Opinion: We are not all going to die from climate change
By Steve Fleischli, Natural Resources Defense Council
The climate is changing. That simple fact really shouldn’t be subject to dispute.
Something else that probably shouldn’t be subject to dispute: We are not all going to die from climate change.
Undoubtedly, some people will die. Those without resources. Those with no place to go. Those without water. Or those with too much water as the seas rise or local floods increase. And there certainly will be misery for many of those that don’t die.
But the simple truth also is that some people will have access to sufficient resources to withstand the changes. Some will be prepared. Some will adapt. Some will move. Some could even flourish in the face of a disproportionate allocation of resources.
So why should you care about climate change? You probably don’t live in Bangladesh or on some tiny island in the Pacific Ocean. You’ve got nothing to worry about, right?
Wrong.
No matter where you live, you will not be immune to climate change. Scientific studies show that nearly every community in the U.S. will be impacted in some way by climate change. As a new report from NRDC highlights, cities like New York, Miami and San Francisco all face serious challenges from sea level rise. Phoenix and communities across the southwest face water shortages. Places like Chicago and St. Louis face more intense storms and floods.