Wednesday, May 25, 2022
The Green Market Oracle
  • Climate Change
    • Greenhouse Gas Emissions
    • Biodiversity
    • Wildfires
    • Extreme Weather
  • Energy
    • Fossil Fuels
    • Renewables
  • Politics
    • American Politics
    • Canadian Politics
    • International Politics
  • Social Change
    • Activism
    • Disinformation
    • Education
    • Psychology
    • Gender Equality
  • Business and Economics
    • Leadership
    • Decarbonization
    • Economics
    • Supply Chains
    • Investing
  • Technology
    • Carbon Removal
    • Carbon Capture
    • Transportation
    • Buildings
    • Food
No Result
View All Result
  • Climate Change
    • Greenhouse Gas Emissions
    • Biodiversity
    • Wildfires
    • Extreme Weather
  • Energy
    • Fossil Fuels
    • Renewables
  • Politics
    • American Politics
    • Canadian Politics
    • International Politics
  • Social Change
    • Activism
    • Disinformation
    • Education
    • Psychology
    • Gender Equality
  • Business and Economics
    • Leadership
    • Decarbonization
    • Economics
    • Supply Chains
    • Investing
  • Technology
    • Carbon Removal
    • Carbon Capture
    • Transportation
    • Buildings
    • Food
No Result
View All Result
The Green Market Oracle
No Result
View All Result
Home Other

Arguments for Climate Action that may Resonate with Trump and other Republicans

by Richard Matthews
December 30, 2016
in Other
0

Acting on climate change should be a matter of common sense instead the GOP and the incoming Trump administration are opposed to climate action and many even deny the veracity of anthropogenic warming. However, there are some compelling reasons why even ideologically intransigent Republicans may want to consider reassessing their climate denial.

Logic dictates that we cannot afford to ignore the costs of climate change.  A robust economic argument can be made in support of climate action. The majority of Americans accept climate change and a number of cost-benefit analyses reveal that it is far less expensive to act than it is to wait. The longer we wait the more it will cost. Investing in the low carbon economy has also been found to create jobs and stimulate the economy.

A recent Bloomberg article explored arguments for climate action that may get through to some members of the GOP.

As explained in the article, increased US efforts to curb emissions through investing in new cleaner technologies will grow the economy and make America more competitive, China’s Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin explained. “That’s why I hope the Republican administration will continue to support this process,” he said.

Although the idea that the GOP could embrace science and support climate action seems impossible there are historical precedents that indicate the party is capable of rational thought. There was a time not too long ago when the GOP’s policy positions on climate change were informed by science.

Prominent Republicans including Ronald Regan and his Secretary of State George Schulz supported the IPCC process. Schulz is one of the most prominent Republicans who continues to voicing concerns about the need to act on climate change.

The logic for acting on climate change comes from staving off some of the worst (and most expensive) impacts of global warming.

“The potential results are catastrophic,” Schulz said in an interview with Bloomberg in 2014. “So let’s take out an insurance policy.”

Outgoing US Secretary of State John Kerry, who helped secure the Paris Agreement, said the majority of US citizens back action on climate change and he stated that no government has the right to politicize climate science.

“No one has a right to make decisions for billions of people based solely on ideology,” Kerry said. He then went on to point out that this is a national security issue,”Climate change shouldn’t be a partisan issue. It isn’t a partisan issue for our military. It isn’t a partisan issue for our intelligence community.”

It is also possible that we may be able to tap into Trump’s desire to protect his own interests. Such self-interest has caused him to prepare for sea level rise by building a seawall at his golf course in County Clare, Ireland.

Perhaps the President Elect’s self-interest can be leveraged for climate action. However, it is far more likely that Trump will simply ignore climate change in favor of the political gains he can make through denial.  The party to which Trump belongs is also likely to keep on deriding science and denying the veracity of anthropogenic climate change.

The era of US climate leadership is coming to an end and never before has the decline of America’s global preminence been more likely.

ShareTweetShare
Previous Post

GMO’s Annual Green School Series Review of Posts in 2016

Next Post

Global Warning 2017: Combating the Dystopia of the Trump Administration

Related Posts

Seasons Greetings from the Green Market Oracle

by Richard Matthews
December 24, 2021
0

American Courts are Defending Democracy and the Environment

by Richard Matthews
December 14, 2020
0

Despite unprecedented challenges, America's legal system has held. In recent weeks the courts have repeatedly defended democracy and in the last four years they have overturned a wide range of environmental...

Environmental Plebiscites: Municipal Referendums and State Ballot Initiatives

by Richard Matthews
November 12, 2020
0

The November 3rd election not only elected an environmentally responsible president it also gave Americans a chance to vote on environmental issues in five state ballots and two city referendums. Americans ...

Next Post

Global Warning 2017: Combating the Dystopia of the Trump Administration

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • SoundCloud

Subscribe to the Blog

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Economics

Defining Sustainable Economic Systems – Development vs Growth

by Richard Matthews
April 20, 2022
0

Prevailing economic systems are not working and it is becoming increasingly clear that we require a paradigm shift to address...

Read more
List of private equity firms and investment funds that focus on on sustainable development goals: Climate action, clean energy, sustainable cities and communities, quality education, innovation and infrastructure, life below water, and life on land.

List of the Top Sustainability Focused Private Equity Firms

March 21, 2022
russia's invasion of ukraine from the perspective of climate and energy

Russia’s War From a Climate Perspective

March 14, 2022
Private Equity Firms Are Paving the Way to a More Sustainable Future

Private Equity Firms Are Paving the Way to a More Sustainable Future 

February 21, 2022
sustainably invested cash money

Top 12 Green Private Equity Firms

February 7, 2022
  • About
  • Climate Change
  • Energy
  • Business and Economics
  • Politics
  • Technology
  • Social Change
  • Events
  • Other

© 2021 Copyright The Green Market Oracle.

No Result
View All Result
  • Business and Economics
    • Leadership
    • Supply Chains
  • Economics
  • Energy
    • Fossil Fuels
    • Renewables
  • Climate Change
    • Greenhouse Gas Emissions
    • Biodiversity
    • Extreme Weather
    • Wildfires
  • Investing
  • Politics
    • American Politics
    • Canadian Politics
    • International Politics
  • Technology
    • Buildings
    • Carbon Capture
    • Food
    • Transportation
  • Social Change
    • Education
    • Activism
    • Psychology

© 2021 Copyright The Green Market Oracle.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In