The U.S. Senate has been transformed into a theater of the absurd. Sen. Mike Lee’s appalling performance on the Senate floor prior to a vote on the Green New Deal was not only an embarrassment — for him and for the people of Utah — but also reflects the Republican Party’s frivolous views on climate change.
In addressing the most serious, and urgent, challenge the world faces at the moment, Lee put forth this simplistic solution:
“[It] is not this unserious resolution that we’re considering this week in the Senate but rather the serious business of human flourishing.” In other words, his solution is “to fall in love, get married and have some kids.”
Oh dear, Sen. Lee, you could not be more wrong. More people obviously add more consumption, more pollution, more environmental destruction and more greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere, ultimately wreaking havoc on global ecosystems.
Within the next 50 years, it is estimated that the global population will increase from the current 6.1 billion to more than 9 billion. Due to unbridled population growth, species of plants and animals are already disappearing at an alarming rate. And we are already witnessing the destruction that the changing climate can cause: an increase in droughts, floods, hurricanes and forest fires, among other catastrophes.
So, Sen. Lee, where does this leave the upcoming generations — that is, all those adorable yet-to-be-born kids to which you were referring? Answer: It leaves them wondering why in hell today’s leaders left it to them to save life on Planet Earth.
Linda Marion, Millcreek