Climate change scientists issued a new report that was released on Friday and the implications are dire unless dedicated action is taken to address it. Of course, that’s going to be a difficult process when the president’s response to questions about climate change is “I want great climate and we’re going to have that.”
Brutal and Extended Cold Blast could shatter ALL RECORDS – Whatever happened to Global Warming?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 22, 2018
The Hill reports that:
‘More than 300 federal and nonfederal scientists worked on the report, the first of its kind under the Trump administration, with its final draft reviewed by 13 federal agencies.’
Phil Duffy, who works as a climate change scientist, sat for an interview with reporters from The Hill and listed the most important things that should be recognized about the new report. For instance, the report stands in direct contradiction to Trump’s stated beliefs about climate change.
Since this was released on a day no one would notice it… as in a Friday during a holiday weekend..let’s make sure everyone DOES notice it as reported below: “Massive federal climate change report warns of devastating health and economic costs to the U.S.” https://t.co/ooZxdGruo3
— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) November 23, 2018
Trump has said that he is unsure if climate change is the direct result of human activity and that, while he believes that global warming is real, the climate will eventually change back to normal. Duffy says that is absolutely false, commenting that “the president is wrong.”
‘The report concludes that the effects of climate change cannot be reversed, but says that its worst effects can be mitigated through aggressive action at all levels.’
The report also indicate that Trump’s deregulation policies will add to the rapidly changing climate. It says that:
‘Transformations in the energy sector—including the displacement of coal by natural gas and increased deployment of renewable energy—along with policy actions at the national, regional, state, and local levels are reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. While these adaptation and mitigation measures can help reduce damages in a number of sectors, this assessment shows that more immediate and substantial global greenhouse gas emissions reductions, as well as regional adaptation efforts, would be needed to avoid the most severe consequences in the long term.’
The climate crisis threatens both our communities & our economy. While @realDonaldTrump ignores his own admin’s report, House Dems are pushing for action w/ select committee on #ClimateChange. We can create millions of good-paying jobs w/ bold, green infrastructure investments!
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) November 24, 2018
The report also states that climate change will have a direct and massive effect on the economy, “slashing up to 1/10 of America’s GDP by 2100.” The report is believed to have been buried by being released on the same day as the Black Friday report.
Finally, the report indicates that climate change will have the greatest effects first on marginalized communities.
‘Many Indigenous peoples are reliant on natural resources for their economic, cultural, and physical well-being and are often uniquely affected by climate change. The impacts of climate change on water, land, coastal areas, and other natural resources, as well as infrastructure and related services, are expected to increasingly disrupt Indigenous peoples’ livelihoods and economies, including agriculture and agroforestry, fishing, recreation, and tourism.’
Trump administration buried a report saying climate change is an urgent threat by releasing it this weekend.
Read more about it here: https://t.co/a3aEENxmgY
As we saw in the Arctic with @NASA, climate change is real, happening, and there’s no debate. pic.twitter.com/PqpX1c4od8
— Jacob Soboroff (@jacobsoboroff) November 24, 2018
Until Republicans, who currently hold both the White House and the Senate, end their anti-science campaign, this issue will continue to worsen with devastating consequences.
Featured image via Flickr by The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under a Creative Commons license
