If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
The Louisiana Gulf Coast and New Jersey Shore stand out as two American regions most traumatized by hurricanes in the last few years. Yet, while the losses for many will be lasting, the mood of tragedy is being gradually lifted by a refreshing storm of culture, particularly in music.
Providing aid for those in need is not a "handout," but rather the most basic responsibility of government. It is past time that our elected officials seize this moment and address the concerns of the taxpayers who elected them in the first place.
So there we were with a new car, no pets and a cashed out 401K that was to be the only source of funding for the foreseeable future. After the levees failed post Hurricane Katrina, there was nothing to come back to for years.
Despite overwhelming evidence of man-made climate change, some members of Congress just haven't gotten the message. Leading GOP presidential contenders like Sen. Rand Paul and Sen. Marco Rubio are climate deniers, and their irresponsibility can't be forgiven -- or forgotten.
Not every company has faced a major event every five years of its existence. But that's exactly what PEER 1 Hosting (TSX:PIX), had to not only overcome, but in doing so, thrive.
With the majority of our focus on infrastructure, we forget that disasters impact human life and communities. Their recovery should be the central focus of our efforts and decisions.
Lethargy is the sentiment of the past, not the present. President Obama's climate speech in June was an important milestone. The president proposed historic carbon standards for new and existing power plants, the single biggest source of US climate pollution.
The escalating public dispute between New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul has exposed the deep rift that exists between factions of the Republican Party.
We may have been stronger than the storm that just passed, but no one here is confident that we will be able to withstand the next storm.
The useful questions to ask are: "Is climate change making these events more likely to occur?" and "Is it increasing the intensity, duration and consequences of these events?"
Disasters disrupt life in unimaginable ways, making those affected much more vulnerable to secondary disasters -- the kind caused by criminals. I've been through a number of earthquakes and lost a home to Hurricane Sandy. I know how all-consuming the aftermath can be.
In Point Beach, the boardwalk, as well as the post-card scenery that draws hundreds of thousands each year, are all back, resurrected from the empty days of November and December, when only the sounds of sand-filled dump trucks filled the lonely night air.
Extreme weather has been pounding the U.S., and while pundits and the fossil fuel industry will claim action is too expensive, the cost of inaction is far too much to bear.
Even more to my surprise, in the wake of awful natural disasters in the last six months, most notably Hurricane Sandy and the Oklahoma tornadoes, no one still wants to talk about climate change in depth -- rather leave it as a quick soundbite in evening news segments.
As one group of day laborers showed up to Far Rockaway, one of the poorest and hardest hit areas in New York, organizers of an emergency food drive thought they were looking for handouts.
To hear some on the political left describe it, the New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has decided to ignore what he knows is true -- that the climate is changing and humans impact it -- in order to become a more attractive national Republican candidate.
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