Apocalypse — Now

The photos of the wildfires in our western states that have incinerated entire communities and that have turned daytime skies to night by their heavy smoke have illustrated the dramatic effects of climate change upon the daily lives of millions of Americans.

Record heat has accelerated the effects of dry conditions, leading to the record-setting wildfires out west.

Yes, climate change undeniably is happening here and around the globe.

Last January, it was the bushfires in Australia that similarly wrought havoc and destruction in that part of the world.

An article in the New York Times on Monday began this way, “The effects of global warming in the Arctic are so severe that the region is shifting to a different climate, one characterized less by ice and snow and more by open water and rain, scientists said Monday.”

More ominously, that same article discussed the perils of climate change facing the world from another source, the melting of the Antarctic glaciers at the bottom of the world.

“Another study released Monday suggested that two Antarctic glaciers that have long been of concern to scientists over their potential to contribute to sea level rise may be in worse shape than previously thought.”

From east to west and north to south, climate change is posing an existential threat to life as we know it.

There is still time for us to reverse, or at least halt, the impending doom that awaits us if we take immediate action to limit greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.

But we need to act soon, because it will not be too long before it will be too late.