US Fish and Wildlife Service/Handout via Reuters
Denying evidence we don't like only intensifies problems and undermines solutions.
The more obvious and expensive our changing climate has become, the greater Republican denial and resistance to doing anything about it.
Years of inaction have made solving our climate crisis more difficult, leaving us with no time to waste.
This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author.
I was raised in a conservative Republican home with strong beliefs in free markets. My dad was raised on a North Dakota farm, where success depended on hard work and independent problem-solving skills. I grew up believing that government intervention in our personal lives should be limited to things we cannot effectively do as individuals, such as law enforcement, national defense, and protecting the public from unfair business practices and negative externalities.