Michael Mann: Trump "Worst Possible Scenario" For Climate Policy
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Q: You’ve been in the cross-hairs of this public debate for a long time. What are you expecting from the incoming Trump administration?
A: If you’d asked me a year ago, ‘What’s the worst possible scenario that might play out in the election when it comes to U.S. action on climate?’ I couldn’t have outlined anything much more bleak than what we’ve seen. We’ve had the election of a president who is on record as a climate change denier and has appointed other climate change deniers to key posts.
Scott Priutt, who’s been appointed to EPA, has sued the EPA in the past over their efforts to act on climate change. Rick Perry, who has been appointed to the Department of Energy, said he would eliminate [the department]. He’s on record dismissing even the fact that the globe is warming. There’s an overwhelming consensus among the world’s scientists that human actions—the burning of fossil fuels—is responsible.
Q: How did we end up here? There was almost no discussion of climate change during the election. If you believe scientists, it’s pretty much the existential threat to humanity.
A: It isn’t just the scientists. Talk to our national security experts and they’ll tell you the greatest national security threat we face in the years ahead is climate change, because it exacerbates existing tensions—the battle for water, food, and land. Hundreds of CEOs of major corporations are on record saying, this is a real threat to our economy, if we don’t do something about it.
Climate change didn’t get the attention it deserved. It wasn’t for lack of trying on the part of Hillary Clinton. Full disclosure—I was a member of her advisory board on energy and climate. She’d go out of her way to comment on climate change, even in answering questions that weren’t explicitly about it. It didn’t seem to catch on. I won’t criticize all media outlets, but writ large, our mainstream media didn’t seem very interested.
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https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2017/01/16/trump-worst-possible-scenario-for-climate-says-penn-state-scientist/
