On Jan. 18, two days before the presi-dential inauguration, the cover story for New Scientist was “Earth’s New Climate: Why extreme weather is here to stay and what that means for us all.” 

The lead article stated, “If ever there were a wake-up call, this is it. The fire alarm is ringing – hell, the fire alarm is on fire. The latest data confirms that 2024 was the first year in which the average global temperature was 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels, breaking a totemic limit set by the Paris Agreement.”

Twelve days later, on Jan. 30, Tim Harlow, reporting for the Star Tribune, wrote that January is the fastest warming month in Minnesota, and that since 1970, the average daily temperature across the state had increased by 8.9 degrees. Also, low temperatures were, on average, 10.8 degrees higher than they were 50 years ago.

And then on Feb. 4, the Guardian and other media sources covered a story about climate scientist James Hansen arguing that the climate change target of 2 degrees Celsius is dead. A new study, which Hansen helped prepare, concluded that the sensitivity of the climate to increasing fossil fuel emissions was greater than the science community had expected and the pace of global heating was significantly underestimated. 

Given the latest reports and news about climate change, it’s very alarming that the Trump administration has decided to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement, is deleting information about climate change from the EPA, USDA and other federal government websites, and is declaring that public lands will be reopened for fossil fuel developments. 

And then just a few days ago, the new Secretary of State Mark Rubio announced that he would not attend the G20 talks in South Africa because the country “is doing very bad things” for promoting equality, sustainability and addressing climate change.

It would appear that Trump and many of the political leaders in our country are refusing to acknowledge climate change and will be making decisions that will be detrimental to the health and welfare of millions of people in the U.S. and around the world, especially with regard to the most vulnerable populations, which includes the disabled, elderly, children, poor and homeless. 

Henry A. Giroux, with the 2019 publication of his book The Terror Of The Unforeseen, critiqued Trump’s first administration and proposed that we were facing a “real and present danger” for the country and the planet. Giroux talked about what he calls “Trump’s ignorance,” given the president’s denial of climate change with the dangers that it poses to humanity. 

“This dangerous type of ignorance fuses with a reckless use of state power that holds both human life and the planet hostage,” stated Giroux. 
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n only 18 days since Trump began his second term as president, it’s becoming quite clear that his ignorance and arrogance is jeopardizing our country’s future. Numerous news sources are reporting that this president and his administration are talking about abolishing the Education Department, withdrawing from the World Health Organization and U.N. Human Rights Council, slashing benefits for the poor and working class, taking over the Gaza Strip and forcing the Palestinians to leave, and allowing billionaires like Elon Musk to take control of various federal government programs and initiatives.

Today, we are living in and experiencing a real and present danger to our personal and public lives. There is now a group of predominantly white, conservative, and privileged men who are embracing white nationalism, racism, toxic masculinity and creating false narratives of the real world’s crises and challenges while denouncing anything that appears to take a critical eye and promotes a “woke” perspective. 

It’s time to speak truth to power. To engage and challenge our elected leaders who have lost their moral compass and abandoned any concern or consideration for the common good. And it’s time for critical reflections and radical choices. To seriously think about what is happening to us and explore the choices we need to make to hopefully secure a more equitable, sustainable and resilient space for all of us. 

In Duluth, we need to come together for the common good. To create a safe and affirming space where we can share our concerns and feelings, and, at the same time, find a sense of collective grounding by which we can explore all the possibilities to connect, collaborate and commit to a better life and healthier planet.