Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Environment & Energy
Related: About this forumDonald Trump is betting against all odds on climate change
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/donald-trump-is-betting-against-all-odds-on-climate-change/2016/11/17/8f7bf4ee-acf4-11e6-977a-1030f822fc35_story.html[font face=Serif][font size=5]Donald Trump is betting against all odds on climate change[/font]
By Bill McKibben November 17 at 7:32 PM
[font size=4]Bill McKibben is the Schumann distinguished scholar in environmental studies at Middlebury College and founder of the global climate group 350.org.[/font]
[font size=3]President-elect Donald Trump has already begun to back off some of his promises: Maybe not all of Obamacare has to go. Maybe parts of his wall will actually be a fence. Maybe its okay to have some lobbyists running the government after all.
But I fear he wont shrink from the actions he has promised on climate change: withdrawing the United States from the Paris accord, ending President Obamas Clean Power Plan and okaying every new fossil-fuel plan from the Keystone XL pipeline on down. He wont back down because those are hard-to-hedge choices and because hes surrounded by climate-change deniers and fossil-fuel insiders who will try to ensure that he keeps his word.
So lets be entirely clear about what those actions would represent: the biggest, most against-the-odds and most irrevocable bet any president has ever made about anything.
Its the biggest because of the stakes. This year has been the hottest year recorded in modern history, smashing the record set in 2015, which smashed the record set in 2014. The extra heat has begun to steadily raise sea levels, to the point where some coastal U.S. cities already flood at high tide even in calm weather. Global sea ice levels are at record lows, and the oceans are 30 percent more acidic. And thats just so far. Virtually every scientific forecast says that without swift action in the next few years to cut carbon emissions, this crisis will grow to be catastrophic, with implications for everything from agriculture to national security that dwarf our other problems.
[/font][/font]
By Bill McKibben November 17 at 7:32 PM
[font size=4]Bill McKibben is the Schumann distinguished scholar in environmental studies at Middlebury College and founder of the global climate group 350.org.[/font]
[font size=3]President-elect Donald Trump has already begun to back off some of his promises: Maybe not all of Obamacare has to go. Maybe parts of his wall will actually be a fence. Maybe its okay to have some lobbyists running the government after all.
But I fear he wont shrink from the actions he has promised on climate change: withdrawing the United States from the Paris accord, ending President Obamas Clean Power Plan and okaying every new fossil-fuel plan from the Keystone XL pipeline on down. He wont back down because those are hard-to-hedge choices and because hes surrounded by climate-change deniers and fossil-fuel insiders who will try to ensure that he keeps his word.
So lets be entirely clear about what those actions would represent: the biggest, most against-the-odds and most irrevocable bet any president has ever made about anything.
Its the biggest because of the stakes. This year has been the hottest year recorded in modern history, smashing the record set in 2015, which smashed the record set in 2014. The extra heat has begun to steadily raise sea levels, to the point where some coastal U.S. cities already flood at high tide even in calm weather. Global sea ice levels are at record lows, and the oceans are 30 percent more acidic. And thats just so far. Virtually every scientific forecast says that without swift action in the next few years to cut carbon emissions, this crisis will grow to be catastrophic, with implications for everything from agriculture to national security that dwarf our other problems.
[/font][/font]
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
2 replies, 316 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (6)
ReplyReply to this post
2 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Donald Trump is betting against all odds on climate change (Original Post)
OKIsItJustMe
Nov 2016
OP
greymattermom
(5,754 posts)1. His Palm Springs estate is Mar A Lago
Sea to Lake. The intercoastal waterway (lake) is going to be coming up into his back yard sooner than he thinks. He'll have to change its name to Mar a Mar? He'll need suggestions soon.
DinahMoeHum
(21,806 posts)2. Mother Nature is a bitch, and she ALWAYS has the last word. . .
. . .and not even Trump can con her.