Ten years ago last week, I posted my first diary on Daily Kos, in which I urged my then congressional rep Kirstin Gillibrand to take the lead in efforts to combat climate change. This diary was a followup to a meeting with her in Hudson NY and I told her: “According to the UN, the world has less than ten years to act to keep inevitable warming from reaching catastrophic proportions.”
Ten years have passed and much has changed. Kirstin Gilibrand is now my senator and appeared on television this morning to call for the resignation of Al Franken. We now have a climate denier in the White House and he is leading the planet straight into disaster. And after ten years, Kirstin Gillibrand is still not a climate change denier. But in ten years she has never demonstrated the same sense of urgency on the issue that she did today in demanding Senator Franken’s resignation. I could not find any mention of climate change on her official website, and in fact a previous statement appears to have been removed.
Like many Democrats, she is on the right side of this issue but seems to think that we still have more time than I thought we did ten years ago.
When Trump took the US out of the Paris accord, Senator Gillibrand stated:
"Our children's generation will have to deal with the potentially catastrophic effects of a shortsighted and dangerous decision to leave the Paris accord," Gillibrand said, "and I urge all New Yorkers and all Americans who care about our health, our security, and our economy to raise their voices and speak out forcefully against this reported decision."
I don’t disagree but my fear is that it will be too late by the time today’s children grow up and face the the ongoing catastrophe. No other issues will matter at that point.
This was my diary from November 28, 2007: “Urging an excellent Dem Congresswoman to act on global climate change.”
Here in NY-20 we have had the great good fortune to see one of Bush's sleaziest enablers in congress, John Sweeney, replaced by an enthusiastic and very capable young congresswoman, Kirsten Gillibrand. Ms. Gillibrand, however, is like nearly all other elected Democrats in that she seems to see climate change as one issue among many, something we'll get to eventually when and if her great supporter Hillary is elected. Back in January I spoke to her personally at the local grocery store and gave her a packet of information on climate change. I also urged her to work with our neighboring congressman, John Olver, one of the few real scientists in our party and one whose lead Kirsten should follow on this issue. Today I sent her the following letter and informed her I was posting it on Daily Kos. I urge fellow residents of NY-20 to join in pressuring this otherwise excellent new congresswoman into providing more than the the usual Democratic lip service on this overriding issue of our time.
Dear Ms. Gillibrand, You may recall that I spoke with you at your first "corner office" at the Price Chopper in Hudson. At that time I gave you a packet of information and cover letter on global climate change and urged you to work closely with our neighboring congressman, John Olver, one of the few scientists in the congress and a longtime leader on this issue. I never received a response from you. Climate change is not simply one issue among many on which we Democrats have a more reasonable position that the Republicans. But that is the way it is being treated by both our presidential contenders and our majority in both houses of Congress. According to the UN, the world has less than ten years to act to keep inevitable warming from reaching catastrophic proportions. I urge you to read the attached article from Reuters
Certainly, your work as our representative has been laudable and a wonderful contrast to the criminal shenanigans of your predecessor, John Sweeney. However, these are not ordinary times and even extraordinary constituent service such as yours will not suffice. Every day that this country does not take the lead (or at least follow the lead of other countries) in rapid carbon reduction is a day closer to disaster for us and our children. Again, Ms. Gillibrand, I urge you to take action, to be a leader on an issue that transcends all partisan or sectional lines. I am posting a copy of this letter on the Daily Kos website.