It is hot in Arizona.
It got much hotter for nearly 150,000 Salt River Project customers Thursday when a transformer fire took out power for much of the East Valley. The cause of the fire is still unknown, but Jeff Lane, a spokesman for SRP, told The Phoenix New Times that heat can cause the equipment to break down.
At the moment, there are record-breaking fires burning in the state, and on the east coast, there are record-breaking temperatures.
This year alone there have been tornadoes, floods, heat waves, cold snaps and all other kinds of weird weather.
Some of this can be attributed to standard aberrations in climate, but we must not write off this bizarre weather as normal.
Climate change is real, it is happening and we are doing nothing about it.
Our inaction is costing billions of dollars in repairs to people whose property has been damaged in huge natural disasters like the flooding in the Mississippi Valley earlier this year.
For some reason, it has become “un-American” to believe in climate change, to advocate for action against carbon emissions or to work toward alternative fuel sources. This attitude needs to change before anything can be done to stop climate change.
Which doesn't make much sense. We are proud of this country, why is trying to save it un-American?
To change some minds, and maybe make saving the planet more patriotic, here are three reasons why reducing our impact on the planet is as American as apple pie.
No. 1: It's easy
Fellow Americans, let’s be honest. We're big fans of the easy way out. There are hours of infomercials out there designed to show us how hard our life is and how this product will make it easier. Protecting the environment is easy too. There are simple steps that anyone can take like buying products that go easy on the packaging or using a refillable water bottle.
No. 2: We love our country
America is very proud to be American. We have flag pins and bumper stickers and sweaters and songs about how awesome it is to be American and how awesome America is.
So instead of slowly killing the country we are so chest-thumpingly fond of, perhaps we could recycle some of our 243 million tons of trash.
No. 3: It could save us money
The implications of climate change are vast. The wildfires here in Arizona and the flooding in the southern parts of the U.S. are just two examples of what will happen if we do not change our outlook on climate change. And it is expensive to repair the damage these disasters cause. The Mississippi Valley flooding alone cost $5 billion. Think of the money saved if fewer of these catastrophes occurred.
Climate change is a real threat, and not just to the U.S. In fact, we are comparatively low-risk, unlike third world countries. Food shortages, drought and flooding could kill hundreds if we do not begin to change.
Fighting climate change successfully will take more than just America, and it will take more than one American. However, change starts with one person, and taking some simple, environmentally conscious steps could help preserve our country and our planet.
Reach the columnist at oonagh.mcquarrie@asu.edu
