Obama urges college grades to reject climate change skepticism

[Mark Piazzalunga]

The war against climate change is intensifing and President Barack Obama clearly defined his strategy: acting. Here's what he said to the graduates of the University of California at Irvine: “rising temperatures and sea levels and intensifying storm patterns define one of the most significant long-term challenges that our country and our planet face.” President Barack Obama called on Americans coming of age to demand that politicians respond more aggressively to climate change, comparing those skeptical about man-caused alterations to the environment to a belief that the moon is “made of cheese.”

Is Obama scared by the opinion of young generations about climate change? He shouldn't. In his speech to the college he also attacked its biggest enemy in these midterms elections: Congress. According to the President today’s Congress, “is full of folks who stubbornly and automatically reject the scientific evidence, they will tell you it is a hoax, or a fad.” And here's the direct offensive “One member of Congress actually says the world is cooling. There was one member of Congress who mentioned a theory involving ’dinosaur flatulence’ — which I won’t get into.” I bet he/she was a Republican and I won.

Some Republicans substain that this plan is going to reduce jobs although International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) shows a different (and more reliable) reality. Unfortunately Democrats aren't perfect: some Democrats from coal-producing states have joined Republican leaders in opposing the plan, citing its impact on jobs. Money sometimes unites left and right... Someone would call them traitors, in Italy we called them franchi tiratori (in english is bush-fighters or snipers).

Obama starts from young students i.e. the safe house, it will be tougher to convince those who deny the hard and terrible truth about climate change. The number of humans, animals, plants which are victims of the effects of climate change rises every day and someone should leave the personal and political interests aside to a higher purpose: protecting the Earth.