I've been refining the GOP Ten Commandments on Climate Change. These are more important than ever, now that Trump through his Cabinet appointments has made it clear his United States is foremost a petro-state, and that our mission is to make business deals with other super-powers to control the world's natural resources. On climate change, that makes us an outlier compared to our allies. Now it is us and Russia.
I invite comments from our Republican readers. I'd like to hear especially from Roger Stone, Miami Beach resident, who has one wet foot in rising waters on Pine Tree Drive and the other foot in Trump Tower.
The unstated GOP Ten Commandments of Climate Change:
Some time ago, I wrote that there was a quiet shift taking place among GOP leadership. Denialism has given way to plausible deniability.
Rex Tillerson, ExxonMobil CEO and de facto leader of the petro-state, pivoted from refusal to acknowledge climate change (even though company scientists had long ago reported to the board that climate change is an existential threat).
What Tillerson says is that climate change is an "engineering" problem. This is also how US Senator Marco Rubio responded to a questioner, Maribel Balbin, during the presidential primary campaign on the water crisis afflicting the state. Here is a link to the post, at the time.
At around 30 seconds in the video, Rubio whispers to Ms. Balbin before blowing her off; we'll fix the planet like we did in West Miami with flooding: "mitigation". Engineering.
"Engineering" is a good way to frame environmental problems, because someone can make money from solving them. That's the Republican ideology: environmental protection must serve profit because if private interests can't make money from it, then the public has to pick up the bill. That means, higher taxes.
To the GOP it doesn't matter that imagining we can engineer nature is sheer hubris. Mankind has in fact altered nature inadvertently. It is a new level of hubris, however, to imagine that our knowledge base and technologies can proactively model changes in the climate through geo-engineering.
That is where we are headed and if doesn't work, well, there is always world war to solve the problem of scarcity on levels we can barely imagine. No joke, Roger.
I invite comments from our Republican readers. I'd like to hear especially from Roger Stone, Miami Beach resident, who has one wet foot in rising waters on Pine Tree Drive and the other foot in Trump Tower.
The unstated GOP Ten Commandments of Climate Change:
1) Climate change is like the weather: there is nothing we can do about it.
2) We will adapt economic behavior to climate change as it happens, not before.
3) Dissenters will be isolated from decision-makers.
4) We know what is best for you.
5) Man is top predator: adapt, die or engineer.
6) If some part of climate change is man-made, whatever happens is God’s will.
7) As the party of limited government, environmental regulations are self-defeating.
8) As the party of capitalism, climate-driven policies must be in our donors’ interest.
9) If one size does not fit all, then existing energy subsidies will be protected first.
10) If there is a dispute on climate change, suck it up: we won. Politics trump science.
Some time ago, I wrote that there was a quiet shift taking place among GOP leadership. Denialism has given way to plausible deniability.
Rex Tillerson, ExxonMobil CEO and de facto leader of the petro-state, pivoted from refusal to acknowledge climate change (even though company scientists had long ago reported to the board that climate change is an existential threat).
What Tillerson says is that climate change is an "engineering" problem. This is also how US Senator Marco Rubio responded to a questioner, Maribel Balbin, during the presidential primary campaign on the water crisis afflicting the state. Here is a link to the post, at the time.
At around 30 seconds in the video, Rubio whispers to Ms. Balbin before blowing her off; we'll fix the planet like we did in West Miami with flooding: "mitigation". Engineering.
"Engineering" is a good way to frame environmental problems, because someone can make money from solving them. That's the Republican ideology: environmental protection must serve profit because if private interests can't make money from it, then the public has to pick up the bill. That means, higher taxes.
To the GOP it doesn't matter that imagining we can engineer nature is sheer hubris. Mankind has in fact altered nature inadvertently. It is a new level of hubris, however, to imagine that our knowledge base and technologies can proactively model changes in the climate through geo-engineering.
That is where we are headed and if doesn't work, well, there is always world war to solve the problem of scarcity on levels we can barely imagine. No joke, Roger.
7 comments:
And this "environmentalist" woman interviewing Marco is the one with that acid-yellow hair?
She is clearly a lover of all things natural, right?
Anon-what an A'hole you are--just like Little Marco Batista
"4) We know what is best for you."
Funny because the left was always viewed as the party of "don't worry, we'll take care of you, mommy knows best".
As as an engineer I would totally agree with #5 but with a slight revision drawing from the 2 thousand year history of the Netherlands.
5a) Man is top predator: adapt, engineer or swim.
And her point was? Fly to Miami to embarrass a US senator into changing his well-known policy by creating a gotchya moment from a rope line?
The irony here is the left celebrates this epic fail with a YouTube video.
Does anyone know this woman?
Other Commandment:
When cornered, answer any Climate Change question with 'I am not a scientist'.
Funny how all GOPers are gynecologists, theologians, economists, criminologists, cybertechnolgists and accountants...BUT not scientists.
The US is fracking, because "regular" oil wells ran dry. Even if every driver on the road today switched to a solar-powered electric car, we will still need oil - likely for generations to come. The need for oil isn't going to disappear overnight. Our government needs to think long-term and make a greater effort to encourage significant oil conservation - the sooner the better. I also find it alarming that so many republicans want to open our national parks and environmentally sensitive lands and waters to fracking, regardless of the environmental risks and degradation bound to occur. Will imported water, bottled under the Trump brand, save the day when US drinking water is too polluted for human consumption? When will the country wakeup to the fact that alternative energy sources are critical to our health, safety, and wellbeing?
As for coal - how many mountains do we need to flatten before enough is enough? How polluted does the air need to be before our government recognizes a problem?
The powers that be seek to dismantle the EPA, sacrificing the environmental gains that have been made over the years. The health and well-being of Americans is being jeopardized.
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