Why Should the U.S. Invest in Global Warming Mitigation, When Its Leadership Is Composed of Climate Deniers?
I wrote a post yesterday called Trump Administration Continues Its Assault on Climate Science in which I discussed Science Magazine’s article “Trump White House quietly cancels NASA research verifying greenhouse gas cuts.” In brief, NASA’s Carbon Monitoring System (CMS), a $10-million-a-year research line-item that pulls the observational data together and makes it intelligible was covertly dropped from the budget.
In response, frequent commenter MarcoPolo offers this: Why would the administration spend $10 million dollars on assisting to verify the terms of a treaty to which the US no longer belongs?
He’s right, and I thought about this when I wrote the post. The U.S. is the only country on the planet that is overtly ignoring the threat of climate change. It’s all fake news. Why should we spend $10 million, approximately 1/400,000th of the federal government’s budget, to join every other country on Earth in their attempt to mitigate something that is obviously a hoax?
Craig,
“The U.S. is the only country on the planet that is overtly ignoring the threat of climate change”
Congratulations ! When all other the Crusaders are falling on their swords or shown to have feet of clay (more like mud), you alone keep the flame alive, like a “light on the hill”, well done !
Except, it’s no longer the beacon that burns ‘so bright’ ! The flame is very dim beacon, obscured by hypocrisy and fantasy. Alas, most villagers have lost faith and turned away, no longer trusting media outlets such as CNN, NYT and the Guardian Newspaper.
These outlets destroyed their own credibility by pandering to the vanity of arrogant columnists and pundit propagandists selling political intellectual elitism and leftist ideology disguised as “progressive” environmentalism.
Villagers and common folk all over the world have woken up to the cost of governments spending other peoples money supporting impractical, half-basked claim and absurd projects.
The stopped listening to people who always avoid answering the awkward questions. Those awkward questions are usually inquiries about the details of grand proposals. The ordinary folk want to know why they should continue listen (and paying) to the very people who extravagant claims have consistently failed to materialize.
Over promising and under performing while never apologizing (or even acknowledging)for inaccuracies and errors inevitably leads to a loss of credibility.
They found a King preaching a simple mantra, they could understand and relate to it’s message.
The US might be one of few nation’s “overtly” ignoring climate change advocacy, but only a very small handful of nations are actively mindful of the aspirations of the Paris accord. The nations that do show some commitment are fairly inconsequential and have little impact.
Eastern Europe has absolutely no interest, Russia, PRC, Japan,India, Africa, Middle East, South America, South Korea, Central Asia or most of South East Asia, only pay lip service at best.
Germany, France and Italy are realizing the full extent of trying to be compliant and are making compromises desperately. Only the rhetoric remains.
The “green vote” is in full retreat all over the world. It desperately needs re-branding and relaunching to win back public support.
President Trump destroys his far more politically experienced opponents, because he has the support of ordinary people. He’s loud, crude, rude and brash, but he’s effective.
He thrives on opposition, forcing comparisons. He encourages outrage and opponents taking the “high moral ground”. He then subjects them to their own tests of credibility, when they fail, (and they do), the public forgets his transgressions as mere foibles, while tearing apart the newly exposed hypocrites.
President Trump has shrewdly created an enormous tactical advantage. As the bad boy, no-one is overly surprised at his failings, but when he does well, the public are overjoyed to discover he has redeeming virtues. (prodigal son).
Not so his opponents ! Having chosen to occupy “high moral ground”, they find themselves forced to fight Trump at his own level to survive, but Trump is not only better at it, but exposes his opponents desperately hypocrisy in becoming like him.
Nor does President Trump care about Washington traditions or give a damn about venerable institutions, party obligations, powerful backers, power brokers, or the media that once dominated and cowed political life. He’s changed all the rules.
He enters his second year in a state of controlled turmoil. What others see as “chaos’, he sees as a carefully planned method of keeping himself at the centre of ever changing events.
In all his actions, even the most self serving, it’s hard not to agree with his reasoning Federal institutions have become unrepresentative, arrogant, corrupt culture of power, resentful of elected authority and answerable only to an elite of Washington intsiders.
Who would have thought the FBI director, his second in command etc, could be so downright petty, inept and irresponsible ? Who would have thought the State Department could be cut by 70% and no one would notice ? Who would have thought regulations could be cut to save over $1 trillion per annum with no drastic detrimental effect ?
The list goes on and on, while his opponents don’t listen or learn. ( Only John McCain who unfortunately is to old and ill to be effective).
The public is sick of the antics of Mueller, Stormy Daniels, her lawyer, elitist comedians, elegant leftist commenters, they just don’t give a damn. They’ve made up their minds and stopped listening.
Even those who reply unfavorably about the President in the polls, are secretly proud when President stands beside the three freed prisoners of North Korea.
Unlike previous administrations, Trump fights the dirtier aspect of foreign policy largely by proxy. With Iraq and Syria crippled as power players, the Middle East is now divided between Iran and it’s allies supported by Russia, and the pro-western Saudi’s, Gulf State and Israel.
President Trump is eager to seize an opportunity to diminish Iranian influence without committing US forces. He wants Israel to degrade Iranian power. Trump believes he will get a better nuclear treaty (as opposed to an agreement)if Iran’s position weakens. Trump is also pressuring Iran to lessen support for anti-Saudi activity in Yemen.
His real test the terms he can achieve from North Korea and it’s backer the PRC.
The bizarre preoccupation of the US media to de-legitimize the Trump Presidency by means of scandal and endless investigations, has started to anger the general voter who don’t understand or care since it won’t affects their lives. The average voter doesn’t want the President distracted as he tries to deal with US enemies and the economy.
Four years ago, I warned of the penalties attached to coupling environmental issues with climate change extremism and leftist political agenda.
Now you are ” reaping the whirlwind “.