Trump sabotaging climate science (again).

[Jehanne]

Is this why there are so few intelligent civilizations in our Galaxy?

The War Against Climate Science Is in Full Swing

When it comes to Roe v. Wade, it is clear that anti-abortion forces feel that now is their moment. If ever abortion is going to be outlawed, it's going to be with a Republican in the White House and a 5-4 conservative majority on the Supreme Court. Hence all the new abortion laws, which run so contrary to existing case law that the first of them (the one in Mississippi) has already been stayed by a federal judge.

Similarly, the time has come for climate-change deniers to make their last, best stand. Donald Trump is a willing partner in this, for a number of reasons. Among them: (1) it pleases the base, (2) he's always been skeptical about science and those pointy-headed scientists, and (3) Barack Obama felt climate change was a major threat, and Trump reflexively takes the opposite stance from his predecessor. Anyhow, the administration has already withdrawn from the Paris accord and rolled back a bunch of Obama-era regulations. Now, it is time for the next phase.

In the next few months, Team Trump will finish erasing any and all Obama-era rules designed to combat climate change, particularly the aggressive steps the 44th president took in the area of automobile efficiency. The State Department will also advise other countries that the U.S. is not to be challenged on this subject, and that any nation that does not play ball could be sanctioned. And finally, the rules for government scientists will be changed in a bunch of different ways. For example, instead of projecting the impact of climate change through the end of the century, they will only allowed to be project to 2040. Since the really scary stuff is expected to hit around 2050, this is an obvious effort to distort the narrative and to justify the administration's actions.

The administration is fighting an uphill battle here, however. When it comes to regulations, the big, blue states are going to step up and pick up much of the slack. For example, if California decrees that cars must get 35 MPG by 2040, the automakers will have to meet that standard, regardless of what the federal government says. As to sabre-rattling in the direction of meanies on other continents who insist on talking about climate change, that might work on Saudi Arabia, Israel, and a few other countries that are particularly beholden to the administration. However, the Emmanuel Macrons and Angela Merkels of the world will just laugh. And as to the scientists, it's likely that the exodus to the private sector and to the world of education will continue. And, of course, there is nothing that the administration can do to force scientists at MIT or Berkeley to cook the books.

In short, then, the administration may win the battle, but they are going to lose the war. It says something when David Gergen, who would never be mistaken for a left winger, writes that the failure to confront climate change is very possibly the biggest black mark against the Trump administration. And there will come a time when voters start punishing the GOP for their anti-climate change positions. We will see if 2020 is that year. (Z)

ElectoralVote -- May 28, 2019

RIP, Earth.

[Peebothuhlu]

At work.

#Pedant mode On#

Technically the bio-sphere.... Or major chunks of it, will Drop off the twig.

The oblait spheroid that is 'The Earth' will quite happily continue to roll around the Sun.

#/Pedant mode Off#

[Jehanne]

I stand (and sit) corrected!

Indeed, there are quite a few bacterium who will find a warmer Earth quite hospitable!

[Fake Messiah]

I guess their plan is to make US polluted like China. I mean take Beijing. Beijing has already become so polluted that people avoid the outdoors, and wealthy Chinese pay thousands of dollars for indoor air-purifying systems. The super-rich build protective contraptions even over their yards. In 2013 the International School of Beijing, which caters for the children of foreign diplomats and upper-class Chinese, went a step further, and constructed a giant $5 million dome over its six tennis courts and its playing fields. Other schools are following suit, and the Chinese air-purification market is booming. Of course most Beijing residents cannot afford such luxuries in their homes, nor can they afford to send their kids to the International School.

Then, I guess, rich people will be able to invest in air and sell it in cans and you will be called socialists if you want to breathe clean free air: First you want to make clean air free for everyone which then automatically leads to destroying the first and second amendments and then create gulags.

[Brian37]

At work.

#Pedant mode On#

Technically the bio-sphere.... Or major chunks of it, will Drop off the twig.

The oblait spheroid that is 'The Earth' will quite happily continue to roll around the Sun.

#/Pedant mode Off#

Evolution like the planet is very tough, so life will be fine. But as far as our particular species, we are not suited to survive something like a global nuclear war which can be triggered by more extreme weather events and pollution contaminating resources. Our planet will be here for billions of more years and is also likely to get hit with another meteor on par with what killed off the dinosaurs. But life like bacteria and cockroaches are far more likely to survive such events.


What is sad about our species, as smart as we can be, we are also a victim of our own success. We've dreamed up ways to consume faster. But the unfortunate part of that success is that our planet isn't absorbing our waste and pollution as fast as we make it.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

At work.

#Pedant mode On#

Technically the bio-sphere.... Or major chunks of it, will Drop off the twig.

The oblait spheroid that is 'The Earth' will quite happily continue to roll around the Sun.

#/Pedant mode Off#

Evolution like the planet is very tough, so life will be fine. But as far as our particular species, we are not suited to survive something like a global nuclear war which can be triggered by more extreme weather events and pollution contaminating resources. Our planet will be here for billions of more years and is also likely to get hit with another meteor on par with what killed off the dinosaurs. But life like bacteria and cockroaches are far more likely to survive such events.


What is sad about our species, as smart as we can be, we are also a victim of our own success. We've dreamed up ways to consume faster. But the unfortunate part of that success is that our planet isn't absorbing our waste and pollution as fast as we make it.

From my perspective, there isn't a practical difference between the Earth being rendered uninhabitable for human, and it being rendered uninhabitable for all life.

Boru

[Brian37]

Evolution like the planet is very tough, so life will be fine. But as far as our particular species, we are not suited to survive something like a global nuclear war which can be triggered by more extreme weather events and pollution contaminating resources. Our planet will be here for billions of more years and is also likely to get hit with another meteor on par with what killed off the dinosaurs. But life like bacteria and cockroaches are far more likely to survive such events.


What is sad about our species, as smart as we can be, we are also a victim of our own success. We've dreamed up ways to consume faster. But the unfortunate part of that success is that our planet isn't absorbing our waste and pollution as fast as we make it.

From my perspective, there isn't a practical difference between the Earth being rendered uninhabitable for human, and it being rendered uninhabitable for all life.

Boru

Huh? Not sure what you mean by this.

Eventually the planet's core will die, and the sun will die, and all life on this planet will die too. But right now, at this point in our species history, we are doing damage to our own ability to have a stable planet for our species. And the damage humans are doing is us, and is beyond anything the planet cycles through on it's own.

[Figbash]

No surprise - Repubs in charge will rape, pillage and exhaust the earth to line their own pockets.

But you would think this would be the one issue regular people could agree upon.

Republican propaganda, man. Helluva drug.

[Jehanne]

No surprise - Repubs in charge will rape, pillage and exhaust the earth to line their own pockets.

But you would think this would be the one issue regular people could agree upon.

Republican propaganda, man. Helluva drug.

JC will come again, though.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

From my perspective, there isn't a practical difference between the Earth being rendered uninhabitable for human, and it being rendered uninhabitable for all life.

Boru

Huh? Not sure what you mean by this.

Eventually the planet's core will die, and the sun will die, and all life on this planet will die too. But right now, at this point in our species history, we are doing damage to our own ability to have a stable planet for our species. And the damage humans are doing is us, and is beyond anything the planet cycles through on it's own.

I suppose the phrase 'from my perspective' was giving you a little trouble, so I'll try to explain.

From my point of view/outlook/stance/approach/attitude a world without humans is not distinguishable from a world with no life whatsoever.  I'll be dead and won't know the difference.  If all humans are dead, then I'll be dead right along with them.  I won't know if chimpanzees, jellyfish, or that annoying dog two houses down are still alive.  I'll be dead, so I won't know if cockroaches, bacteria, pine trees or coral reefs survive.

'From my perspective' means 'from my point of view'.  If I'm dead, I won't have a point of view.  Therefore, the survival of some species and the survival of no species would be no different.

I hope this helps.  If you need further explanation about what English words mean, feel free to let me know.

Boru