Trump is Caught in a Climate Change Beartrap
Trump and his appointees are not known for rational thinking. Rational thinking leads to conclusions they do not like. How they will escape cause and effect rational when it comes from within their own Administration is what all of us who enjoy political theater are waiting for.
The bad news from climate change is a steady drip that is not stopping. From within his own administration has come a scientific report concluding that man made carbon is an important force in climate change. Melting of ice and the consequences are showing up everyday. The Republican Party and Trump have a united front about what to do: Nothing.
In politics there is something called "the long view." Paraphrased, it is "We need to have a Plan B in case things turn against us." President Trump does not have a long view. He assumes he can will people to do what he wants and everything will go his way.
He had a version of long view in business. If things cost more than he wanted to pay, he would stiff those to whom he owned money and would himself escape. Declaring bankruptcies was part of that strategy.
We saw in the "wall" event just passed that he had no backup strategy. When things went south he had to eat a loss.
He and Republicans need a long view on man made climate change. The science has not been refuted. Their position is not sustainable.
Good to know that you have swallowed the climate change line along with so many other of your leftist orthodoxies. You say that the science has not been refuted. No it has not. Nor has it been "settled". There are high powered climate scientists who demur from the party line. But then, of course, they are kooks (aka deniers). End of discussion. For my part, I am well aware of the global warming phenomena. It is real. But it may not persist. It may have causes other than our use of fossil fuels. In that regard, I have tried to keep myself tuned into folks on both sides of the controversy. At the end of the day, what really concerns me though is not the reality of a warming trend but, rather, the hysteria surrounding it. You have, for example, Al Gore and his daily dose of Old Doomsday (a rather heady drink). Doomsday predictions that don't turn out. We have only twelve years left. Etc. Kind of reminds me of the old self-styled prophets who tell us that world is going to end at 0600:01 on 29 February 2302 (or whenever). Too bad that the ideologues had to get involved in this particular controversy. If they had not, perhaps we could have an honest, open scientific discussion.
ReplyDeleteSo you are off of Skrive but back here. OK.
Delete"It may have causes other than our uses of fossil fuels." It is almost always correct in any complex matter to conclude there may be causes we don't yet know about. People who smoke are more likely to get cancer. But, it is possible the cancer is caused by something else. But most of us make a safe conclusion and don't smoke, even though we don't know absolutely our cancer chances go up. In climate change, all the know variables have been plotted. The only difference between experiences in ancient times and now is the carbon. We can go on forever saying it might be something else and be sorry we didn't use the evidence we had. The City of Miami Beach FL is going with the predicted 3.5 feet rise. If we could reduce that even a bit it would be good citizenship.
Deletenever really did much on Skrive. mostly just followed the great Jon-Matt exchange.
ReplyDeleteyes and when get we get fixed on one cause, we may miss other more significant causes. and, of course, then making the wrong diagnosis, running after the wrong solution to the wrong problem. ask yourself, how often has that happened in human history?
ReplyDeleteYou are correct, happened a lot of times. So there is always a risk. To me, the risk is high and the costs of avoiding the potential is small. Like quitting smoking. The problem is there are votes to be gained be saying the risk is small and the costs high. Fewer votes in being cautious and careful with the future of humanity.
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