Climate Change in the American Central Plains

Image by GernotBra from Pixabay–Alps in Switzerland

This is a pretty picture. It has nothing to do with climate change. I included it because it popped up on a search in pixabay under “climate change” and I liked it… Never mind.

The existential threat that I noticed is from changing weather patterns in the mid-US continent, specifically Texas and the Central Plains. According to Google, this area is under greater threat from climate change than any other in the US. The description specifically mentions heat, drought, and flooding, but neglects severe weather like tornados and hurricanes.

During the last couple of months, the US Central Plains has been hit by successive storms, heat, rain, tornados, and derechos (high winds that are mostly in a straight line). The weather service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), predicts that hurricanes will be more frequent this summer and fall– twice the average rate.

The combination of record-breaking heat and severe storms will be exhausting this summer. Next year will probably be worse. It’s too late to do anything to stop this weather– what we do now will take ten years to have an effect.

The question is, will this alarming weather be sufficient to turn the average citizen against global warming– that is, to just acknowledge that it exists? Evidence from other controversial areas suggests that it will have little effect. When presented with stronger evidence, climate-change deniers usually double down on their assertions. Psychologists explain that these people have deeply internalized their beliefs and the possibility of change is threatening to their very personal integrity. Accepting that you might be wrong has a shattering effect on your personality.

So here we are. On one side are people who study and respect the science, for whom the answer is obvious and very negative.

On the other side are people who deny the science, in some cases because they have a vested interest in continuing to burn fossil fuels. In other cases, they have been duped by propaganda– remember that, ever since the oil companies discovered in the 1980s that they were causing climate change, they have been spending millions on negative propaganda.

The only change is likely to be among those who were not paying attention before, and among children who have not been exposed to the problem yet. So it is likely to be a gradual change.

Another subject that has caught my eye recently is the resurgence of the the Proud Boys– you can read the details in Reuters today on their website. The leadership of this group was sentenced to long prison terms after the insurrection of January 6, 2021. Some 70 Proud Boys were imprisoned, of the over 1400 people who have been on trial for January 6 charges. One anonymous Proud Boy averred that the riots would not have happened without their presence.

Membership in the Proud Boys dropped afterwards, but it has been rising recently. (Estimates range from a few hundred to 5,000, with considerable uncertainty.) Remaining members have decentralized the organization, eliminating leadership positions. Each chapter (of about 150 in 48 states) is independent now. Communication between chapters is minimized, and members are prohibited from speaking to the press at all.

The great danger of this group is that they are specifically aimed at engaging in physical confrontations with their opponents– before 2021, they used to engage in street brawls with people who identify as “anti-fa”. Their specialty is attacking demonstrators for causes they don’t like, from Black Lives Matter to LGBTQ+ causes. Their spiritual leader is still Donald Trump.

I have an ominous premonition that a resurgent Proud Boys, and many groups like them, will instigate street violence and armed attacks after the November 5 election. I have a feeling that Biden will win, and the count may be very close. When that happens, these people will see it as a signal to go out and fight against all the groups that they blame for their predicament. There will be attacks on Congress, on demonstrators, and possibly the White House (since Biden will be the rightful occupant).

Remember that the people who left two live pipe bombs at the Capitol on January 6 (they were found and defused) have never been caught. These people are surely planning more terrorism.

I’m hoping that the FBI and Homeland Security will be surveilling the Proud Boys and their like. I didn’t used to like federal law enforcement personnel much, but more and more I’m beginning to feel that they are potentially real heroes in protecting the US against these monsters. They used to do a lot of questionable things like surveillance on leftist groups, searching for commies, and chasing after drugs… but since Hoover died, the FBI has reformed itself to be a more objective organization that realizes it needs to protect all Americans.

So here’s hoping the deep state rides to our rescue. After that, climate change will kill us all, but there’s nothing we can do about that (just kidding, of course we can do something!)

PS According to a local newspaper, a Queens man was convicted of 34 counts of business fraud in a Manhattan court last Thursday. He’s going to appeal.