One of the sad things about the choices we have made with global warming is that the poorest will be the most burdened.
As you have probably heard on the news, the temperatures are warmer than ever. We have historic temps in all places, and increasingly heat warnings are given. Today in the Tri-state NYC area there is a weather advisory for high heat. This is really tough for the poorest.
If you are middle class or higher you can simply enjoy air conditioning but if you are poor that might not work well at all. Poor people, often just have to sweat through it and use fans which are not effective. I know because at one point in my life, I didn’t have enough money for AC and I was sweating with my poor friends because of it. We didn’t have money to take a cool bus and there were no public buildings nearby like libraries or other cooling centers. It was tough but we made it.
However just because I survived, doesn’t mean this is the way that we should treat people. In large cities every time it gets hot there are preventable deaths from the heat. Why are we as a society so indifferent to the well-being of our fellow man?
That is what surprises me. We spend trillions on material things like war machines and spending for education, health, and well-being is cut. If I were not human and an alien, I would think that human beings place more value on material things than people. What use are things if they do not make the lives of people better?
I watched an old TV cartoon called Dungeons & Dragons this week and one of the wise sayings that Dungeon Master said is “The fate of one is shared by all.” Each day the deaths due to lack of air conditioning or health care are our own. What happens if we become poor? Then we would face the same situation. We have to protect all members of society even when they can’t work or produce. We are not a species that can’t afford this, we simply lack the will.
What excuse do we have to let others die? Not my problem? If the stock market fails, we will have lots of poor people and then is it still not your problem? If a disease rages and people die because you didn’t wear a mask, is it still not your problem? What use is money when the people we love aren’t here to share it with?