United Nations: Climate action is unstoppable

[DonViejo]

Source: The Hill



BY JULIA MANCHESTER - 05/31/17 10:53 AM EDT

The United Nations (U.N.) tweeted on Wednesday that climate change is “unstoppable” amid several reports that President Trump will pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord.

-snip-

Link to tweet

The tweet highlights U.N. Secretary General António Guterres's speech on Tuesday at an event in New York.

“It’s very clear that governments are not everything," the U.N. chief said. "On the other hand, we are doing our best, in dialogue with the administration and with Congress, to make the U.S. understand that funding the development aid, funding foreign policy in general, funding organizations like the U.N., is also in the interest of the American people."

Trump tweeted on Wednesday he will make his decision about the Paris climate accords “over the next few days.”

Link to tweet

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/335762-united-nations-climate-action-is-unstoppable

[Spider Jerusalem]

1. Apparently "making America great again" means this:

Saint Louis, Missouri, 1939:



Donora, Pennsylvania, 1948 (this photo was taken at noon):

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. Congratulations on hitting your 20,000th post. NT

[calimary]

4. Hey! 20,000th post!

Nice round number! Congrats!

[Javaman]

10. If I recall those photos were taken at noon. nt

[Chemisse]

3. It is a sad truth that it IS unstoppable at this point.

And probably has been for quite a while.

But we have to do everything we can to at least try to mitigate it. It makes me sick to see what Trump is doing.

[karynnj]

7. You misread the UN tweet - ACTION is unstoppable, climate change is undeniable

I agree that we may find that climate change itself can not be stopped as we have gone over a tipping point. My only hope is that technology and science, though often the problem, can also be the solution. If cheaper better ways to create energy are developed, the market will follow. Consider how unsuccessful an earlier day "Trump" would have been had he promised buggy whip manufacturers that he would get rid of autos and bring back their profits.

I remember back in 2015 when it passed, many criticized that it was not enough and that it had no real teeth. At that time, one of things that Secretary Kerry said was that it sent a big world wide signal to the market. I do think that the accord did create momentum for clean energy, that would not have happened if there was not such a strong push to create something that the US and developing countries could join.

[NickB79]

12. Cheaper ways to create energy won't get us out of the ecological mess we've created

Because cheaper energy will ultimately lead to more resource extraction from the planet as more people around the world embrace Western-style middle-class lifestyles, with all the material demands that they entail.

Imagine fusion-powered fishing trawlers that can scour the sea for months. Fusion-powered, automated logging machines that can cut lumber day and night, or mining machines that extract ore day and night. Farm equipment that can plow massive fields by themselves, destroying what little fallow land we have left in the name of more yield and more profit.

We can and likely will consume the non-fossil fuel resources of this planet like a swarm of locusts if given virtually unlimited, guilt-free energy resources.

We keep imagining that more economic growth will somehow fix what rampant economic growth over the past few centuries has created in the first place. Yet here we are, consuming resources at an entirely unsustainable rate, with a still-growing population several billion over the global carrying capacity and not expected to peak for another 40-50 years.

Climate change is but one of many converging ecological crises we have created.

[Chemisse]

14. Lol - thanks for pointing out my error.

My mind leapt to what I am thinking - all the time.

I teach HS Science and when I talk about environmental issues I try to instill hope that our action can effect positive change. Examples: the effect the Clean Air Act had on reducing acid rain and smog, the banding together of nations around the world to ban CFCs to stop ozone production.

But the feedback loops driving climate change are at full throttle. I never tell the kids that I think it is unstoppable; I cite the other examples of people's actions solving problems. Even one person can change the world, such as Rachel Carson publishing The Silent Spring stopped much of the use of DDT and saved the birds.

[karynnj]

15. You sound like a great teacher

It is beyond stupid that Trump is willing to destroy something that was near impossible to do. It is incredible that only Nigaragu and Syria did not vote for it - and in Nigaragu's case they wanted something stronger.

Yet, it sounds like China and Europe will lead on this even without the US. It also sounds like states ( especially a large group led by CA where there is a LBN thread that they are being joined by CA and the Northeast states with their own cap and trade) and many companies following the market may well keep us only slightly behind our long term commitment.

What it may do is end any idea that the US is the leading nation of the world. Tump may not realize that Obama and his administration will ALWAYS be seen as having made this deal and it already has started an international change. He will be seen as breaking it.

[Chipper Chat]

5. Make America Grate Again

Choking, smelling, biglying.

[karynnj]

6. The UN"s bold statement is important

If, as seems likely, Trump pulls out, I hope that his announcement is followed by a parade of other countries announcing their continuing commitment. Some of the developing countries are on track to exceed their commitment.

In addition, US tech companies need to make clear that they are still every bit as committed as they were last year, when they had a Secretary of State who reached out to them rather than to Exxon! In addition, I would expect that Jerry Brown will lead California in continuing its efforts. I remember when he tweeted that under his leadership the CA economy, moving to clean energy has done far better than Texas, which has fought it. I hope the New England governors recommit to their goals - which might carry weight if Phil Scott and Charles Baker - Republicans representing VT and MA - join in. John McCain has already been on record that Trump should not do this.

I think the UN is correct that action is unavoidable on the part of the world. Momentum should continue, especially as people from scientists to Kerry and Gore argued, it is true that the costs of fighting climate change have become significantly lower. India has announced that they will not build a large number of planned coal power plants - not because of their UN commitment which did not assume that - but because even at this point the cost for solar energy is lower than coal energy. This without even tacking on a cost for the damage coal does.

I think that the Paris Accord - even if Trump pulls out - will be seen as a turning point because in the year between when the agreement was made and Trump taking office, the market signalled that this was a sector where a huge new market could create gains for anyone who finds a better way to do things. I hope we are at or near the point where the market alone will drive some of the changes needed.

This is NOT to say that this is not a devastating loss and harmful. It makes it harder to achieve a goal that was daunting to begin with. It also is very damaging for the United States. I wonder if part of it is Trump's anger that the Europeans did not treat him as Saudi Arabia did.

[nikibatts]

8. I remember in the 60's and 70's when summer heat and auto fumes would practically kill me.

I couldn't breath and had to stay inside a lot. Over the past 40 years the smog and stifling air pollution have significantly abated. Anyone who believes that pollution standards are not useful and beneficial must be nuts.

[Hekate]

9. MAGA? America will be left behind as the rest of the world moves into the future...

His poor supporters, the ones who believed his bellowing that he would give them the best health care in the world and bring back blue collar jobs with great wages, are going to be bewildered, enraged, and unable to comprhend what ran over them. Their children will be poor, uneducated, and sick. And mad as hell.

[greyl]

11. Julia Manchester from The Hill made a huge error in the article.

The @UN Tweet reads:

Climate change is undeniable
Climate action is unstoppable
Climate solutions provide opportunities that are unmatchable.

[Scurrilous]

13. K&R