We have only got one planet, and Trump wants to trash it. There are some things we cannot afford in this life. He is one of them.
This is the audio version:
This is the transcript:
Trump is on another planet.
What do I mean? I mean that President Trump's indifference to climate change suggests that he believes he's living on a different planet to the rest of us.
As a matter of fact, climate science is now settled.
We are suffering climate change.
It has been created by human activity.
The only way in which we can constrain it in a way that ensures that human life on Earth can continue in the way to which we are accustomed is by taking action to control our climate emissions.
And there is no plan B.
Nor is there another planet.
But if you were to listen to Trump, and by the way, Kemi Badenoch, who seems to be a firm believer in what Trump has to say on this issue, you would think that there was another planet - a planet where we could manage climate change without difficulty, where a three-degree increase in global temperatures:
- would not disrupt food supplies,
- would not disrupt water supplies,
- would not create mass migration around the world because people could quite literally not continue to live in the places where they are now.
They are wrong.
Trump is wrong.
His policy of “drill, baby, drill”, as he puts it - which is all about creating more oil and more extraction of minerals and more carbon - which is all about the delivery of more carbon into the environment as a consequence of the burning of more oil and gas and other minerals - is disastrous. He will literally be passing a death sentence on young Americans.
But more than that, he'll be passing a death sentence for many in the world.
And I literally mean a death sentence. Because those people who will have to move because there is no water where they are, because it has run out because of climate change, will die if they can't move and there's no guarantee that the world is ready for them to move.
This is what worries me.
Trump's pretence that there is another planet is wrong.
There is only one planet.
And if we don't care for it, we are in deep trouble.
Kemi Badenoch's pretence that we can adapt to climate change is wrong because we can't.
The claim that business makes that we will find some solution to this in some technical sense, but which we don't know about as yet, is wrong, because we've known about this problem for long enough for that technical solution to have been created by now, or it probably doesn't exist.
We have to care.
The simple fact is that Trump's representation that there is no problem with climate change, is a simple statement that he doesn't care, and that frightens the life out of me.
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Three musings.
Firstly whatever else happens climate change will be extremely disruptive, the obvious issue to anyone in Government must be can we predict and manage this disruption? I doubt if anyone looking at the evidence and of sound mind can say ‘yes’
Then of course we can only burn the earths fossil fuel resources once so what then?
Finally the state must contain people who know the facts behind Trump/Farage/Brexit/Truss/Whatever who funded it, who funds them, their motivation, who is acting in concert with them etc. What to they make of it all? Certainly the reports from Canada are concerning. There are people who’s duty is to protect ‘The State’ What of them? I have no doubt that they take their duties very seriously.
This is the only political issue that matters now. If we don’t address carbon emissions, everything else is almost pointless. Yes, all the other issues are worth fighting for, but only after we have implemented sufficient climate change mitigation measures.
If anyone doesn’t agree with this, they simply don’t understand how scary climate change now is.
There is the energy security angle, might as well produce what you can at home without having to rely on xyz – should apply to renewables/nuclear/energy efficiency too!
Short term thinking seem to be a feature of the neo-liberal mindset …..forget the legacy this generation will leave the next, political arguments too often are about getting through to next week.
A good long read that expands on this theme of short-termism https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190109-the-perils-of-short-termism-civilisations-greatest-threat
Thank you, Richard.
I don’t disagree, but don’t narrow this to Trump. Let’s not forget Keir “I hate tree huggers” Starmer and even Treasury officials. Trump is a reflection of the US, but he’s not the only bombastic buffoon there. They exist here, too. We need to recognise this.
Agreed
Stupidity, malevolence, lunatics in charge of the asylum’
We are all frightened – but we must keep emphasising the truth and what has to be done.
In some ways, being so explicit – he is not as frightening as Starmers government – who say they are doing the right things – yet are in the financial pockets of oil and gas etc. – pretending CCS is the answer, allowing licences for North Sea etc.
Mainstream media may pay lip service to the climate crisis but is unable to put forward the real solution which is to rapidly faze out fossil fuel production and implement a mass program of insulation and renewable energy. The media is controlled by the multi-billionaires who are on the planet of maximising profit and the devil take the hindmost. Until an effective countenance to corporate greed is published widely the public will think everything is ticking over nicely, taken over by the massive greenwashing that goes on. We have no hope if Trump and Badenoch have their way unless a massive change in public opinion can force the necessary change.
“His policy of “drill, baby, drill”, as he puts it – which is all about creating more oil and more extraction of minerals and more carbon – which is all about the delivery of more carbon into the environment as a consequence of the burning of more oil and gas and other minerals – is disastrous.”
It is disastrous and it is long-term disastrous.
However, in the short term, it may (and I say may) lower the price of gas at a the pump. This is a “direct tangible benefit” to each household in the USA. Right now, voters who voted for Trump are looking for immediate “direct tangible benefit” to their household.
Sad, but true
Musk’s cunning plan as he wants us all to move to Mars!