No one dials 911 to report climate change. They call because the water is over the doorsill. They call because a neighbor on the third floor, in an apartment with no air conditioning, stopped answering the door. They call because the road they were told to evacuate on is already under two feet of water.
In my 20 years wearing a badge in East Providence, I learned that the public rarely argues with a police officer about causation. They want the problem handled now. That instinct is worth borrowing for a debate that has been stuck for a generation.
So set aside whatever you believe about carbon, computer models, and international accords. Look at it the way an investigator looks at a case. What does the evidence on the ground actually show, and what does it oblige us to do about it?…