focused specific to climate changein the two years of the Trump administration I don’t see that happening.”
Murkowski, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has been outspoken about the need to stop politicizing climate change and for both sides to come together to debate solutions. See below for what’s coming from Alaska’s at large representative.
Facepalm: Alaska’s lone Member of Congress, Rep. Don Young, disputed that climate change is caused by human activity. “We’re warming up, and I do not think man is the cause,” Young said in a recent debate. “It’s being used as an instrument to frighten people.” The state is currently considering recommendations set forth by a Climate Action for Alaska Leadership Team. For denying human activity as the cause, even with his home state, which he’s represented for almost 50 years, on the front lines of dramatic climate change, we dub him this week’s jester.
No recount necessary: This EcoRight avocado is the official republicEn.org winner of Halloween.
Fall back: Don’t forget to change your clocks this weekend. Just what we all wanted, an extra hour between now and Election Day.
That’s it for me! Make it a good weekend.