Arthur E. Sowers is a resident of Harbeson.
Delaware is on track for climate change damage in three ways: (1.) Sea level rise becoming significant by 2040-50; (2.) Increasing storm and other damage from extreme weather; and (3.) Larger secondary effects (e.g., food price increases) from primary events taking place outside of Delaware (e.g., extreme weather-induced crop damage).
Occurrences of extreme temperatures, rainfall, floods, droughts, storms, crop damage, power outages and wildfires usually get only one or two days of space in mainstream news. But climate change has recently been having long-term impacts on the storm damage insurance industry. The most authoritative reference I have yet to find can be located by an internet search with the keyword “w32579.pdf.” It is a free download of an economic study of insurance rate increases that average over 30% in just the last few years. The article is over 40 pages long, including many graphics and four pages of references. The insurance costs are expected to increase further in the future.
Many other serious articles and studies are saying U.S. coastal areas are going to be impacted by 2050 from an expected 1-2-foot sea level rise because high tides and storms will cause peak flooding to higher levels. In addition, Delaware beach replenishment costs may yet become prohibitively high.
I read both the GOP and the Democratic platforms for the 2024 election. The Democrats have a whole paragraph acknowledging the need to fight climate change. Neither the GOP platform nor Project 2025 nor Agenda 47 had anything on fighting climate change. They do not see the elephant in the room.
For comparison, it has recently come out that carbon dioxide emissions by China may have decreased in 2024 and certainly decreased in 2023. I used the internet search string, “China emissions no longer rising,” to get links to many articles on this subject.
Further, according to one source, China’s new plan is to install an additional 1.2 terawatts of renewable energy generation five years ahead of schedule. Another source said China installed more solar generation in 2023 than the USA installed in its entire history. Another source said China is now getting half its electricity from renewables.
I have spent enough time chasing down world responses to climate change. Two things are certain: Climate denial is much higher in the USA than anywhere else. And the effort being put into the climate fight is greater almost everywhere else, too.
Finally, a look at the rest of the GOP platform says they plan to massively expand the fossil energy industry. I wondered, what were they thinking? Almost all countries in the world — including even the industrial sector in the U.S. — are expanding as fast as they can on renewable energy and shrinking as fast as they can on fossil energy. So, who is going to be buying up all of Donald Trump’s extra oil, coal and gas that he thinks we are going to export to make the U.S. great and rich (i.e., the investment will give less return than expected)? And, in addition, every other country will think badly of the U.S. for not helping to fight climate change. That is two more elephants in the room that they do not see.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
