Well, in the let’s fuck with an already fucked up climate news that has an iceberg the size of Delaware ready to break off from Antarctica, unprecedented global warming that will flood our coasts and dry up our farms, and incredible smog and pollution that continues to impact the health and well-being of millions, the United States has broken up with the Paris Agreement. For those of you who have been following the current political climate, you knew this was coming. You knew that the country was preparing to leave it since January. Trump has made it clear that he thinks the scientists who have studied climate for decades, and who have built upon the research of others before them, can’t see their own inadequacies and make stuff up in order to feel validated…Not that he would ever project himself onto anyone or anything. That would be wildly out of character.
For those of you who don’t know what it is, the Paris Agreement is basically a pledge for everyone except for Nicaragua, Syria, and now the United States, that says, “Hey, maybe in order for future generations to have clean air, drinkable water, and fresh food, we should probably limit our post-industrial waste and create solutions to pollution via reduction and commitment to renewable energy technology to ensure that we don’t all die a fiery death that is preceded by flooding, drought, and the destruction of resources and wildlife.” That’s paraphrasing, of course. You can read more here.
The accords have been written so that it takes four years to leave them by any nation, so the changes won’t be immediate, but what Trump has done with this announcement is send a political message that the United States doesn’t believe in science, community, or being part of a global effort to reduce and use renewable resources that could benefit us all. It’s isolationism at its best and ignorance and indifference for future generations’ health at its worst. I believe, truly, that there will be plenty of people still getting on the renewable bandwagon, because it’s profitable, because it saves money, and because it’s the smart damn thing to do, but the message is one that is part of the deeper issue of denying science, denying reason, and putting old ideas of coal profit above the evolution of the country. He wants us to stay in the past, because we can be controlled if we stay there. The future is cleaner, greener, and it is currently being held by us. This is power we can use. Hopefully, 2020 will see someone who values science in the White House, but until then, we must call for greater action on the local and state level. We must appeal to the people and businesses to continue the shift away from the very things that threaten our future ability to live cleanly…and to simply live at all. We must stop this trend of invalidating scientists.
Climate change is fucking real. It’s scary, it’s real, and we can take measures to mitigate it. It exists the way atoms do, the way DNA does, the way stars and gravity do. It’s not an untested hypothesis cooked up by scientists in order to scare people. What would even be the point? Think about it! The worst that happens if you listen to them is that you get clearer skies, less pollution-induced asthma, fewer carcinogens in the air, cheaper energy solutions, a greener planet, more wildlife, less flooding in coastal cities, fewer droughts, safer jobs in renewable energy production, resource independence, less waste, healthier people, cleaner food, and the fun ability to breathe in the year 2030. The downside to committing to greener energy and less waste is literally nothing, you ignorant science-denying fucks.
The thing is we can do something. Countries ARE doing things – like the Paris Climate Agreement. The Unites States has, yet again in the past six months, proven we’ve taken a step back in all means of progress. This one, however, threatens all life on earth. It’s kinda dumb to be one of the few countries that treats the earth like it’ll get a bailout from the government at the last minute. This is work that takes time, commitment, and energy (Ha).
If our country won’t commit to it, like they don’t seem to commit to most human rights issues lately, then we will have to do it ourselves. If you have the money to invest in clean energy, please do. Always reduce, reuse, and recycle. Be part of the solution. And call your businesses, call your representatives – ask for change. Roll your sleeves up and work.
The future is depending on it.
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