I’m Terry Dunbar, state co-chair of Third Act, an organization of people over 60. We have two campaign themes, fighting climate change, and uplifting democracy. I want to spend a few minutes talking to you about climate change. I’ve been researching and teaching about climate change for over 20 years now. At times I feel like a small child who smells smoke, runs to his parents to warn them of the danger to the house, and gets ignored. The problem with that analogy is that the Trump administration is not only ignoring the danger, but there don’t seem to be any adults in the White House! Worse, the administration has erased mention of climate from all federal websites, and is making major cuts to the agencies that keep abreast of the crisis. The foxes are guarding the henhouse.
American author Upton Sinclair once said “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it.” Millions, maybe billions, of dollars have been spent by the oil and gas industry to suppress research, spread disinformation, buy off legislators, and influence legislation successfully enough to prolong our dependence on fossil fuels and keep carbon dioxide accumulating in the atmosphere.
Their pernicious influence is felt here in New Mexico. Our beloved balloon fiesta has been renamed the Exxon-Mobil Balloon Fiesta. Exxon-Mobil scientists did research on the effects of carbon dioxide in the 70s and 80s and kept it secret. They knew their product was already causing climate change. The architects of planetary destruction are now the brand of that wonderful ballooning event.
Are you happy with that? Then let’s do something about it.
I say the Balloon Fiesta belongs to all of us, not just to corporations with no social conscience. They spend millions in tv ads telling us what wonderful caring people they are, keeping us cozy and warm. Well, let me tell you, the biosphere is not cozy, and it’s not warm. It’s overheating, and biodiversity everywhere is suffering because of it. There’s a word for the lies they’re spewing. It’s called greenwashing. I call bullshit on them. Let’s do something about it.
Meanwhile, climate change is affecting our ability to enjoy the Land of Enchantment. Witness last month’s wide-ranging sandstorms. The electrical grid and transportation network were threatened. Power lines were downed and blinding roadway conditions halted interstate traffic. It’s a straightforward cause and effect relationship: burn more fossil fuels and we can expect more infrastructure disruption. The sandstorms are not isolated climate-related weather events. The drought in the Southwest has gotten progressively worse. And worldwide, earth’s ten hottest years occurred this past decade.
Are you content with that? Then let’s do something about it.
For me, one of the most satisfying experiences is hiking and backpacking in the back country of New Mexico. It pains me to see the increasing wildfires burning significant swatches of our forests, and it has cost many New Mexicans their livelihoods.
We can fight back, and Third Actors and others are definitely doing just that. If you’re over 60, please talk to someone at the Third Act table, find out what actions we have taken, what we have planned, and join us. If you’re not over 60, visit 350.org or others to see how you can help fight climate change.