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President Trump has also promised to pull the US out of the recent Paris climate agreement, the goal of which is to hold global warming to 2 degrees Celsius or less. As a reminder of the seriousness of the situation, here are three articles that illustrate the perilous condition the planet is in and underscore the urgency of action. The first, from the New York Times, reports that the World Meteorological Society has announced that the past five years have been the warmest on record, with 2015 the hottest during that period. 2016 is likely to break that record. www.nytimes.com/apo li of 1 f11f iworldf fric f ® ®clirr► to ®t l . tml? r= The second article, from the Washington Post, reports on the global die -off of coral reefs precipitated by a warming ocean and predicts the extensive economic and social Impacts. www.washingtonpostc om/newsfener y :gpyi gpp22nt8w f2 16f11f � -death-of- coral -re efs-cou Id -be -devastating - or-m il I ions-of- umans/ The third article, from the Post and Courier, reports on the wildfires burning across western North Carolina, a result of a prolonged drought, which has been paired with more severe, intense rainfall as a result of a warmer climate. w. ostandcourier.com / news /mountain ®fires® hazing- lowcountry ®fire ®threat® widas raadfarticla d2 f6bd4 ®a63 ®11 a6 ®I3631 ®f7d2d 6 ca4f. tmI But the threats from this administration are not limited to reversing progress on global warming. Public lands are also at risk. Congress and prior administrations have periodically threatened to sell important public properties, including pieces of the Francis Marion National Forest. This will almost certainly escalate. Names that have been mentioned for appointment to Secretary of Interior, the agency responsible for the stewardship of America's vast system of public land, include oilman Forrest Lucas and former governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin. Among the most important natural assets in South Carolina are the state's extensive freshwater wetlands, most of which are on the coast. South Carolina has lost fewer wetlands since European settlement than most states in the country. Candidate Trump campaigned against wetland regulations and vowed to reduce these protections. What are we to make of all of these threats? First, we need to renew our support for the national organizations that have led the way for the past few decades. We will be fighting a rear guard action in this arena. Here are links to the Environmental Defense Fund — www.edf.or, and the Natural Resources Defense Council — www.nrdc.or, two of the leading groups working on federal and international environmental policy.