Don’t pretend like climate change doesn’t exist. It’s here.

“Climate change creates new risks and exacerbates existing vulnerabilities in communities across the United States, presenting growing challenges to human health and safety, quality of life, and the rate of economic growth.” — Fourth National Climate Assessment

Last week, the Trump administration released the Fourth National Climate Assessment. This report, compiled by 13 federal agencies and 300 leading scientists, shows that humans are currently living in the hottest temperatures in history. Despite the administration’s attempt to bury the report amidst the post-Thanksgiving celebrations, the report’s dire claims are loud and clear: Climate change is real and it’s getting worse.

This “revelation” comes as no surprise. We’ve seen a rapid increase in extreme weather from hurricanes and flooding to wildfires. We’ve experienced the rise in temperatures all around the world. The only person in denial of this is President Trump himself, who has repeatedly called climate change a hoax. Climate change is not a hoax to the millions of Americans who have been displaced because of super-storms. Nor is climate change a hoax to the residents of California who have seen all of their possessions reduced to ash by wildfires.

The report further confirmed what we already knew: Climate change is caused by human activities. Human activities like the toxic waste from multinational corporations and energy companies that is being dumped into wells and rivers. Activities like the leaks from oil pipelines that are contaminating the water and killing wildlife.

So what are the consequences? The report goes on to talk about the economic cost of climate change and how it could cost our economy billions in reduced labor and food shortages. It talks about how the rise in temperatures can lead to more deaths, and that a rise in the mosquito and tick population will lead to widespread illnesses like Zika, dengue and chikungunya. Asthma and allergies will worsen as will foodborne and waterborne illnesses. Wildfires and flooding will continue to increase as well.

The only problem with this report is that it focuses on what will happen if the country doesn’t change, but poor people and people of color are already suffering the consequences of climate change. The rich control the corporations who are dumping their toxic waste. They control the car manufacturers who create the smog. They control the oil pipelines whose leaks pollute the land around them. So why would the rich have any incentive to change? They don’t suffer the consequences of their actions. They can afford the flood insurance to rebuild if their homes are swept away by floodwaters. If their child develops asthma from the pollutants in the air, they can afford the health care needed to treat them. They don’t own houses right next to the factories that are dumping chemicals into the water. They don’t have to worry about losing their livelihood if high temperatures prevent field workers from harvesting crops.

Poor people and people of color are already having to deal with these problems that are being created by the wealthy few. Poor communities have already been displaced by natural disasters. People in communities of color have developed health conditions from living next to coal ash sites. Native American communities have experienced oil pipelines reeking havoc on their lands.

President Trump and his extremist enablers believe Wall Street, but they deny racism, climate change, and the need for health care. They are so committed to their own greed that they will put their children’s future in jeopardy for personal gain.

We have reached a critical breaking point that demands we act now. We cannot afford to wait until the rich begin to feel the effects of climate change. Either we act now and try to fix all the damage we have done, or we continue along the same path and suffer the consequences that have been laid before us. The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival is committed to fighting for these changes now. We will not continue to let this president and his administration turn a blind eye to what’s clearly happening all around us. We will not let corporations continue to pollute this earth and not be held accountable. We will unite and we will demand that this nation start acting immediately to reduce its effect on climate change.

The Poor People’s Campaign is being led by Repairers of the Breach in partnership with national and local partners. To learn more about Repairers of the Breach and the movement to build a moral agenda, visit www.breachrepairers.org. To find out more about the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, visit www.poorpeoplescampaign.org.