Craig Hendricks will speak at the Sunday, Nov. 7, meeting

HUMANIST ASSOCIATION

By Dave Silva

LW contributor

The next Leisure World Humanist meeting will be on Sunday, Nov. 7, at 10:30 a.m. in Clubhouse 3, Room 1, with guest speaker Craig Hendricks.

Hendricks taught a wide variety of history classes at Long Beach City College and Cal State Long Beach for three decades until his happy retirement in 2010. He is the author of several textbooks and has worked on federal education grants with school districts in Southern California. Since 1985, he has provided numerous presentations on topics involving historical research and public issues. His current research interests focus on the development of the city and port of Long Beach during the 20th Century.

During the meeting, Hendricks will speak on the history of the Supreme Court and ways that the court might be changed to better reflect the needs of the public good in the modern world.

At the October meeting, there was a three-person panel on climate change. Yara Cuetara discussed what scientists predict will happen if nothing is done to prevent the massive amounts of carbon being released into the atmosphere. In the past, scientists have under-predicted the effects of climate change. By 2050, much of Miami and New Orleans will be underwater. By 2100, San Diego and parts of Seal Beach will have to be evacuated due to rising sea levels. Already, coral reefs are dying, and the plankton that is the ocean’s food chain is being threatened by acidic levels.

Dave Silva discussed political problems, both in this country and internationally. According to the Pew Research Foundation, two-thirds of Americans believe climate change is real and the government should be doing more to prevent it. There is presently a large gap between Democrats and Republicans on this issue, with 90 percent of Democrats and 39 percent of Republicans calling for government action. Last year, storms and wildfires cost the country $999 billion. International cooperation will be needed to prevent the worst consequences.

The third and final part addressed by Noel Markham was what can individuals and Leisure World as a community do? Of course people can recycle and conserve water. While many people drive a hybrid car, here in Leisure World we don’t yet have convenient ways to recharge an all electric car.

Some suggestions that were brought up during the meeting to make LW a greener, more sustainable place included Leisure World converting to electric buses and vehicles. Individuals can only do so much to prevent a damaged world for their descendants. The Humanist Association agreed that if there was ever a community designed for solar panels, it is Leisure World.