Letter to President-Elect - 'Climate Change is Not a Hoax,' Scientist Says

Dear president-elect: Climate change is not a hoax, and we're all in this together

The Sunday Edition | November 13, 2016

 Katharine Hayhoe is an atmospheric scientist and associate professor of political science at Texas Tech University, where she is director of the Climate Science Center. Here is her letter to president-elect Donald Trump, commissioned by The Sunday Edition. 

Dear Mr. president-elect:

I think I speak for many in the U.S., in Canada, and around the world, when I say that you've surprised us, you've shocked us, and you've even scared us. Why? Because your words and your actions will affect us all. Your neighbours here in Canada. Policy makers in Europe. Clean energy investors in China. Refugees in Syria.

And climate negotiators who gathered in Marrakesh just this week, to put legs on the hope that was, and still is, offered by the Paris Agreement.

You've given a voice to the fear and anger, the anxiety and frustration of millions of U.S. citizens. That surprises us, shocks us, and even scares us too. But to heal a suppurating boil, we can't just slap some cover-up on it. It has to be lanced. And my hope, from the bottom of my heart, is that by doing so, you will start the healing process.

I'm a climate scientist. Thanks to decades and even centuries of careful research, we know climate is changing, we're responsible, and the impacts are serious. I've helped write U.S. national climate assessments that document how climate change is affecting the country's water, its energy, ecosystems, infrastructure, and even people's health.

This thing is not a hoax; it's real.

But what I've learned, in over a decade spent talking with and listening to thousands of people who disagree with me on climate, is that far more connects us than divides us.

That's what I've learned.

I care, because there are huge and real economic risks of inaction. I care, because it affects national security. The US military calls climate change a threat multiplier. I care, because two thirds of the world's biggest cities lie within just a meter or so of sea level, and we literally cannot pick them up and move them somewhere safer.

And I care because, most of all, climate change isn't fair. It disproportionately affects the poor and the weak, the vulnerable and the disadvantaged, the very people who contributed least to the problem but bear the brunt of its impacts.

I know that in the past, people could simply say, "What's the point, when China isn't doing anything?" But for two years running, now, China has cut its coal use. They're shutting half-built coal plants and they currently lead the world in wind and solar energy. There are solutions and, regardless of what we think about climate, those solutions can grow the economy, clean up our air and water, and ensure our energy future.

But these solutions require two big things: one, that we listen to each other, instead of talking over each other, and two, that we work together instead of tearing each other apart.

Yours in hope,

Katharine Hayhoe

Published in The Sunday Edition

 

Climate Expert, Katherine Hayhoe, to Speak at Houghton College

 One of Time Magazine’s ‘100 Most Influential People in the World’ in 2014.

Dr. Katherine Hayhoe is an atmospheric scientist, an expert on climate change, a communicator and an evangelical Christian.

Time Magazine called her an "environmental evangelist" and a "smart person who defies stereotype."

Dr. Hayhoe will present a lecture on Climate Change from the perspective of evangelical Christian faith on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 8:30PM in the Center for Fine Arts (Recital Hall) at Houghton College. She’ll also present a shorter talk in the Chapel on Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 11:05AM.

Both events will be free and open to the public.

“Within the Christian world there can be a lot of tension between faith and science, with many evangelicals accepting a false dichotomy that the two are opposed,” commented Brian Webb, sustainability coordinator for Houghton College.

“Hayhoe bridges this communication gap by not only bringing her expertise as a world renowned climate researcher, but also as a scientist who is vocal about her Christian faith. Ultimately, her work integrates the two areas by showing how responding to climate change is an inherently Christian thing to do.”

Katharine Hayhoe is an Associate Professor in the Public Administration program at Texas Tech University and Director of the Climate Science Center. Her research focuses on developing and applying high-resolution climate projections to evaluate the future impacts of climate change on human society and the natural environment. 

Dr. Hayhoe has published over 70 peer-reviewed publications and served as lead author on key reports for the U.S. Global Change Research Program and the National Academy of Sciences. She is also lead author for the 2014 Third U.S. National Climate Assessment, which provides critical input to planning and policy at the state and national level to reduce the human influence on climate and adapt to future change.

“Hayhoe’s visit is timely for us here at Houghton given that we’re about to go live with the largest solar array on a college campus in NY State within days of her visit. These are just two examples of how Houghton students are beginning to understand the connections between our faith and issues of environmental justice and sustainability,” Webb said.