Rep. Tony Caplan is a third-term Democratic legislator representing Merrimack 8, the towns of Henniker, Bradford and Warner. He is on the House Science, Technology and Energy Committee.
New Hampshire legislators continue to rely on science denial and misinformation instead of a common-sense approach to preparing our state for the real price of climate change.
My bill, HB 106, would have informed the state of the costs of adapting to our changing climate, costs like the hundreds of millions of dollars we know will be needed to update our aging dam infrastructure. It would also have recommended appropriate funding mechanisms for these costs, but during last month’s House sessions, it was met with stark opposition based on crackpot scientific opinions and misinformation.
Climate change is no longer debatable. It is already upon us, according to the vast weight of the science and the consensus of reputable scientific research. There is no part of our state that will be unaffected by the warming atmosphere, a result of our continued reliance on fossil fuels for electricity, transportation and manufacturing.
According to trustworthy institutions such as the University of New Hampshire Sustainability Institute, we can anticipate with high levels of certainty the impacts of climate change in the coming decades. We can expect increases in extreme weather events, coastal flooding, extreme heat days, tick-borne and insect-borne diseases, crop losses, loss of snow cover and so much more. We all know these changes are already underway. The science is clear: With each degree of warming, the likelihood of these impacts grows exponentially.
Climate change is real, and it is the responsibility of leaders to meet this challenge. We have a lot of catching up to do.
Powerful oil companies spent decades funneling millions of dollars into propaganda campaigns, convincing the public and policymakers alike that the science behind climate change was questionable in order to protect their massive profits. As evidence of Big Oil’s deception has come to light, our neighbors in Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island have all sued major polluters like ExxonMobil for lying about their role in fueling climate change, aiming to put an end to their deception and to force them to pay statutory fines and damages. These fines will help these states fund the resilience and adaptation projects needed to protect their citizens against the worsening climate impacts they are facing.
Whether or not New Hampshire joins the rest of New England in holding Big Oil accountable is up to Gov. Kelly Ayotte, but there are many other ways the legislature can help lead our climate response. The first step, however, has to include understanding the breadth and depth of what we’re up against.
Leaving every New Hampshire citizen, family and community to fend for themselves should not be our state’s response to climate change. Towns across the Granite State experiencing escalating climate impacts simply will not have the financial ability to prepare for and recover from floods, heat waves and the public health impacts of a warming climate. Instead of every-man-in-his-castle, we need a communal response to the problems we share.
Climate change does not care who you are, what you do or who you voted for. Our towns, working families and small businesses will face growing risks from climate damages, and these impacts are only expected to get worse. Burying our heads in the sand and waiting for the storm to pass is not a responsible choice.