This summer Americans watched in horror as swaths of our nation’s west coast was set ablaze during a series of massive wildfires that were exacerbated by record-breaking heat. We opened our checkbooks upon witnessing the unprecedented flooding in Houston and storm-related destruction across Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and every other island on which Hurricane Irma—strengthened by the ever-warming waters of the Caribbean—wreaked havoc.
Many of us are old enough to remember the ubiquity of the term “global warming,” back when the devastating effects of man-made climate change felt theoretical, or at the very least a lifetime away. But in just three short decades, the alarm bells have become impossible to ignore. What was once a distant warning—one easily covered up by the myriad distractions of modern life—has become a deafening cacophony of sirens, thunder, and the hellish roar of uncontrollable flames. Wanna feel old? Don’t bother looking in the mirror. Just look out the window.
