WHY WHY SMALL SMALL BUSINESSES BUSINESSES DESERVE DESERVE TO TO FIGHT FIGHT CLIMATE CLIMATE CHANGE CHANGE By, Mahala Herron
I
t is not every day that you meet someone who denies climate change. At least, I have only seen such people on TV or in the news. However, last fall, I met a nonbeliever in the flesh. Randy Thomas was my Uber driver: a black, wi!y, principled, and hardworking guy from Los Angeles. It only took one rider in our shared Uberpool to make a snarky comment about climate change for Thomas to unload his feelings on the subject. What followed was a conversation about his life, his career, and why he does not believe in climate change, all in 45-minutes in Los Angeles traffic. His story elucidates the integral relationship of the pre- and post-effects of climate change on small businesses. Political talk with your Uber driver has the potential to be awkward, but, as a journalist, I found it to be intriguing. During the ride, I gained further knowledge of how President Trump’s personal cli-
mate denial opened a window for climate deniers all over the world to speak their truth. Thomas believes that “there’s not enough evidence” to prove climate change exists. Thomas also admires Trump’s business savvy, prompting his support. Further, Trump campaigned in favor of small businesses, which Thomas had. From further research, I also began to consider the effects of climate change and how it will affect the longevity of small businesses. I wondered, how can one simultaneously be prosmall business and anti-climate change? Small businesses will be greatly affected by the impacts of climate change, specifically natural disasters and sea level rise. According to small business majority.org, “57% of small businesses have no disaster recovery plans in place.” This means that in the case of a natural disaster or extreme weather conditions, 57% of small businesses are ill-prepared to practice resilien-
