This is the 503rd edition of the Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue) usually appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Here is the May 31 Green Spotlight. More than 27,100 environmentally oriented stories have been rescued to appear in this series since 2006. Inclusion of a story in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.
OUTSTANDING GREEN STORIES
Pakalolo writes—Climate change wars are coming and a deranged Trump building his many walls will not stop it: “ ‘I’m very strongly of the opinion that walls are never a solution. You cannot build walls to stop people when they want to go to safety.’ Major General Munir Muniruzzaman, chairman of the Global Military Advisory Council On Climate Change (GMACCC).Our Earth is a miraculous and beautiful place where conditions are perfect for life to thrive. These conditions reflect how our climate system interconnects with everyone and everything. Man made greenhouse gases are rapidly changing the life sustaining conditions for most species (including humans). These conditions have allowed humans to build the civilization which we enjoy today. We are now experiencing rapid and abrupt changes to the climate. People are already migrating due to drought, heat, floods and stronger storms that are disrupting the climate system and putting most people on this planet at grave risk for mass extermination. The planets water and food resources are in peril from our fossil fuel emissions. People will migrate if they are able, the survival instinct is strong.”
webranding writes—Lets Build Some Infrastructure: “I've had these three ideas in my head for ages. I am not nearly the first to mention them and we’re not talking rocket science here either. If we want to create a ton of jobs and also build infrastructure there are three things that can be done yesterday if the Republican Congress would just do something. Rural, Internet Access. [...] Next Gen Cell Phone Network [...] Solar On Every School, Post Office, Public Building This is kind of my ‘big’ idea, but I don't feel it is that stunning or complex in the making. Put solar on every public school, post office, library, you name it. Heck, seems it would pay for itself with the building not paying as much for power, if at all. If Congress doesn’t want to pay for it, issue bonds and let the cities pay back what they would have just paid in power bills. Then the power that all the school generates, you know over the summer break when the buildings are not being used to capacity, could go to the communities where they are located.”
LadyJeand writes—DONALD TRUMP WAS NOT ELECTED BY THE PEOPLE OF PITTSBURGH! “Donald Trump told the world today that he was elected by the people of Pittsburgh, not the people of Paris.Like most Pittsburghers, I resent that remark. We did NOT elect Donald Trump! Pittsburgh is a Democratic town, and has been for more than 80 years. We know who our friends are here, and we know, that, for the most part, they aren’t Republicans. [..] Donald Trump is a jagoff, a term used, here in Pittsburgh, for lowlifes, scumbags and Cleveland Browns fans. [...] We understand about climate change out here, since we have three rivers that like to flood, and some of us older folks grew up in the ‘good old days’ when the air was full of smoke from the mills, and you spent your winters in dark-colored clothes, because anything bright showed the grime. (The snow turned gray after 24 hours in the winter. Those were the days.)”
CRITTERS AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Besame writes—Daily Bucket: floral fantasies unfurl: “This floral lifestyle animation shows sprouting seeds, roots snaking through soil, buds opening, pollinators visiting. Flowers bow under storms and spring back in the sun. The video is designed for children to illustrate the cycle of birth, growth, reproduction, death, decay and renewal.”
OceanDiver writes—The Daily Bucket - coral reef life: “I’m still trying to sort out my upgraded operating system vis a vis photos, so for our Bucket today let’s take a swim back into the Caribbean, in recognition of the vast and complex coral reef ecosystems that are declining worldwide as a result of destructive human activity. This generation of scuba divers may well be the last. Let me show you a bit of why they are so colorful and diverse. A healthy coral reef has many different species of coral, which form the substrate of the community. Some are hard and slow-growing, like the knobby forms, while others are fast-growing branching forms, some of which are soft, like the waving gorgonians. Fast-growing species respond to quick changes, generating new habitat and food, while the slow-growing types are less vulnerable to physical damage and predation. With the range of species, a coral reef system is resilient to most environmental conditions, including violent storms. A varied substrate also provides food and habitat for a range of fish and invertebrates too: diversity feeds diversity. Ordinarily that variety means resilience in the face of changes.”
ARodinFan writes—In that Last Election, Who Voted to Shoot, Starve, Poison, and Slaughter Wild Horses? “The Trump budget is horrible. [...] To help ranchers graze more cattle on Public Land the Trump administration will use the federal budget to overturn the intent of Congressional legislation that they could not possibly change through legislative action, because it would be so deeply unpopular. The effect of this budget is in complete contradiction to the intent of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, which was enacted to both protect wild horses and burros but also to preserve the federal land these animals inhabit. [...] For the last 46 years they have been protected by federal law, but under the new Trump budget — protection for wild horses will be underfunded. The result — mass slaughter. The Trump budget would allow the Bureau of Land Management to monetize the wild-horse program, to run it in a more cost-effective business like manner, ‘including the ability to conduct sales without limitation.’ Wild horses will be rounded up and slaughtered by the tens of thousands, the hides turned to leather and gelatin and the meat sold for food.”
6412093 writes—The Daily Bucket--Dust to Dust: “This blue spruce grew for 40 years in the front yard of the house where I have lived now for 15 years. The Arborist said it was sick. We had it cut down. Here’s the stump. [...] Five months later, it looks awful after some 90 degree days; drying out and checked, marked with paint to denote the massive electrical line underneath. It returns to carbon, maybe not totally in my lifetime.”
Dan Bacher writes—State Unveils Salmon Resilience Strategy for Sacramento Valley: “The California Natural Resources Agency today launched what it described as an ‘aggressive strategy’ to aid salmon and steelhead in the Sacramento Valley. ‘Actions in the resiliency strategy aim to reduce specific risks to salmon and steelhead at different stages of their migratory lives,’ according to the agency. ‘These fish travel hundreds of miles of Central Valley streams and spend several years in the Pacific Ocean, so the strategy targets the freshwater streams where salmon and steelhead eggs hatch, the streams and floodplains where young fish rear, the Delta channels the fish must travel to reach the ocean, and the many barriers that hinder adult fish returning to spawn in natal streams.’Strangely missing from the plan were strategies for dealing with the two biggest threats to the survival of the valley’s imperiled salmon and steelhead: (1) massive water exports to corporate agribusiness, Southern California water agencies and oil companies and (2) the Governor’s salmon-killing Delta Tunnels project.”
Dan Bacher writes—Unveiling the mysteries of American River shad: “One of the most popular – and least understood fish – that anglers pursue on California’s Central Valley rivers in the spring is the American shad, an anadromous member of the herring family that returns from the ocean to spawn every year. My favorite place to fish for them is the lower American River, where fishing for them was just as popular when I started fishing for them in high school as it is now. Shad are known for the great fights that they provide on light spinning and fly tackle, as well as for the fine tablefare they offer when smoked, pickled or baked. This has been a good year to date on the lower American, due to the heavy flows on the river all winter and spring. Releases from Nimbus Dam at press time were 9,500 cfs. American shad, rather than going back to their specific tributary rivers like salmon and steelhead tend to do, go concentrate on where the flows in the river system are the highest. When flows are high on the American, you can expect a significant number of fish, including those spawned on the Sacramento and Feather, to make a right turn into the river at Discovery Park.”
tailwagondog writes—I just held a hummingbird in my hands: “2:12 PM, I text my wife - There's a hummingbird in the garage. 2:47 PM, she texts - Is it struggling? 3:27 PM I reply - It's okay now. It landed in my hands and rested while I brushed off the cobwebs from its wings & beak. We sat on the deck steps for about 5 minutes, then she flew away over the house and over the trees. My wife asked, Is it struggling? My God, who am I to deserve such a wonderful wife?”
CLIMATE CHAOS
Extreme Weather & Natural Events
SemDem writes—Trump Puts NO ONE In Charge of NOAA or FEMA As Hurricane Season Just Arrived! ”This year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting a deadly hurricane season, which just started this past Thursday. Unfortunately, neither the NOAA or FEMA currently have anyone in charge. Both agencies have been rudderless since their Obama appointees were asked to leave in January. According to the general who took over Joint Task Force Katrina, this ‘should scare the hell out of everybody.’ To make matters worse, Trump has proposed massive budget cuts for both agencies. Now, you would think that for all the disasters of this presidency, Trump would try to at least avoid Bush’s Katrina fiasco. You’d be wrong. There are only two reasons for him to do this: 1) Trump is not doing this on purpose (astronomical incompetence), or 2) Trump is doing this on purpose. Unfortunately, I think it’s a combination of the two. People here in Florida KNOW exactly what FEMA and NOAA does. However, if Trump is getting advice from Alex Jones—as is being reported-—then he thinks FEMA’s job is just to run the dissident camps when the Deep State takes everyone’s guns away and NOAA’s purpose is to “intensify global warming” by outfitting planes with chemtrails. (No? How else to do you explain the exhaust from airplanes?)”
Paris Agreement
Meteor Blades writes—Trump yanks U.S. from Paris climate pact—American exceptionalism of the worst kind: “Pr*sident Donald Trump—the man who lied about all the environmental awards he has received and vacillated between being a total numbskull on climate change and just another opportunist who bends with the wind as long as it doesn’t mean erecting turbines within sight of his golf courses—told the world Thursday what has been expected with trepidation since November 9: The U.S. is pulling out of the Paris climate agreement. Given legal considerations, this ceding of U.S. leadership will take three years to complete. But the negative impacts have already begun. From the White House Rose Garden Trump said that the United States would withdraw from the Paris agreement for the ‘well-being’ of the American people, but begin negotiating a new deal right away that he claimed would be fairer to the U.S. Immediately, the U.S. will end its pledge to reduce carbon emissions and no longer contribute to the fund that helps developing nations deal with climate change. The decision breaks with the precedent set, however imperfectly, by the previous four presidents, two Republicans and two Democrats. It could also spur other nations to abandon the agreement. That pact was designed with the goal of keeping average global temperatures from rising 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above the pre-industrial level by cutting greenhouse gas emissions. We’ve already seen a rise of 1.8 degrees.”
Meteor Blades writes—Trump's advisers won't say if he still believes climate change is a 'hoax.' But what does it matter? “While Donald Trump was pissing off Europeans a week ago, White House economic adviser Gary Cohn said of his views on climate change: ‘He came here to learn. He came here to get smarter. His views are evolving, which is exactly as they should be.’ That’s just about the funniest thing any insider has said in weeks about the man squatting in the White House. ‘Just about’ because the funniest thing, the most hilarious thing, and also the sickest, lamest thing was the hideous tongue-bath Scott Pruitt—the EPA-hating director of the EPA—gave Trump in the Rose Garden after his Thursday speech on withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement. That speech was obvious proof that Trump has not been made smarter by any tutorials he may have received while mingling with the members of NATO and the G7. Hardly a surprise given that we already knew the man has the attention span of a toddler, doesn’t read, and doesn’t listen.”
First Amendment writes—Barack Obama's Statement on Exiting Paris Climate Agreement Slams Trump's Absence of Leadership: “A year and a half ago, the world came together in Paris around the first-ever global agreement to set the world on a low-carbon course and protect the world we leave to our children. It was steady, principled American leadership on the world stage that made that achievement possible. It was bold American ambition that encouraged dozens of other nations to set their sights higher as well. And what made that leadership and ambition possible was America’s private innovation and public investment in growing industries like wind and solar — industries that created some of the fastest new streams of good-paying jobs in recent years, and contributed to the longest streak of job creation in our history. Simply put, the private sector already chose a low-carbon future. And for the nations that committed themselves to that future, the Paris Agreement opened the floodgates for businesses, scientists, and engineers to unleash high-tech, low-carbon investment and innovation on an unprecedented scale. The nations that remain in the Paris Agreement will be the nations that reap the benefits in jobs and industries created. I believe the United States of America should be at the front of the pack. But even in the absence of American leadership; even as this Administration joins a small handful of nations that reject the future; I’m confident that our states, cities, and businesses will step up and do even more to lead the way, and help protect for future generations the one planet we’ve got.”
oregonj writes—UPDATED: NINE States Already "joining" Paris Accord: “THE UNITED STATES CLIMATE ALLIANCE HAS BEEN FORMED. The governors of New York, California and Washington in the past hour have announced the formation of an alliance of US states to follow the Paris Accords. This represents over one-fifth of the US economy, and it is only the beginning of many more states prepared to join. Once again, a Trump policy will be marginalized. Still dangerous — but it will be a lot more smoke (literally) than fire. [...] On Friday, the Governors of Hawaii, Oregon, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont and Massachusetts announced that their states are joining the United States Climate Alliance and will abide by the emission reduction targets in the Paris accords!!”
Leslie Salzillo writes—President Obama Slams Trump On Paris Agreement: 'Even in the absence of American leadership...' “Within minutes of Donald Trump announcing he was yanking the United States out of the Paris Agreement, former President Barack Obama released a statement. Even though he needles Donald Trump using the phrase ‘absence of American leadership,’ Mr. Obama offers offers hope the end with this quote: ‘But even in the absence of American leadership; even as this Administration joins a small handful of nations that reject the future; I’m confident that our states, cities, and businesses will step up and do even more to lead the way, and help protect for future generations the one planet we’ve got.’”
DownstateDemocrat writes—Thoughts on Trump's Paris Accord exit from an isolationist redneck in a coal town in Illinois: “Given the fact that I am a staunch isolationist when it comes to foreign policy, as well as the fact that I live in Westville, Illinois, which, while there hasn’t been large-scale coal mining around here in many years, was originally built up around coal mining, you may be surprised to find that I’m actually opposed to President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement. Even though I firmly believe that Trump just won re-election in 2020 (unless the planet becomes uninhabitable before November 2020, that is) with his decision, there are a large number of reasons why I fundamentally disagree with Trump on his decision to pull the U.S. out of the primary instrument of international law to combat global warming. There are four reasons why I believe that Trump will politically benefit from his decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate agreement. [...]”
noweasels writes—Cities Around the World Light Up in Green in Support of Paris Climate Agreement (Updated): “From Bill McKIbben. And so we will resist. As the federal government reneges on its commitments, the rest of us will double down on ours. Already cities and states are committing to 100 percent renewable energy. Atlanta was the latest to take the step. We will make sure that every leader who hesitates and waffles on climate will be seen as another Donald Trump, and we will make sure that history will judge that name with the contempt it deserves. Not just because he didn’t take climate change seriously, but also because he didn’t take civilization seriously. Cities around the world lit up in green tonight to remind the world that the WORLD stands behind the Paris Climate Accord.”
annrose writes—Wow! John Kerry was on fire on MSNBC about Paris: “John Kerry just rolled over Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC. I've never seen him this impassioned and hard hitting. If he'd been like this in 2004, he would have been President. This is the type of no nonsense direct Bullshit-O-Meter talking heads we need. Will post video when it's up.”
BC in Illinois writes—"Make Our Planet Great Again": “From the first ever address in English from the Presidential Palace (the Élysée) in Paris: Wherever we live, whoever we are, we all share the same responsibility: MAKE OUR PLANET GREAT AGAIN. President Macron did three things on the day that Donald Trump made his statement withdrawing from the Paris climate accords: • He had a five minute conversation with Donald Trump. I figure that went as well as anyone would expect. • He issued a statement in English, inviting scientists and engineers — again! — to come to France where there work would be welcomed and supported. He also made the call to “Make Our Planet Great Again”. •He issued a statement, together with the Presidents of Italy and Germany, re-affirming the “irreversible” Paris Agreement.”
annieli writes—White beta savior, God-Emperor Trump declares "Suicide Note to the World": “All in the name of short-run profit for the 1% and that lulz RWNJs get when they think globalists are on the run. Trump’s Judgment of Pittsburgh will endure as the most foolish of his innumerable blunders. Yet another stop on the Trump Craters the US Economy Tour: 1300 more days of Shock Doctrine.”
lynchzilla writes—Elon Musk May Stop Advising Trump: “[Elon Musk] has endured some criticism for being on President Trump's economic advisory council. On February 4th, he defended his participation by saying “’n addition, I again raised climate. I believe this is doing good, so will remain on council & keep at it. Doing otherwise would be wrong.’ There is another good reason for being on Trump’s good side, SpaceX has significant contracts with NASA for commercial resupply flights to the International Space Station and several upcoming military launches. Knowing Trump’s penchant for revenge on anybody who crosses him, it makes good business sense for Musk to play nice even though he has well-known progressive leanings. This may all change this week as Trump continues his campaign to literally wreck everything. The target this week is the Paris Climate Change Accord. Most news outlets are reporting that Trump has decided to exit the agreement in the next couple of days. Musk, being the founder and part owner of Solar City (a solar products firm), is an advocate of drastic action to prevent destructive climate change by switching power generation to solar and transportation to electric vehicles (such as his Tesla cars).”
durrati writes—The Whole World's Laughing. At You, Dumba**: “So earlier today our dark Lord of Yokels, Son of Orangutan and Reprobate keeper of all that is evil and disgustingly icky pulled out of the Paris Climate Accord - an action that will do untold damage to the planet and would have served the world better had he practiced it three times with dear Ivana.MCiting as his reason for doing this to our environment … a desire to not be outstripped on the making of buggy-whips by two nations, India and China, who have both recently said they are not so much into buggy-whips anymore. This after revelations earlier in the day that his day one agenda item on entering office was removing sanctions on Russia for their aggression in the Ukraine, or, as his butt buddy Putin likes to call it, Mykraine…. He’s afraid the world is laughing at us. No dumbass, the world, and we, are laughing at you.”
Jamess writes—Fact-checking the Fact-less: ”With regards to the Trump’s feckless withdrawal from the world community, Politifact has already fact-checked some of the Donald’s most groundless statements. Here’s some of the highlights of that report. Fact-checking Donald Trump's statement withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement Trump: The Paris Agreement would result in ‘lost jobs, lower wages, shuttered factories and vastly diminished economic production.’ — Based on flawed study. Trump: "China will be allowed to build hundreds of additional coal plants. So, we can't build the plants, but they can, according to this agreement.’ — Not in the deal. Trump: ‘Even if the Paris Agreement were implemented in full, with total compliance from all nations, it is estimated it would only produce a two-tenths of one degree -- think of that; this much -- Celsius reduction in global temperature by the year 2100. Tiny, tiny amount.’ — Needs context.”
Laura Clawson writes—'History will condemn us' for walking away from Paris pact, Ossoff says. Crickets from Handel: “With a new poll showing him with a tiny lead (within the margin of error) and early voting underway in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, Jon Ossoff condemned Donald Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate pact: “I agree with our military, our intelligence community, and peer-reviewed science that climate change is a major threat to our prosperity and our security, and if we walk away from this historic agreement now, history will condemn us,” said Ossoff, adding that the “economic potential of clean energy technology” could help create new jobs. As for Karen Handel, Ossoff’s Republican opponent, she refused to comment on the issue.“
Wagatwe writes—Trump's Paris decision was influenced by an 'aggressive' handshake from the French president: “While Trump is pretty unpredictable, there’s at least one thing about him that seems consistent: he is petty and childish as hell. The latest piece of evidence comes from Trump’s strangely grandiose announcement about withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Agreement. In his speech, Trump says (emphasis mine): At what point does America get demeaned? At what point do they start laughing at us, as a country? We want fair treatment for its citizens and we want fair treatment for our taxpayers. We don’t want other leaders and other countries laughing at us anymore. And they won’t be. They won’t be. (I don’t know how Trump doesn’t know that the countries have been laughing at the U.S. since he ever became a contender in politics, but I digress.)”
First Amendment writes—The New Cover of Der Spiegel 'Tees Off' on Trump and His Disastrous Decision on Climate Change: “Ouch, is right and well deserved. Donald Trump has turned back the clock in our fight against climate change, with his disastrous and universally condemned decision to exit the Paris Climate deal. Der Spiegel’s new cover uses Trump’s real job as our so-called President, playing golf, to illustrate Trump firing our planet.”
Frank Vyan Walton writes—Trump's Paris decision may be the best thing for #TheResistance, ever! “Let’s just admit the truth here, Trump has with his decision to drop out of the Paris Climate Accords essentially managed to bring nearly the entire world together. Together while standing in opposition against him. He’s literally united the states. And it’s not just them. He’s united the cities, universities and corporations, And he’s united the nations. [...] As I said some time ago, he’ s his own — and now the world’s — worst enemy right now. The cities, states, companies and countries that stand with #TheResistance will prosper and grow economically using green tech while — sadly — Trump’s luddite rustbelt is far more likely to continue suffer and fall further behind economically with weakened health and safety.”
graemer writes—The Paris Agreement Will Continue Without The U.S., But Trump Is An International Blight: “In December 2015, all but two countries on earth - Syria and Nicaragua - signed the Paris climate agreement. It was a landmark achievement in which an international coalition promised to put forth their best efforts to cut back on global emissions and try to slow down the effects of climate change. It was a crowning achievement for President Barack Obama On Thursday, President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the agreement. The agreement hasn’t even hit two years and already one of the most important players has declared they’re not interested. Mind you, it’s not because there’s any international doubt about the legitimacy of climate change. There’s not even, necessarily, massive doubt in the United States - 68 percent of Americans agree climate change is caused by human activity. But the leader of the free world, who happens to be a moron, disagrees.”
msjustice writes—Climate Deniers Look to Coal to Preserve Tradition: “There are a lot of things our ancestors did in the past that we no longer do. We no longer attempt to treat syphilis with arsenic. We no longer smoke cigarettes on airplanes. We no longer have our young children ride in cars without car seats.A lot of our ancestors also worked in dirty, dangerous environments like coal mines. My own grandfather worked in a mine, and years later he died from lung cancer.So when people start talking about how we need to save these amazing coal jobs because it’s what our parents and grandparents did, I have to wonder why. There is a reason why we’ve been transitioning away from coal. Actually, there are several. First, there is not an endless supply of coal. That is a fact. Best case scenario, we have about 50 years left. Why do we want to wait until that day comes before we start to even think about alternative sources?”
AlexLenferna writes—Trump is Withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement. Is it Time to Boycott America? “Contrary to the lies and misinformation upon which Trump tried to justify his decision, the Paris Agreements had been made purposefully to accommodate an intransigent US Congress, which would not accept a legally binding treaty. After years of the US undermining other climate agreements, the world tried it’s best to accommodate them. The agreement allowed countries to determine their own emission reduction targets, and there was no legal enforcement mechanism or punishment for not meeting them. For America, the world’s largest historical polluter, it is hard to imagine a sweeter deal. Ironically, by pulling out of the Paris Agreement, Trump, the great negotiator, may expose America to greater global backlash than if he had just stuck with the agreement while doing little to nothing to actively address climate change. That’s probably why many fossil fuel companies want Trump to stay in, so they can have a seat the table and slow down global progress, while not facing the blowback that would come from exiting the agreement altogether.”
Don’t Just Sit There, DO SOMETHING writes—Watch this future President talk about the need for climate action (maybe chuckle, too): “As the U.S. begins its plans to exit the Paris Agreement to combat global climate change and back away from participating in the new, clean-energy-powered world, the ramifications of this choice could not be clearer. The choices made today may very well decide the destiny of the United States, if not the whole planet, when it comes to the future of our economy, security, health, and environment. It sounds dramatic to put it that way, but the threat of climate change really is that urgent, that far-reaching, and that consequential, as the scientific community has been saying for literally decades, and the U.S. has a significant responsibility to act.Leaving the Paris Agreement is also a dramatic departure from what the majority of Americans clearly want.”
Sarah Gerace writes—Birther, Climate-Change-Denier Ideology translates into Major US Policy: “It’s now official: birther, climate-change-denier ideology will be translated into major US foreign policy if Trump pulls the United States, the biggest carbon polluter in history, out of the Paris climate accords today as is expected. But the president’s actions were largely unnecessary because the accord is voluntary, asking, not requiring, nations to implement measures to reduce carbon emissions; but more wealthy countries are encouraged to assist poorer nations, a potential reason for the legendarily parsimonious president’s withdrawal.Nevertheless, for years, people like Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, Michael Flynn, and Stephen Miller, among others, have been on the political outside, leading the way on a variety of bizarre conspiracy theories that truly confound reason and common sense.”
Sarah Gerace writes—What Does Trump’s Withdrawal from the Paris Accord Actually Mean for the Planet and America? “Given that 69% of registered voters, in a post-election poll in September, viewed withdrawal from the Paris accord as a bad idea, this will not be a popular action taken by the administration. US retreat from the Paris accord, announced by President Trump earlier today, amounts to a massive foreign policy mistake, a mistake that will be felt across all US alliances and in many other ways, too. This action essentially turns over U.S. global preeminence, an abdication, in clean energy to countries like China, who may or may not rise to the occasion, and may cause difficulty in trade negotiations with signatory nations that disapprove of US withdrawal.”
Boatsie writes—Trump en quittant Accord de Paris? A swing and a miss to stop climate and clean energy progress: “Ouch, is right and well deserved. Donald Trump has turned back the clock in our fight against climate change, with his disastrous and universally condemned decision to exit the Paris Climate deal. Der Spiegel’s new cover uses Trump’s real job as our so-called President, playing golf, to illustrate Trump firing our planet.”
Javier Downey writes—Politics fuels Donald Trump’s retreat from Paris climate accord: “Тhе рrеsіdеnt сlаіmеd thаt hе wаntеd оut оf Раrіs bесаusе іt wоuld kіll јоbs іn соаl соuntrу аnd іn Аmеrісаn fасtоrіеs. Whіlе thаt аrgumеnt іs bunk, thе rеаl роlіtісаl mеssаgе thаt Тrumр wаntеd tо dеlіvеr tо hіs bаsе — thаt hе’ll stаnd uр tо thоsе hуросrіtісаl Сhіnеsе whо аrе buіldіng mоrе соаl рlаnts еvеn аs thеу tаlk аbоut lеаdіng оn еmіssіоns сuts, аs wеll аs tо Еurореаns whо роntіfісаtе аbоut glоbаl wаrmіng frоm роsh sаlоns kерt sаfе bу Аmеrісаn mіlіtаrу mіght — wаs mаdе quіtе shаrрlу. Іn роlіtісаl tеrms, іt dоеsn’t rеаllу mаttеr іf аnуthіng hе sауs іs truе. Іt рlауs wеll аmоng thе hоmе аudіеnсе. Іn есоnоmіс tеrms, hоwеvеr, thе рrеsіdеnt, оr mоrе ассurаtеlу Ѕtеvе Ваnnоn аnd оthеrs іn thе Аmеrіса Fіrst роlісу саmр, аrе mаkіng а tеrrіblе dесіsіоn іf thеу thіnk а nаtіоnаlіst еnеrgу strаtеgу bаsеd оn thе dіrtіеst fоssіl fuеls wіll mаkе Аmеrіса strоngеr оr sаfеr. Fоr stаrtеrs, thе mајоrіtу оf соаl јоbs іn thіs соuntrу wеrе lоst nоt sіnсе thе Оbаmа аdmіnіstrаtіоn but bеtwееn thе 1950s аnd 1970s, аs thе іndustrу shіftеd tо mоrе аdvаnсеd mіnіng tесhnіquеs. Јust аs fасtоrу јоbs hаvе bееn аutоmаtеd, sо hаs humаn-сеntrіс соаl wоrk gіvеn wау tо hugе mесhаnіsеd strір-mіnіng ореrаtіоns.”
Wheeler1955 writes—Donald Trump Dooms Us To Climate Change: “By denying that climate change is a fact, Trump shows himself to be just another corporate dinosaur who hates any type of regulation, no matter how necessary it may be. His laissez-faire capitalist attitude that puts profit before people puts a large portion of the world's population in danger from climate change, just to make a profit for him and his wealthy friends. Withdrawing the United States from the Paris Accord is the most irresponsible and indefensible position that he has taken thus far. In taking this action, he has declared war on those of us who believe that climate change is probably the biggest danger facing our planet and its inhabitants.”
Angela Marx writes—Trump just exited the Paris Accords and in the next breath said, "We'll make a better deal": “Today, Donald Trump took the United States OUT of the Paris Accords and then told us all that he was going to make a Better Deal, because the deal he just dumped was costing America too much. The fool apparently doesn’t realize that NOT EVERYTHING is about profits. Sometimes, it’s about the future of our species on Earth. #Resist. He truly is a fool.”
Warren M. Hern writes—Trump’s Colossal Stupidity: “For the first time in human history, and for the first time in human evolutionary experience, our species is attempting to understand and limit the damage we have done and are doing to the global ecosystem. We now understand that we cannot restore the planet to its pristine state before humans started their destructive path, but we can work toward preserving the natural beauty and wonder of our biosphere and try seriously to keep the planet from becoming uninhabitable. That’s a daunting goal and a fundamental change in our strategy as a species. Donald Trump doesn’t understand this, and neither do the people who support him. He knows and they know the price of everything and the value of nothing except that they both ignore the price and cost of their ignorance. In Barbara Tuchman’s great book, The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam, she described how various governments and organizations made catastrophic and fatal decisions in spite of having all the information they needed to make the right decision.”
bgerber writes—Trump Destroys World Climate and US Economy with Paris Accord Exit: “Though I don't agree, let's say ‘human-caused climate change’ is a hoax. Why might someone so hoax? Perhaps for the same reason for all the hoaxes that keep us in a cycle of endless wars: so the 1% can make extraordinary amounts of money! With Europe and China forming a renewable energy development pact and Trump withdrawing us from the Paris Agreement while supporting dinosauric forms of energy, our economy will suffer so badly that the US will take on the look and feel of a 4th rate country. What happened to ‘America First’? Some say power comes from the barrel of a gun; others that it is heavily based on perception of power. Between his disgraceful foreign trip and this act, there is little reason for anyone to see America as a major power.”
Liberal Thinking writes—Our Response to Global Warming: “Like policy? Hate what Republican officeholders are doing on climate change? Tired of just hearing how terrible they are without any concrete proposals for fixing things? Then, get ready for ‘A Progressive Response to Global Warming,’ coming in the next few days.”
kristenc writes—Americans Will Fight Climate Change Without Trump: “[D]espite Trump’s claims that he’s pulling out for the sake of Americans, CEOs, mayors, governors, small business owners and individuals across the country have promised to take the challenge of cutting carbon emissions on themselves. A group of 30 mayors, three governors, nearly 100 university presidents and more than 100 business owners has reached out to the United Nations. The group offered to submit a plan to meet the greenhouse gas emission target cuts Obama originally promised in 2015. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the city is committed to doing everything it was going to do per the Paris agreement. Mayors from Pittsburgh to Atlanta to Salt Lake City have also made the pledge, as have major businesses like Hewlett-Packard, and colleges like Wesleyan.”
Walter Einenkel writes—Republican representative says God will solve climate change if it's a 'real problem': “Michigan Republican Tim Walberg was in Coldwater, Michigan speaking with constituents about all of his shitty AHCA ideas. Rep. Walberg is probably more recently remembered as the asshat whose sole appearance (hiding out from all of the (mostly women) constituents who wanted an audience with him in March) went to a men-only breakfast as his “town hall.” Here he was asked by a citizen about climate climate change and boy, what a doozy of an answer. Walberg: Right now I’d take a little more climate warming—I’m tired of the cold springs. [No one laughs] In Washington I’ll take global cooling because of the heat and humidity in Washington, D.C. [no laughs] I believe there’s climate change. Fantastic. Your standup routine was dumb. Walberg: I believe there’s been climate change since the beginning of time. I guess I spoke too soon.”
Walter Einenkel writes—Joe Scarborough ties Bannon to Trump's Paris speech: 'Trump doesn't know anything about anything': “Friday saw the 24-hour news outlets bringing people on to say one thing: Holy crap, what is President Trump doing? Except Fox News which probably just brought someone on to talk about why women should wear lipstick to bed or something like that. On MSNBC, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski ran a clip that sewed together Trump’s now infamous ‘American Carnage’ speech, written by Steve Bannon for the dark lord’s inauguration, and Thursday’s similarly sounding suicide note speech about the United States pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement. After playing them together, Scarborough goes after the theme that America is at some historic economic and military ‘low,’ which is always the tenor of the Bannon/Trump campaign. Scarborough: It’s stupidity. It’s ahistorical. It’s a lie Donald Trump is telling to himself and to his supporters. What we saw yesterday is, do we have that old TIME magazine article? And I’m telling you, TIME magazine was right, Steve Bannon is President of the United States. He’s gone in, Donald Trump doesn’t know anything about policy. Donald Trump doesn’t know anything about politics. Donald Trump doesn’t know anything about anything.”
Walter Einenkel writes—Vatican says Trump's climate decisions are 'a slap in the face,' like believing in flat earth theory: “This past September, Pope Francis held a World Day of Prayer that was almost entirely dedicated to the global problem of climate change. On Thursday, surrounded by plants that will surely die in the White House’s Rose Garden, unpopular President Trump announced that the United States would be pulling out of the Paris Climate agreement. A short while before Trump’s official statement, Reuters reported on Vatican Bishop Marcelo Sanchez’s feelings about the reports that the United States was going to do just this. ‘If he really does (pull out), it would be a huge slap in the face for us,’ said Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, head of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, which has hosted numerous international conferences on climate change. ‘It will be a disaster for everyone,’ he told the Rome newspaper La Repubblica. In a telephone call with Reuters, Sanchez Sorondo confirmed the comments in the newspaper. Well, he has pulled out and it is a slap in the face.”
Walter Einenkel writes—Trump's EPA chief denies being a climate denier, says that there are 'climate exaggerators': “With the White House’s decision to step away from the global community like the idiot who leaves the group and gets killed by the monster in the next scene, there are a lot of questions that a snowflake like Donald Trump doesn’t want to have to answer. Today, EPA chief Scott Pruitt was in the hot seat. The head of our Environmental Protection Agency has never been a fan of the environment and how it gets in the way of making him campaign contributions. The press asked Pruitt point blank if the Trump administration’s position on man-made climate change is to say it doesn’t exist. I don’t know if you saw the confirmation process. My confirmation process was intense. I indicated that in fact, global warming is occurring. That human activity contributes in some manner but measuring with precision the degree of human contribution is challenging. But still begs the question. What do we do about it? Does it pose a threat as some say? People have called me a climate skeptic or denier. I don't know what it means—to deny. There are climate exaggerators.”
Walter Einenkel writes—MIT researcher who Trump cited during Paris Agreement speech says decision could be 'catastrophic': “Thursday’s idiotic display of America’s fall from the world stage of unpopular President Trump used some “estimates” someone clearly thought would make it sound like our president reads things. During a press conference in the White House Rose Garden Thursday, Trump cited research that suggested the emissions cuts agreed to under the deal would not reduce global temperatures fast enough to have a significant impact. “It is estimated it would only produce a two-tenths of one degree … Celsius reduction in global temperature by the year 2100,” he said, adding: “Tiny, tiny amount.” Reuters noted that those numbers he was referring to came from a research project done out of MIT last April. The lead researcher of that study used his best calm voice to explain to Reuters that our president is a fucking imbecile.”
Walter Einenkel writes—The White House's response to a question from the press about climate change is madness: “A short while ago, unpopular President Trump stood in the White House’s Rose Garden and addressed a group of very old wealthy white men. He told them that they would be able to squeeze a little more money out of poisoning the earth and, fingers crossed, would all die before the earth burned up. Now, the White House press is getting a briefing about our country’s decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement. This is what an official told them concerning Trump’s epic failure as a human being.”
Laurence Lewis writes—By withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement, it's Trump and Assad alone against the world: “Much has been made of the fact that Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement makes the United States an international pariah and a business disaster, that it will undermine national security, that his excuses were a series of flat out lies, and this his real reason was the typical pettiness of his tiny, fragile ego, but the degree to which Trump is Making America Worst cannot be overstated. With Trump, the United States is now one of three countries not signed on to the Paris Agreement. [...] But it’s even worse. Nicaragua didn’t sign on because it believes the Agreement isn’t aggressive enough. Nicaragua is on track to beat the Agreement’s targets. [...] Which means that in not being party to the Agreement, Trump stands alone in the world with Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, who has been too busy massacring his own people to sign on. It’s Trump and Assad against the world.”
Mrmuni12 writes—Note to Kos, Indivisible, Environmentalists: Trump's action on Paris Accord=oppty to fight back: “Time to turn chicken bleep into chicken salad. On the Paris Accord/ White House diary, a member named Iberian provided a great list of ultra-high-level leaders with roles on Presidential Councils, as follows, in addition to Musk who already quit: What about the rest of the hyenas in those presidential councils? [...] My question is simple: why would progressives NOT create a formal petition campaign, aimed at this list and any others, insisting that they follow Elan Musk and either a) stop participating in these councils, or b) remaining, but formally, loudly and publicly denouncing Trump’s decision? Of course, the laundry list of Trump’s awful behavior is already approaching the infinite, but I don’t think that there are many issues on which the anti-science, nihilist nature of Trump’s behavior can be so easily identified.”
ScottMStringer writes—An Open Letter to President Trump on the Paris Climate Accord: “Dear President Donald Trump, Your announcement today to Withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord is beyond disheartening. It’s appalling. This action sacrifices the United States’ position as a global leader, threatens the sustainability of our planet, and weakens our ability to combat climate change -- one of the greatest threats facing our population today -- all to score political points with the world’s biggest polluters and special interest groups. We must do everything we can to leave the planet in good condition for future generations. Scientists have repeatedly warned that if we don’t take action to seriously combat climate change now, we could reach a catastrophic environmental tipping point in the next several decades. I’m deeply concerned by what that could mean for my two children -- and all our children — and I want to take every action to prevent it now. [...]”
Aldous J. Pennyfarthing writes—Trump: Our children are not our future; your drunk, dumb, Hillary-hating uncle is: “It's official. We are now a rogue nation. Donald Trump, who thinks ineffective hairspray is a bigger threat to our planet than a depleted ozone layer, has withdrawn the U.S. from the Paris Accord on climate change. More than 14,000 peer-reviewed academic papers on anthropogenic climate change have officially been supplanted by RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: PROOF THAT GLOBOL WARMING IS A HOAX!!!!!!! Your drunk, Hillary-hating uncle who sends you bizarre email forwards and invites you to strip clubs at lunchtime on random weekdays now delights in knowing his views are perfectly represented in Washington. His Oval Office avatar has just decided that America will proudly lead the way — chin forward with eyes fixed firmly on what would be the horizon if we could see it through the particulate matter — to our future post-apocalyptic hellscape. Because if not us, who?”
CygnusX1 writes—"Debunking The Top 10 Climate Change Myths": “Hi all. This isn’t much of a diary, but I just wanted to share this article I found that debunks many of the climate denier arguments, all in one place. Beyond the brief explanations of why the arguments are bogus, it contains many, MANY links to other sources that have more useful info: climatenexus.org/…”
Barbara Morrill writes—God has a message for Donald Trump: “In the wake of Donald Trump’s announcement that the planet can drop dead, God had a message for the petulant man-child: The nations were angry, and your wrath has come. The time has come … for destroying those who destroy the earth.” Asked if there would be any further comment, God noted the potential for: … flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm. Developing.”
Ursulafaw writes—Climate Change Is GOP Dogma & Culture War Because Of Money, Plain And Simple: “Donald Trump's speech in the Rose Garden Thursday announcing the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Accord marked a major setback, not for the left, but for the human race. Climate change has unfairly been catapulted into the center ring of the cultural wars in which our country is embroiled now, rather than being seen as a subject of intense importance and total immediacy. It is dismissed as "leftist bullshit" and belief in the ramifications of carbon dioxide emissions trapping solar energy in the atmosphere and raising the global temperature, is lumped together with abortion and gun control and other social issues, as part of a political agenda, which is untrue and absurd -- and which could sound the death knell for this planet. Not surprisingly, climate denying is Republican dogma and they have a big financial dog in the fight.”
Kerry Eleveld writes—Spicer and entire White House staff develop collective amnesia on Trump's climate change views: “’Our lips are sealed!’ is the new motto of White House staff when it comes to whether Donald Trump still believes climate change is a ‘hoax.’ After Environmental Protection destroyer Scott Pruitt and Press Secretary Sean Spicer fielded at least eight direct questions on the matter at Friday's press briefing, we're no closer to getting an answer. But Spicer was singularly pathetic, first claiming he hadn't ‘had an opportunity to have that discussion’ with Trump and then this:
Looks like we can cross that one off the list.”
m2c4 writes—Trump’s Paris Decision Was All About Shoring Up His Base As Russia Probe Closes In: “Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement has far less to do with climate change or the US economy and far more to do with shoring up his base in preparation for not only Comey’s testimony next week but also the expanding Russian investigation in general as it engulfs more and more White House advisers and inches ever closer to the President himself. [...] Now you can never underestimate the possibility that Trump’s decisions are made out of ignorance and spite and it is quite possible that this is one of those. But this decision has Bannon written all over it. And it is worth noting that Bannon, Kushner, and Priebus were sent home early from Trump’s foreign trip in order to set up the war room to deal with the Russia investigation. More than Kushner, Bannon understands that the battle ahead for Trump will be a political one, probably much more so than a legal one. And that means shoring up that 35%-43% of the country that will support Trump no matter what.”
Laura Clawson writes—Trump holding rally Saturday to celebrate his middle finger to the world ... maybe you should attend: “Donald Trump and his staff are really in love with this whole ‘Pittsburgh, not Paris’ alliteration thing they’ve got going on. The adulation-hungry popular-vote-loser’s team is staging a ‘Pittsburgh, not Paris’ rally on Saturday outside the White House. As the world reacts in disgust and U.S. mayors and governors and corporations say they’ll continue with their efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions, Team Trump is looking for people to cheer for Trump’s decision to pull out of the global fight against climate change: ‘As you know, the President has been under siege from the mainstream media and the Democrats, especially now that he put American jobs first by withdrawing from the Paris Accord. Therefore, we are organizing a group to demonstrate our support for President Trump and his fearless leadership,’ the invitation reads.”
Laura Clawson writes—'History will condemn us' for walking away from Paris pact, Ossoff says. Crickets from Handel: “With a new poll showing him with a tiny lead (within the margin of error) and early voting underway in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, Jon Ossoff condemned Donald Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate pact:’ I agree with our military, our intelligence community, and peer-reviewed science that climate change is a major threat to our prosperity and our security, and if we walk away from this historic agreement now, history will condemn us,’ said Ossoff, adding that the ‘economic potential of clean energy technology’ could help create new jobs. As for Karen Handel, Ossoff’s Republican opponent, she refused to comment on the issue.”
Laura Clawson writes—'We will continue to lead' on climate, nearly 100 mayors pledge in rebuke to Trump: “Donald Trump pulled the United States back from climate leadership in the world by pulling out of the Paris accord … and as it turned out, he pulled the federal government back from leadership in the United States. A host of mayors, governors, and corporations are saying that they will take action to ensure that the U.S. meets its greenhouse gas emission targets, Trump notwithstanding. According to the New York Times: The unnamed group — which, so far, includes 30 mayors, three governors, more than 80 university presidents and more than 100 businesses — is negotiating with the United Nations to have its submission accepted alongside contributions to the Paris climate deal by other nations. ‘’We’re going to do everything America would have done if it had stayed committed,” Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor who is coordinating the effort, said in an interview. But their numbers are growing—by 11 PM PT on Thursday, 92 mayors representing around 40 million people had signed on to a letter saying that: We will continue to lead. We are increasing investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—Trump to Paris, World: It’s Not You, It’s US. Only US. Ever: “Like many of you, we’ve dedicated a lot of time on Paris. Years of work went into laying the groundwork for the global agreement. Getting reporters familiar with the nuances of international diplomacy, working with scientists to quantify emission scenarios, helping grassroots groups and frontline communities tell their stories, and so much more. It’s been a core part of our work, and our lives, for years. All, it feels, for nothing. Cast aside by a con man who got conned. But did we fail? Have we lost? Was our effort, the community’s, the scientists’, the media’s, was it all a waste? Maybe it was. But we tried. We poured our hearts and souls and brains into this work, day after day after day. Long hours connecting with scientists and reporters all over the world, so many weekends responding to one baseless attack after another, so many nights spent trying not to think about the fact that if we don’t do our job right, the only thing at stake is the long term suitability of the planet for sustaining life. No biggie. No stress. The weight of the world totally isn’t on our shoulders. (At least we share that burden with so many wonderful people.)”
Mercy Ormont writes—The Fate of Mar-a-Lago. June First, 2070. From the Palm Beach Daily Newslocale (Anchor Steven Montez speaking): Today at last our city has acquired a landmark which will attract tourists for decades to come. Barron Trump, last surviving child of disgraced one-time president Donald Trump, has finally succeeded in his crusade to create a monument to his father, to join the Presidential Centers which commemorate every other person to have held that office. The monument consists of a museum and library located in the upper floors of the historic Mar-A-Lago Estate, once that president’s luxury getaway. Now located about 100 feet offshore, Mar-A-Lago had been accessible only by boat, but is now attached to the mainland by a floating causeway which will rise and fall with the tides and rise permanently to keep pace with the rising level of the ocean. There is parking available for both ground cars and flitter cars, and ample mooring space for small boats. The control tower which has been added to the complex will control all of these once they approach via land, air, or water.”
Mark Sumner writes—Donald Trump is a petulant, whiny man-child, and treating him like an adult just cost the world: “Having such a clear moral compass, from which he can always read the wrong end of the needle, means that persuading Trump to alter any position is even less productive than reasoning with a toddler. Some of the efforts to dissuade Trump from withdrawing actually had the reverse effect, further entrenching his original position. When Trump heard advocates arguing that the era of coal was coming to an end — something Cohn told reporters on last week’s foreign trip and also a frequent talking point by some cable news pundits — Trump only became more adamant that pulling out of the Paris pact could help rescue the U.S. coal industry, said a Republican operative in close contact with the White House. It won’t, of course. There are no coal jobs to save. The vast majority of coal jobs went away decades ago as the industry replaced human labor with automation. The dwindling number that remain are dropping irretrievably in the face of lower prices from natural gas, wind, and solar. But Trump doesn’t reason like an adult.”
Mark Sumner writes—Reactions to Trump taking US out of Paris Agreement: 'Ignorant,' 'History will condemn us' and more: “Despite the nearly universal acceptance of the agreement, the voluntary nature of the limits, and the nearly infinite flexibility the US had to work within the rules, Donald Trump took the route of maximum damage, starting the process to withdraw the US from the Paris agreement on climate change. Trump’s action, as nearly incomprehensible as it may be, was nothing less than anticipated, so many reactions are already pouring in. Barack Obama: ‘It was steady, principled American leadership on the world stage that made this agreement possible. It was bold American ambition that encouraged dozens of other nations to set their sights higher as well. … The nations that remain in the Paris Agreement will be the nations that reap the benefits in jobs and industries created. I believe the United States should be at the front of the pack. But even in the absence of American leadership; even as this administration joins a small handful of nations that reject the future; I’m confident that our states, cities, and businesses will step up and do even more to lead the way, and help protect for future generations the one planet that we’ve got.” Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune: ‘Generations from now, Americans will look back at Donald Trump’s decision to leave the Paris Agreement as one of the most ignorant and dangerous actions ever taken by any President.’”
Grace A writes—Paris Accord Exit Takeaways: “As I sift through the fallout, these are my takeaways. 1. The federal government plays a critical role in stimulating trade and innovation, through grants, appropriations, and deals with other governments. We often set environmental and labor conditions for funding or engaging in joint economic ventures with other nations. Now, these other nations are signatories to the Paris Accord. We aren't likely to care any longer if a country burns its pristine rainforest and slaughtered its indigenous peoples with U.S. funds, but if we do, they will laugh at us. To be sure, we paid lip service to these concerns, we rarely enforced, but companies were required to design sustainably, to make concessions that became part of the industrial fabric of any new venture. As bad as things are in our overly industrialized world, they will now be measurably worse. [...]”
Kenneth Pouchet writes—NASA reveals embarrassing news on climate: “Some terrific news from Nasa… April 2017 was the second-warmest April in 137 years of modern record-keeping, according to a monthly analysis of global temperatures by scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York. Last month was 0.88 degrees Celsius warmer than the mean April temperature from 1951-1980. The two top April temperature anomalies have occurred during the past two years. April 2016 was the hottest on record, at 1.06 degrees Celsius warmer than the April mean temperature.”
Hunter writes—More condemnation of Trump's abandonment of Paris climate pact: “Reactions continue to pour in from business and political leaders around the country—and, of course, the world. Few of them are kind. General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt:
Elon Musk:
Hammerhand writes—First Elon Musk, then Disney boss Bob Iger flee the sinking ship Trump over Paris: “It's said that Trump is a ‘good businessman.’ Good for his own personal stake, maybe, but disastrous for just about everyone else. Can't keep a promise, and can't keep people around. Tesla’s Elon Musk and Disney’s Robert Iger both said they were resigning from White House advisory councils after President Trump announced Thursday that he is withdrawing the United States from the Paris climate accord. [...] Musk said he had “done all I can" — as a member of the advisory councils, through White House personnel and directly with the president — to push Trump to stick with the Obama-era plan. And others, including Disney CEO Bob Iger, can see the disaster that leaving the Paris accords will spell for all of us. So Iger took action.”
Leo W. Gerard writes—Workers Want a Green Economy, Not a Black Environment: “To justify withdrawing from the Paris climate change accord, President Trump said during his press conference yesterday, ‘I was elected to represent the city of Pittsburgh, not Paris.’ From terrible experience, Pittsburghers know about pollution. Before Pittsburgh’s renaissance, the streetlights Downtown frequently glowed at noon to illuminate sidewalks through the darkness of smoke and soot belched from mills. White collar office workers changed grimy shirts midday. To the west 130 miles, the polluted Cuyahoga River in Cleveland burned – several times. Pollution sickened and killed. It triggered asthma and aggravated emphysema. In Donora, just south of Pittsburgh, an air inversion in 1948 trapped smog in the Monongahela River valley. Poisonous steel mill and zinc plant emissions mixed with fog and formed a yellow earth-bound cloud so dense that driving was impossible. Within days, 20 people were dead. Within a month, another 50 of the town’s 14,000 residents succumbed. [...] The preventable deaths are why my union, the United Steelworkers (USW), has fought against pollution for decades, long before scientists conclusively linked it to global climate change. That connection made combating pollution even more urgent. It crystalized our obligation to save the planet for posterity.”
IdeaTipper writes—It's "GLOBALISM," people, NOT money: “I'm surprised that no one is talking about globalism. Bannon and his crowd is well known for hating it. I would bet quite a lot of money that the reason why Trump left the Paris Accord is because his crowd hates globalism. Science or science skepticism has nothing to do with it. Nor does, as Trump put it with such a brilliant redundancy, ‘economics and financial’ matter. [...] Yes, we must [...] speak well. And well means accurately so that the real issues are not obscured. Trump and Bannon do not want to seed any power to anyone else especially no entities outside of the United States. Remember this is part of America First strategy. No, wait. America First is not a strategy, it's not even an ideology. America first is a major philosophy that drive the Bannonites. And of course, that philosophy is not one that will save the world since it doesn't address the world. Why don't we talk about that. Why don't journalist ever ever ever ask these people--like Paul Ryan—‘why’?”
The Climate Mobilization writes—Way beyond Paris: Trumps' national shame — and an opportunity for all of us: “It was widely reported today that the Trump Administration is poised to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. At 3pm on Thursday, Donald Trump will hold a reality-TV type ceremony in the Rose Garden to announce his decision. Climate Mobilization Director Margaret Klein Salamon issued the following statement: Obviously, pulling the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement would be destructive to the kind of international cooperation we need against the global threat of climate disruption. It is anti-democratic: an overwhelming majority of Americans support the United States participating in this agreement. It would be a step backward—one more concession to fossil fuel extremists, who put short term profits over the survival of human civilization and the natural world. However, we must keep in mind that the Paris Agreement itself is alarmingly gradualist and allows global carbon emissions to keep escalating until 2030, when science, morality and common sense dictate that global emissions must be approaching zero by 2030 at the latest.”
Tristan Shields writes—Paris Climate Agreement and Virginia - HD 18 Dem Candidate, Tristan Shields: “Whether in Paris, France or in our own District 18’s Paris, Virginia (Leeds Precinct), climate change is a real, local and global issue. Moments ago President Trump announced he is withdrawing the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement. This puts us at odds with every major country in the world. Trump is abandoning the concept of American global leadership at a rapid pace. However, Virginia does not have to follow. We need Democrats in the Statehouse to be leaders on climate change and protect our environment. If we want to keep the Piedmont healthy, we must flip the Statehouse blue. We can’t rely only on Executive action, like Terry McAuliffe’s Cap and Trade program to ensure Virginia is doing it’s part to protect the Earth. The environment should be a bi-partisan issue but Republicans have shown, time and again, that it’s not their priority. It’s very ironic to me that the job of Delegate has become exponentially more important as Trump continues to kick the can of responsibility to the states.”
Keith Pickering writes—After six years of silence, Goldman-Sachs CEO finally tweets. And it's a doozy: “Six years ago, Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of Goldman-Sachs got a Twitter account. And he’s never tweeted a single chirp. Until today. And what did he use his very first tweet to do? To slam Donald Trump’s pullout of the Paris agreement! Holy buckets! Are the days of rich Republicans always supporting other rich Republicans finally over?”
Next Conservatism writes—Exiting Paris: Trump Bluffs with a Busted Flush: “•The decision is spectacularly anti-business coming from a man who is supposed to be a master manager representing a party that puts business first. Trump just destroyed both of those positions. 21st century corporations from the Fortune 500 to Main Street--and their investors--are walking. •The decision has galvanized measurable competitive action on the ground in US companies and cities. •Non-compliance with Paris was an inevitable problem in the Agreement. Non-compliance with Trump will prove to be an advantage. With a day of his Rose Garden nonsense three state governors announced the United States Climate Alliance, moving this out of the realm of intentions and morality and down to state versus state action, rapid evolution and sharing of best practices, and empirical standards.”
xaxnar writes—Trump and the Paris Climate Accords - Look at The Timing: “Trump is expected to announce today that America is pulling out of the Paris Climate agreement. Why did he wait till today? The other thing happening today is completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline. It is expected to be fully operational today. If Trump wants to be as big a dick as possible, he’ll probably link the two and boast about how he's creating thousands of jobs by ending Obama’s terrible energy policies. Never mind what the consequences will be. It will be interesting to see if this happens — but not surprising.”
ClimateDenierRoundup writes—And Now, Even Exxon’s Better than US on Climate: “Gone are the fevered dreams that Ivanka’s moderating influence or Elon’s persuasive position as an economic advisor will amount to anything beyond optics for Trump on the Paris Agreement. Replacing it is the knowledge that our commander-in-chief will gladly shoot us in the collective foot if it means appeasing Presidents Bannon and Putin. So we can stop pretending that maybe Trump would be responsive to facts and figures on the economic reality of the energy transition, like the 1.2 million clean energy jobs in states that voted for him (the only ones anyone ever thought he would even remotely value.) We can stop imagining a world where Trump’s one constant—lies—will work in our favor (he broke so many other campaign promises, why not this one?). We can stop living in denial and entertaining the possibility of a presidential pivot on climate. Now, the climate community can start the full-throated backlash.”
liberaldad writes—Here are eight reasons why the Paris Climate Agreement doesn't matter: “Donald Trump has announced that the US will withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. The universal condemnation of this announcement has had the unintended consequence of bringing climate change to the top of America’s consciousness, which is a good thing, of course. Politicians from both parties have been critical of this decision, and the accelerating pace of reaction to this will certainly bring needed attention to the issue. However, it’s important to recognize that anthropogenic climate change has been underway for more than one hundred years, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels, but exacerbated by many other factors as well. We have been warned by experts for 50 years that if we didn’t address the causes, we would pass numerous tipping points, and there would be no second chances. For many reasons, it may be too late to do anything about climate change, other than prepare for a dystopian future.”
Kboddye writes—Trump and his merry band are cowards. Time for us to step up: “So at this point, you’re asking yourself: what can we do about this? California Governor Jerry Brown is already fighting back. California will begin reaching out to other states to hold a climate summit in hopes of upholding the provisions of the Paris Agreement on the state level. We can do that in every state; step up and show the kind of leadership that our White House is now lacking. The thing is, we need to elect Democrats into state houses and governor’s mansions all across the country, including right here in Virginia. This year we have the Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General and all 100 House of Delegate seats up for grabs. I'm running for one of those seats, and you better believe I'll be a champion of Climate Justice.”
Lefty Coaster writes—Trump speaks to a horrified WH audience receives weak applause muted by their overwhelming shame: “Even Donald Trump’s hand picked audience in the White House Rose Garden couldn’t muster any enthusiasm for his falsehood studded announcement of a stupendous blunder for the nation. I suspect their weak applause was muted by their overwhelming shame for what was transpiring in front of them, as Donald Trump abdicated US global leadership. The breathtakingly unprincipled Republican Party has declared it’s Moral Bankruptcy. They’ve become thoroughly corrupted, intellectually dishonest, opponents of the common good. [...] Most absurd excerpt from Trump’s speech: As President, I can put no other consideration before the wellbeing of American citizens.”
Lefty Coaster writes—France's Macron TROLLS Trump on Twitter 'Make Our Planet Great Again' Invites Scientists to Move: “Now that science in general, and climate science in particular is treated as potentially politically embarrassing heresy by the Trump Administration, and the ultra corrupt Republican congress, France’s President Macron has offered to make France a sanctuary for American scientists facing bureaucratic repression, outright censorship, and slashed government support for basic scientific research programs. Donald Trump and his cheapskate Republicans are making the US a second rate country for scientific research. French President Emmanuel Macron Trolls Donald Trump: 'Make Our Planet Great Again' By Abigail Abrams. In a speech and on Twitter, Macron adopted Trump’s signature slogan — ‘Make America Great Again’ — but changed it slightly to invert the U.S. president’s agenda. ‘Make Our Planet Great Again,’ Macron said.”
Egberto Willies writes—MSNBC Host takes Joe Walsh to the cleaners for defending Trump's Paris agreement fiasco: “Joe Walsh appeared on MSNBC to defend Donald Trump quitting the Paris Climate Agreement. Host Katy Tur refuted him at every turn as seen in this excerpted video. Katy Tur said it was a strawman argument to say that the Paris Agreement was bad for the United States and he wants to renegotiate it. She pointed out that given that the treaty was nonbinding, there was no reason for the U.S. to pull out. She asked Joe if the move was solely political. ‘I thought yesterday was the best day he had as president,’ Joe Walsh said. ‘He was an American president. He stood up for American jobs, the American economy. Katy, this is why he ran.’ Katy then challenged him. ‘What jobs is he saving on this,’ Tur asked. Walsh began to stutter. ‘Potentially, avoiding the loss of millions of jobs," Walsh said. "And trillions of dollars to the economy.’ Risking losing new technology jobs?’ Tur rebuffed. ‘Allowing China to fill that hole?’”
dsnottselliott writes—“From “We Can Do Anything” To “We Can’t/Won’t” In Fifty Years: “’We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade, and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.’ [...] The quote at the beginning of this diary is history, yet at the same time is both prescient and current if one changes the concept of going to the moon to that of confronting climate change. Today’s announcement from the White House Rose Garden was expected, yet still appalling. I’m well aware that many older voters (I’m almost 60) were crucial to Trump’s being in a position to make such a horrible decision and speech. I would (and will) ask any of those who voted for this despicable man to think back on the 1960s, and how they felt as they watched us catch, then pass the Soviets in space and ultimately become (still) the only nation on the face of this earth to have our citizens walk on another world. I’d ask them if like me they alternated from looking at their TV screens and running outside to look up at the moon while our guys were on it. I’d ask them how proud they were in the face of such much turmoil that we accomplished this.”
Sidof79 writes—Wow. The Weather Channel's website trolls T-Rump with Science. Ha! “The headline and related stories went like this: Breaking Now: Trump pulls U.S. out of Paris Climate Agreement; what that means. Watch Trump make the announcement. So, What Happens to Earth Now? Still Don't Care? Proof You Should. ...and more proof… and even more proof...or the Imminent Collapse of a Key Ice Shelf...Or Antarctica Turning Green...Or California's Coast Disappearing into the sea … So that’s the main story about our so-called-pr*sident withdrawing from the Paris agreement, followed by seven stories about the evidence and impact of climate change.”
AKAlib writes—6 Reasons Pulling Out of the Paris Climate Agreement Was Totally, Definitely the Right Move ;) “[T]hat’s the title of a tongue-in-cheek and informative article written by Ben & Jerry, known for their history of activism on environmental and other liberal causes. Here are some edited excerpts: 2. We’re Sick of Chocolate and Vanilla Anyway. Haven’t you had enough Chocolate Fudge Brownie and Vanilla Caramel Fudge? We’ve been cranking out chocolate and vanilla ice cream flavors since the very beginning (in fact, Vanilla was our very first flavor), and frankly, we’re tired of it. So when climate change makes it all but impossible for farmers to grow cocoa beans and vanilla, we’ll be fine. We’ll move on to other ingredients, like melted glaciers, penguin meat, covfefe, and human despair. Sounds delicious!”
AKAlib writes—The Tech World Reacts to Trump's Folly: “CEOs of some of the largest technology companies had strong words in reaction to Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the Paris climate accord. They stated that they remain committed to the environment, to clean energy initiatives and will fight climate change.”
Apple -
SpaceX and Tesla — resigned from White House advisory council.
Disney — resigned from White House advisory council.
poopdogcomedy writes—CA-Sen: Dianne Feinstein (D) Mounts Pressure On Trump To Not Pull Out Of The Paris Climate Agreement: “Received this e-mail today from U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein’s (D. CA) re-election campaign: This morning, we woke to breaking news that the president is considering pulling out of the Paris climate agreement. 195 countries have signed this agreement, and the success of the accord depends on our continued commitment to fighting climate change.
That is why I am calling on President Trump to reconsider and continue to honor the Paris climate agreement. Let’s make the voice of the American people heard. We need 10,000 people to sign my petition. Click here to join with me and add your name today.”
It has nothing to do with the Paris Accord. It has everything to do with political survival.poopdogcomedy writes—VA-Sen: Tim Kaine (D) Helps Build Momentum For The Paris Climate Agreement Before Trump's Decision: “Received this e-mail today from U.S. Senator Tim Kaine’s (D. VA) re-election campaign: In 2015, President Obama’s administration helped forge an historic pact in the Paris climate agreement. Nearly 200 countries pledged to hit specific goals to limit greenhouse gas emissions -- a major step in the fight to reverse the effects of climate change. President Trump is reportedly on the fence about whether to stay in the agreement or leave. And on Saturday he tweeted that he’ll make his decision this week. Here in the United States, we’ve taken huge strides to convert to a clean energy economy. Smart policies and innovation have significantly reduced our carbon dioxide emissions in the past decade -- but we need to build on the progress we’ve made and ensure that other countries around the globe do their part too. We can’t afford to turn back now.”
poopdogcomedy writes—VT-Sen: Our Revolution Doubles Down On Passing Sanders, Merkley & Markey's "100 By 50" Act: “Received this e-mail today from U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I. VT) group, Our Revolution: Donald Trump is turning his back on the Paris Climate Agreement that the United States made with nearly 200 other nations last fall. This decision is bad for our economy, our jobs, and our planet. Combatting climate change should be straightforward. The majority of Americans and nearly all scientists agree we need to act now. If our democracy worked the way it's supposed to our lawmakers would follow the will of the people. We have the technology, the workforce, and the need to transition our energy grid off of fossil fuels to 100% sustainability as soon as possible. Our allies in Congress are working to that end—Jeff Merkley, Bernie Sanders, and Ed Markey have introduced the “100 by '50” Act in the Senate to bring us to 100% renewable energy by 2050.”
poopdogcomedy writes—WA-Sen: Cantwell (D) Goes After Trump's Assault On Clean Air & Paris Climate Agreement: “Received this e-mail today from U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell’s (D. WA) re-election campaign: By backing out of the Paris Climate Agreement, President Trump has destroyed America's status as a global leader in fighting climate change. Over the last decade, America established itself as the world's clean energy superpower. Together, we pushed for more fuel efficient vehicles and made great strides to reduce emissions. But yesterday, President Trump announced that his administration will continue to relentlessly attack the progress we've made reducing emissions and protecting and preserving our clean air. I'm stunned. But now, we must commit to fighting back and speaking out against Donald Trump's anti-environment agenda.”
poopdogcomedy writes—MI-Gov: Gretchen Whitmer (D) Goes After Trump's Climate Denying Assault On The Great Lakes: “Received this e-mail last night from Gretchen Whitmer’s (D. MI) gubernatorial campaign: As I travel around Michigan, everywhere I go I hear from people about their concern over protecting our Great Lakes. Yet today, in a disastrous move, President Trump announced his decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Change Agreement. His actions threaten all of us -- turning back the clock on the progress we’ve made to curb the effects of climate change on our beloved Great Lakes and beyond -- even threatening the lives of future generations.”
poopdogcomedy writes—NJ-Gov: Fight Back Against Trump's Climate Denying Agenda, GOTV For Climate Hawk Phil Murphy (D): “Received this e-mail today from Phil Murphy’s (D. NJ) gubernatorial campaign: After President Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement, just like Governor Christie pulled New Jersey out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, I'm chomping at the bit to cast my vote for Phil Murphy on Tuesday. There's a reason why Al Gore, the New Jersey Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters, and Clean Water Action are all backing Phil Murphy for Governor: he's the progressive, pro-environment, pro-green economy fighter we need to stand up to President Trump. Immediately after President Trump ripped up the Paris Agreement, Phil Murphy pledged to join California, New York, and Washington in the U.S. Climate Alliance, rejoin the RGGI, and commit New Jersey to 100% clean energy by 2050.”
poopdogcomedy writes—CT-Sen: Murphy (D) Urges Cities, States & Businesses To Continue Commitment To Renewable Energy: “Received this e-mail today from U.S. Senator Chris Murphy’s (D. CT) re-election campaign:This announcement makes us one of just three countries not to be a part of this historic action to combat climate change. Of the other two, Nicaragua didn’t sign because they felt the deal did not go far enough and Syria is embroiled in a violent civil war. By making this choice, President Trump assured that we stand alone in walking away from the coordinated effort to stop the catastrophic warming of our planet. President Trump’s decision is the wrong one, but we are not powerless to fight back. Right now, Mayors, Governors and businesses across the country are committing to meet the goals laid out in the Paris Agreement.”
poopdogcomedy writes—CO-Gov: Cary Kennedy (D) Pushes The Call To Raise Colorado's Renewable Energy Standard To 50%: “It’s official. President Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris Global Climate Agreement. But we can’t let Washington hold us back. With or without Washington’s help, Colorado will continue to lead. Climate change is the greatest threat to humanity. We have a moral imperative to do what we can. Today. Together. In 2004 Colorado passed the first in the nation, voter-approved renewable energy standard. We will likely reach this target ahead of time and it’s time we raised it. Sign the petition: raise Colorado’s renewable energy standard from 30% to 50%.”
poopdogcomedy writes—IA-Gov: Dem Candidates Mount Pressure On Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) To Adhere To Paris Climate Agreement: “In the crowded Democratic primary for next year’s Governor race in Iowa, some candidates are mounting pressure on Governor Kim Reynolds (R. IA) to still adhere to to the Paris Climate Accord despite Trump’s decision to pull out of the agreement. I received this e-mail last night from State Rep. Todd Prichard’s (D. IA) campaign: If President Trump won't allow our nation to act, Iowa must. If you agree that Iowa should adhere to the guidelines of the Paris agreement and take action to stop climate change, add your name. Iowa's climate is already changing. Extreme weather events, including floods and droughts, are becoming more frequent. The health of Iowa families and livestock is being threatened by higher temperatures and longer allergy seasons. And higher amounts of ground-level ozone are already reducing soybean yields, while threatening heart and lung problems in humans.”
It has nothing to do with the Paris Accord. It has everything to do with political survival: “My take is that Trump needs to rally his troops and uses the Paris Accord as his rallying cry to sustain the storm called Russia going his way. [...] Finally, there is no need to leave the accord except if you want to show off. Indeed, in this accord the objectives are non-binding and the ways to reach them are fully at the discretion of the countries. So, no sovereignty issues there. The fact is that Trump’s America had already decided to set the objectives to none and tasked the EPA director, sir Pruitt, to reach them.”
poopdogcomedy writes—MA-Sen: Warren (D) Rips Climate Denier In Chief A New One For Pulling Out Of Paris Agreement: “Received this e-mail today from U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren’s (D. MA) re-election campaign: ”If we stop handing out massive tax breaks to subsidize the dirty fossil fuels of the past—some of the most profitable corporations in the world—and invest now in a 21st century energy system, we can create good, clean energy jobs and lower the costs of production for all of our businesses. We can protect our national treasures that are essential for jobs and economic growth in the tourism industry. We can help deal with public health crises like asthma and lung cancer. We can put our national security first by not being beholden to OPEC or entangled with foreign dictators. And, yes: we can try to save the planet for our children and grandchildren.”
poopdogcomedy writes—Trump Gets OWNED By Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto (D), City Will Follow Paris Agreement's Guidelines: “Proud of my hometown! Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto is pushing back against President Donald Trump’s invocation Thursday afternoon of the Steel City. ‘I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris,’ Mr. Trump said, part of his announcement that he is withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement. Mr. Peduto responded on Twitter within the hour, posting first that ‘Hillary Clinton received 80% of the vote in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh stands with the world & will follow Paris Agreement.’ He followed up a few minutes later: ‘As the Mayor of Pittsburgh, I can assure you that we will follow the guidelines of the Paris Agreement for our people, our economy & future.’ As of 5 p.m., that remark had been retweeted some 29,000 times.”
poopdogcomedy writes—CA-Gov: As Trump Goes AWOL On Climate, Brown (D) Ramps Up Cooperation With China On Climate Change: “As President Donald Trump reportedly prepares to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord, California Governor Jerry Brown is getting ready to take on the role of America’s de facto climate ambassador. Brown will depart Friday for a week-long visit to China, where he will meet with Chinese leaders and members of the global Under2 Coalition, an ad hoc alliance of countries, states and municipalities committed to taking action to keep global temperature rises within two degrees of pre-industrial averages. While Trump has characterized climate change as a ‘hoax’ created by China, Brown and California have forged numerous climate-action partnerships with Chinese politicians, regulators and scientists. Those partnerships date back as early as 2005 and have involved clean-energy investments, pollution-regulation trainings and sharing of best practices as China builds its first carbon cap-and-trade market this year.”
poopdogcomedy writes—GA-06: Jon Ossoff (D), "History will condemn us if Trump withdraws from Paris Agreement": “Well said: Democrat Jon Ossoff said ‘history will condemn us’ if President Donald Trump withdraws from the Paris climate agreement, a move that could cripple the 2015 climate change accord embraced by much of the world.’ I agree with our military, our intelligence community, and peer-reviewed science that climate change is a major threat to our prosperity and our security, and if we walk away from this historic agreement now, history will condemn us,’ said Ossoff, adding that the ‘economic potential of clean energy technology’ could help create new jobs.”
SBvotes writes—If Trump Would Tell The Truth About Why He Dropped Out of Paris Accord! “[W]hile my base doesn’t seem to get this, I also deeply care about getting rid of all the safeguards that impede rich people like me and the Mercers (among a host of others) from making as much money as we possibly can. (Of course, that’s why I love my base because they’re “poorly educated” and don’t get that I’m screwing them across the board.) By removing the United States from countries that support the Paris Climate Agreement, I am making a huge statement to the world about our priorities! Finally, I wanted to metaphorically (not my word) give the finger to our European allies who were disrespectful to me on my first foreign trip. How dare Macron make fun of my handshake and pretend he won that contest! I gave the very best handshake in the history of handshaking. And, I really gave it to that Merkel woman when she visited the White House, and I didn’t shake hands with her. What’s the point of shaking hands with a woman? I might have liked the Thatcher broad, but this May woman is bland. I can’t remember the names of the other allies, but they’ll remember mine.”
Karen Hedwig Backman writes—Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change et al: ‘Here’s the Wikipedia poop on the Center: The Center was founded and is run by Craig D. Idso, along with Sherwood B. Idso, his father, and Keith E. Idso, his brother. They came from backgrounds in agriculture and climate. According to the Idsos, they became involved in the global warming controversy through their study of earth's temperature sensitivity to radiative perturbations and plant responses to elevated CO2 levels and carbon sequestration. The Center sharply disputes the consensus scientific opinion on climate change shown in IPCC assessment reports, and believes that global warming will be beneficial to mankind.’
voidstuff writes—The Real Reason Trump Pulled Out of the Paris Agreement: “There’s a lot of talk about why Trump decided to pull out of the Paris climate change agreement. The real explanation may be buried in a single short paragraph in the Los Angeles Times story on the decision. Trump’s decision to isolate the United States from the global climate fight could have many ripple effects. Reluctant participants in the pact, notably Russia, could opt to pull out as well. Russia. Again. Putin wants an excuse to bail out the the agreement. Trump played the stooge.”
MarineChemist writes—Why color matters: Scientific outreach and education about the Fukushima Daiichi Disaster: “The following post was written by my colleague Dr. Jonathan Kellogg about recent experiences with science communication relating to the Fukushima Daiichii Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) disaster. We work together on the Integrated Fukushima Ocean Radionuclide Monitoring (InFORM) project which has been working to make measurements of Fukushima derived contamination in the North Pacific to determine the environmental and public health impact of the disaster on North Americans. [...] Here Jonathan points out that the color schemes than one uses to summarize data in figures can be important and send messages that the data do not support. In this case a website that has a history of misrepresenting scientific results and misinforming the public about Fukushima appropriated a figure by the InFORM team and used the red color on the figure to suggest that there were dangerous levels of Fukushima derived contamination in the northeast Pacific. As comments on their story indicate, members of the public without expertise in this area of scientific inquiry were mislead to think that red = bad and therefore the contamination we measured was a significant risk to environmental and public health. A vast body of scientific research suggests just the opposite. So scientists must choose their colors wisely when bringing their results to the public.”
TheCriticalMind writes—Quitting Paris, Trump Damages America’s Economy: “So why did Trump do it? Politics. Congressional Republicans support the action. The right-wing commentariat is aflutter with giddy enthusiasm. Because at its root, the decision isn’t based on a calculation of what is best for Americans or even American business. It is the product of a reflexive belief that any regulation is a de facto negative. And far more importantly, it is a grunting, visceral rejection of anything that Obama did. Maybe I have missed something. Perhaps there are like-minded countries, with well-considered reasons for pursuing the reactionary path. Are we alone in turning our back on the global community? No. We stand shoulder to shoulder with Syria and Nicaragua. So there’s that. The Paris agreement is like a homeowners association requesting that residents maintain their properties and don’t litter the road. Libertarians will kvetch that it is an unacceptable constraint on individual rights. But reasonable people understand that a few guidelines increase the value of everybody’s property.”
Reasonabill writes—Who Needs Science, I Know This Much: “I spent yesterday morning on the road and spoke to Trump supporters in anticipation of his Paris Climate decision. I heard a lot of, ‘he is keeping his promise, he is doing it for the American people, he represents all of us.’ So, I informed, what seemed like a very nice woman, that the last American census counted approximately 333 million residents, of those about 129 million voted in the last election, less than half for Mr. Trump. Her response was, ‘numbers lie.’ I did not even bother with the 97 percent of the scientific community argument about climate change. I watched her walk to her car in the parking lot, wondering if she would stick her feet out of the bottom to break at the first stop light she encountered. In an instant it hit me, stop wasting time with people who do not want to be reached.”
ericlewis0 writes—China Urges Trump to Stay in Paris Climate Agreement: “Okay, so the country of China, and, according to the article, the entire European Union want Trump to stay in the Paris deal. Not to mention effing ExxonMobil. None of that may matter, however, if Trump’s puppet master Putin wants him to pull out. Because Putin has nothing but fossil fuels to offer the world, and he is blackmailing Trump to do his bidding.”
committed writes—when trump pulls us out of the Paris Agreement, the entire gop must own the consequences: “ here is the real deal: “This raises an important point: If we do see these consequences, they should be tattooed on Republicans. Because, broadly speaking, what we’re seeing now isn’t just Trump’s doing. It’s also the doing of the GOP. While Trump has been most visibly crazy in his assertions that climate change is a hoax, many Republicans have spent years doing a careful little dance in which they avoided fully conceding the anthropogenic global warming threat in the least-crazy-seeming way possible, by claiming, for instance, that “I’m not a scientist,” so you know, who knows whether it’s something to seriously worry about? It has been forgotten, but in 2015, Mitch McConnell launched a crafty plan to get GOP governors to challenge Obama’s climate policies for the explicit purpose of making it harder for the United Stats to meet its commitments to the Paris deal, thus discouraging other countries from participating.”
Power writes—A Modest Proposal on Global Warming: “We need to do something about Global Warming. The Paris accord never was enough, and now that Trump has pulled out, it never will be. I see one symbolic maneuver that could potentially gain support from both parties, could dramatically demonstrate the sacrifice that the ‘liberal elites’ are willing to make to end global warming, and would not disproportionately hurt the working classes. It’s time to ban airplanes. Airplanes represent approximately 2% of CO2 emissions, globally. While 2% feels like a small amount, we need to make dramatic cuts to all sources of emissions.”
Samer writes—Climate should (nay, must) be on the ballot in 2020.
walterc writes—Trump's climate speech has multitrillion dollar error: “In a cost-benefit analysis, you’re supposed to analyze the costs and the benefits. …Trump claimed that U.S. commitments under the Paris accord would cost the country’s GDP $3 trillion, but the report he took that estimate from ‘does not take into account potential benefits from avoided emissions.’”
Errol Nelson writes—Boycott Everything Trump: “He has told the world — UP YOURS. He has said to the world, with 95% of the population, we don’t need you, we’ll do everything ourselves. And, he is totally oblivious to how the world and the other 194 Nations that signed the Climate Accords will respond. I can’t speak for them, but here is how I think they and the American people should respond to his stupid and unthinking action: BOYCOTT EVERYTHING TRUMP. Do not purchase any Trump products or services, including Ivanka’s. Do not stay in his hotels or rent his facilities. Do not golf at his courses. (Banks) Do not make any loans to prop him up when his revenues decline. Picket his facilities — worldwide — to remind people of the foolishness of his decision. Hit him where he lives and breathes: IN HIS POCKETBOOK. That is the only way he will get the message.”
OCEANS, WATER, DROUGHT
poopdogcomedy writes—OH-Gov: Sutton (D) Hits Trump's Budget That Eliminates Federal Funding To Protect The Great Lakes: “Received this e-mail today from former Rep. Betty Sutton’s (D. OH) gubernatorial campaign: ”After a failed attempt to gut funding for our Great Lakes in this year’s budget, President Trump has tried again in his newly proposed 2018 budget. The plan eliminates federal funding that would provide protection for our Great Lakes. And, worst of all, yesterday Trump announced he is withdrawing the United States from the Paris climate agreement, a landmark deal reached among 195 nations to address climate change. Protecting our natural resources requires strong leadership at every level of government to fight for an economic agenda that prioritizes protecting our Great Lakes, creating jobs, and boosting wages for working families.”
CANDIDATES, STATE AND DC ECO-RELATED POLITICS
dcrowe writes—Counter Trump on Climate: Burn the Deniers in the Midterm: “I tried to listen to President Trump’s full announcement that he was withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement, but after a few minutes I had to turn off the TV. I couldn’t listen anymore. Trump’s antics endanger everything we love, including the ability of future generations to thrive on this planet. What a stunning lack of leadership. If we do not reverse course, our children won’t forgive us. Trump’s actions make it critical that we get his climate-science-denying enablers out of office in the 2018 midterm elections.”
El Mimbreno writes—New Mexico rep praises Paris withdrawal: “teve Pearce (R-NM-02) remains true to form as an investor in and kissass to, big oil. His press release here says it all: [...] ‘Since day one, the Paris Climate agreement has been unattainable for New Mexico and our nation. The Agreement will force American energy producers to dramatically change their business or shut down, ultimately limiting options for families across New Mexico, while allowing some of the worst global actors to take action as they see fit. This has never been a fair deal for Americans. In 2016, President Obama unilaterally bypassed the Constitution by signing the Paris Climate Deal without proper authorization of the U.S. Senate.’”
ENERGY
InfiniteThoughts writes—Dem Pundits not knowing facts is why they lose debates and allow Media 'balance' both sides ...: “I will say this nicely once and only once. Either prepare with facts & stats or else get the F**K away from a studio. This happened in Hillary’s campaign and it is happening now. Republicans will come up with a quasi-stat and Democrat Pundits will respond not with facts but with meaningless BS. Take the following exchange in CNN on Erin Brunett: Jason Miller made the following statement ‘The reason they call them green jobs is because they’re so expensive to create,’ he said. ‘Many of these green jobs aren’t self-sustainable — they have to continue putting money into them.’ John Avlon didn’t respond to this at all and instead went into some politics and messaging BS. To me, WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH DEMOCRATS WHO CANNOT BRING FACTS TO SUCH A SIMPLE DEBATE. That statement can be easily refuted with facts.”
Nuclear
Ivy Main writes—Watch your wallets: Dominion getting license to build nation’s most expensive nuclear plant: “The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that within the next few days, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will approve a Combined Operating License (COL) for Dominion Virginia Power’s third nuclear power plant planned for its North Anna site in Surry County, Virginia. That means that as far as the federal agency is concerned, North Anna 3 is good to go. As far as Virginia residents are concerned, though, this project has gone way too far already. Dominion has poured hundreds of millions of dollars of ratepayers’ money into NA3, and that’s money we will never see again. But that’s better by far than moving forward with what would be the most expensive nuclear plant ever built in the United States. Dominion Resources CEO Tom Farrell dearly wants this nuke precisely because of its price tag. The more expensive the plant, the greater the profit for Dominion, under the perverse incentives of Virginia law. Before Mr. Farrell gets his way, though, the State Corporation Commission has to issue a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN). The SCC has repeatedly made its skepticism plain.”
Emissions Controls & Carbon Taxes
Dem writes—Tipping Points / 2020 (or b4) must be our max for CO2 emissions -- Real Climate: “[B]ased upon the consensus of scientific experts, we are approaching tipping points beyond which there is no return. Right now, from what I am reading, we are close to (if we have not passed) this point of no return. I regularly read RealClimate.Org. They state that 2020 must be the peak of Carbon Dioxide emissions. I have been tutoring one of my students in business calculus extensively (finding absolute max and min is, of course, a prominent topic). [...] Leaving the Paris Accords was a mistake, but each of us can play a part in preserving the only planet we have.”
Renewables, Efficiency & Conservation
Walter Einenkel writes—Last year the US produced almost 20 percent of electricity via renewables—obliterating expectations: “While Donald Trump and his crew tell everybody how shitty a place America is and try to drive the train of progress into an abandoned coal mine, there are huge steps forward being taken in the world of renewable energy. Arstechnica breaks down the new numbers released by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) concerning our country’s generation of electricity. The striking part about that number is that the EIA, a statistical department within the Department of Energy, couldn’t foresee how dramatically renewables’ share of the electricity mix would increase just five years ago. In 2012, the administration predicted (PDF, page 87) that electricity generation from renewable sources would increase ‘from 10 percent in 2010 to 15 percent in 2035.’ Even by 2015, the administration predicted (PDF, page ES-6) that “The renewable share of total generation grows from 13 percent in 2013 to 18 percent in 2040.” Non-profit organization Sun Day Campaign said in a statement that, if the EIA were to extend its 2012 renewable growth forecast further out into the future, “renewables would not be expected to reach 19.35 percent until roughly the year 2057.’ The 19.35 percent number comes in when you figure in both new renewables like wind, solar, and geothermal energy along with hydroelectric production. So while our Republican leadership would love to move back to a bartering system where most of us are serfs and our wealthy landowner lords treat us like children, the world continues to move on.”
Meteor Blades writes—U.S. needs to accelerate growth in green jobs by treating climate change like the crisis of WWII: “In this era when every day can bring another profoundly disturbing bit of news about climate change, it’s easy to miss the good news about what’s being done to keep it from becoming worse than it could be. What’s happening in the world of clean, green energy is one of those bright spots. Not that the gains in this field will rescue us entirely from the impact of global warming, but they will make a difference if we can elect enough right-minded people to accelerate the energy transformation that’s already underway and push a transformation of agriculture and transportation at the same time. The good news comes from the International Renewable Energy Agency’s annual review of jobs and clean energy for 2017, which was released last week. That review found that in the United States there are now 800,000 clean energy jobs, more than 360,000 of those in solar and wind alone. Just the 51,000-job increase in wind jobs over the past three years is equal to the total number of U.S. coal-mining jobs.”
WILDERNESS, NATIONAL FORESTS AND PARKS, OTHER PUBLIC LANDS
Rainforest Action Network writes—Life at the Frontlines of Rainforest Deforestation. Written by Brihannala Morgan, Senior Campaigner, Rainforest Action Network: “As some of the oldest rainforests on earth, the fate of Indonesia’s forests have been of international concern for decades. Deforestation, driven largely by the development of industrial pulpwood and palm oil plantations, has cleared massive areas of natural rainforest and carbon-rich peatlands. The ongoing deforestation in Indonesia is a large contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, making Indonesia the third largest emitter in the world, behind only the US and China. Often these plantations, developed to produce both palm oil and pulp for paper and fabric, are created on the traditional and customary lands of Indigenous and local communities without their consent. In response, communities have been campaigning for decades to see the acknowledgement of their rights and the return of their land. These community efforts, with solidarity from international NGOs, have pushed companies throughout commodity supply chains to develop policies which commit to eliminate deforestation, human rights abuses, and expansion on carbon-rich peat from their operations. Despite these commitments, communities report that little has changed for them.”
richholtzin writes—Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, Gila Cliff Dwellings, and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area: “Here’s the next diary installment of The Dkos Road Tour Series (see URL list for previous diaries at the close of this diary). Our destinations today will take us, first, to northern New Mexico then to southern New Mexico, and from there to southeast Utah. The information in these diaries is “layered.” Meaning, the reader chooses how much or how little read, graduating from the essentials to more in-depth details. [...] GHOST RANCH/GEORGIA O'KEEFE. [...] Ghost Ranch is a retreat and education center overseen by the Presbyterian Church. In this land of shifting light, boundless skies, and fused cultures, Ghost Ranch was a perfect match for Georgia's vivid imagination and matchless talents. The geologic panorama circumscribing the ranch is the subject of many landscapes and tableaus painted by the artist who almost lived to see and celebrate her 100th birthday (1887 - 1986). She also loved living in nearby Abiquiú. With the ranch’s soaring rock walls and arresting colors, Georgia painted here for fifty years. Ghost Ranch especially inspired her New Mexico Eden made into a miniature on an easel. The craggy geologic backdrop of this region almost seems out of place. Indeed, this landscape of diverse colors she immortalized sometimes looks more akin to Utah's canyon country or the Painted Desert of Arizona. Of course, this is New Mexico territory. ”
AGRICULTURE, FOOD & GARDENING
estreya writes—Saturday Morning Garden Blogging, Vol. 13.22: Here comes the sun! “The weather's been kooky here in the Pacific Northwest; 80 degrees one week and 60 the next. This is the time of year when you wake up with your teeth chattering, wondering if it was wise to leave the windows open all night; when the idea of eating lunch outside on the deck might actually be better than doing it; when flannel shirts and cotton T's both share a space in the washing machine. This is also the time of year when the garden quite literally shines. In the morning, the combination of sunlight and dew makes everything seem as if it's been sprinkled in fairy dust. By mid-day, the grass seems twice as long as it was when the day began. It all happens so fast this time of year. Around every corner is yet another weed to pluck; yet another beautiful bloom to discover and adore. [...] The dogwoods are always a highlight in my garden. I love the way the cupped flowers catch the light …”
TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE
enhydra lutris writes—Bike Summit News: “Bicycling and walking are good for the health of the participants, those living nearby, the planet, and the US healthcare system. The exercise generates healthier people and reduces the load on the healthcare system. These forms of transit are vastly less polluting than most alternatives and thereby also make for healthier neighborhoods and neighbors, again reducing the healthcare load. This assumes that these activities can be indulged in safely, which is why those benefits and others can be used to argue for governmental and social action to facilitate said modes of transport. With that in mind, an assortment of conferences are being scheduled to work towards an assortment of goals and to assist people in working towards those goals. A brief summary of said ‘Bike Summits’ follows.”
whipple1078 writes—What can we do against the Koch...: “We know Capitol Hill, the White House and the Supreme Court are owned and run by the Koch brothers...and what can we do? Electric cars are making a headway. All we are waiting for is good battery. We must keep up the good fight for solar, wind and others. The only card the utilities are playing with solar is who pays for the grid, and when real electricity storage is available there will be no turning back. [...] The plug-in electric is our best option. This is fully electric vehicle — for example it does not have a drive shaft from the engine that connects to the wheels — and the engine only charges the batteries, does not turn the wheel.”
MISCELLANY
Walter Einenkel writes—New York wants Exxon to turn over more documents, says there's 'new evidence' of fraud: “ExxonMobil has been having a hard time convincing non-Texas-based judges to buy what they are selling when it comes to lawsuits filed by New York and Massachusetts attorneys general Eric Schneiderman and Maura Healey. Last week a New York judge ordered the oil giant to turn over a couple million documents to the New York Attorney General’s office. On Friday, Schneiderman’s office filed a memorandum in support of their cross-motion to stop Exxon from denying them further access to the oil giants backlog of records. Arstechnica explains what this new angle of fraud is: According to the attorney general, Exxon was assuring its investors that it was using a ‘proxy cost’ for GHGs, including any fees or penalties that governments might impose to mitigate the impact of climate change, to calculate the viability of certain investments. However, the filing claims the company directed its employees to ignore the proxy cost or apply it in unrealistic ways to make those investments seem better than they were. ‘Exxon's own documents suggest that if Exxon had applied the proxy cost it promised to shareholders, at least one substantial oil sands project may have projected a financial loss, rather than a profit, over the course of the project’s original timeline,’ the filing claims.”