Louisiana is still suffering from torrential flooding, but that hasn’t stopped Republicans in Congress from fighting basic climate change action. How many more deaths will it take before they start taking this issue seriously? Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins discusses this.

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The State of Louisiana is still in a state of emergency over the massive floods that are currently taking over the state. Now, it is very easy to say that climate change helped to create this problem that Louisiana’s now suffering from. Really not much debate amongst that when you are talking to climate scientists and look at the analysis of everything that’s happened. In spite of that, in spite of the fact that we are seeing these climate change related storms like what’s happening in Louisiana that’s killed at least 13 people so far, possibly more at this point.

When we’re talking about climate change disasters, we should understand the fact that we have Republicans in Washington who are today, right now, fighting against President Obama’s decision to make federal agencies calculate the impacts of climate change into their planning processes. For example, if they’re planning any kind of project in the State of Louisiana via the dam, roadways, what have you, they have to take climate change into consideration when doing those projects.

Republicans do not want federal agencies to have that authority. They do not want them to be able to analyze the threats of climate change and put that into their planning process. Why? Because the fossil-fuel industries are major funders of the Republican party. That is the only reason. It is because of that money. That money is buying ignorance from Republican politicians.

You know what groups do take climate change into account when planning anything? Every corporation in this country. The insurance industry is charging higher rates to people who live along coastlines. They could be flooded in one hundred years due to climate change. Donald Trump himself is building a seawall around his golf course because they understand the climate change is going to end up destroying it and they want to hold off on that as long as possible by building the seawall. Corporations take climate change into account. Even the one’s who deny climate change because they know that it’s real.

Scientists overwhelmingly, the majority, almost every single one of them is in agreement on this. The evidence is all around us. Ask somebody in Louisiana today if they don’t believe in climate change and you won’t be shock by their answer, but Republicans in Washington, man, as long as that fossil fuel money’s flowing, they don’t give a damn about people dying in flood waters.