PROGRESSIVE DISCUSSION - TUESDAY 9/5

Dan Rather....

As the country focuses on yet another category 5 hurricane bearing down on Puerto Rico and the eastern seaboard, we cannot forget those out west suffering under tremendous wildfires - from around the urban districts of Southern California to the plains of Montana. This is also a national emergency, and it could get worse.
Fires and floods, record highs and record wind speeds, The link between any one extreme weather event and climate change is hard for scientists to state with certainty. But the models suggest that as the planet warms, we will see more of this type of activity and at higher levels of ferocity.
We cannot be alarmist, but one can only imagine the screaming headlines and graphics with which the conservative press would be treating these hurricanes, droughts, and fires if they could link climate change to "liberal" policies. How much evidence will we demand before we decide to act? I think we may see Florida as the first battleground state where climate change becomes a defining issue at the ballot box. Hopefully we can recognize that whomever you choose to vote for, we have no option but to live on one fragile planet.