https://socialistaction.org/2020/05/05/climate-crisis-commentary-for-may-2020/
System Change Not Climate Change: Climate Crisis Commentary for May 2020
May 5, 2020
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By JAMES FORTIN
“Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science.” Really? Physicians
for Social Responsibility is opposed to this new rule promoted by the
Trump-trashed Environmental Protection Agency. It requires disclosure of
personal information such as names and birthdates of parties whose data
is used for scientific evaluation. Not surprisingly the rule disallows
an analysis of about 35,000 medical records that provide evidence of
significantly increased risk of acute asthma attacks in people living
near fracking operations. A “direct censorship of science,”say
thephysicians. Others say Orwellian doublespeak.
Arctic sabbaticals for airline executives? Aviation accounts for about 2
percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to a host of
other negative impacts, every round-trip trans-Atlantic flight emits
enough carbon dioxide to melt 30 square feet of Arctic sea ice. However,
biofuels, advanced wing designs, hydrogen-powered engines and electric
motors for aircraft taxiing may become viable combinations to
decarbonize air travel, some researchers say. To not disturb their
profound thinking on the subject, perhaps each airline CEO should ponder
that from their own 30 square-foot patch.
Money can’t buy you love. Nearly 70,000 Maine voters signed a petition
to overturn by referendum a proposal disguised as “clean” energy by an
electric power consortium. The petitioners would reverse governmental
approvals for a transmission corridor that includes a clear cut the
width of the New Jersey turnpike through an area of woodlands and lakes
prized by hikers, sportspeople, and ecological groups. The consortium in
turn is spending $19.5 million in slick ads to fight any rollback to
their $1 billion project. Yet, 65% of those polled are still not singing
their tune and just plain don’t love the idea.
More Signs of the Times. In a picture from a Seattle youth environmental
event one placard read, “Stop Denying, Start Trying,” while another
mused, “When Leaders Act Like Kids, The Kids Become Leaders.” But they
were polite enough to not even name the current White House occupant.
Two kinds of climate change. Since the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil
disaster of 2010 offshore oil drilling has become even more perilous. In
that disaster 12 died, 3 million barrels of oil fouled wetlands and
beaches, and hundreds of thousands of marine animals perished. Now Gulf
of Mexico drilling is even deeper and riskier, oil production there is
greater than in 2010, and government safety inspections of the industry
are fewer. Sad to say but the climate for oil industry regulation in
Congress has waned while both major parties ignore doing anything about
the looming climate catastrophe as a whole. The only climate that should
change is the climate for a system that does not work.
Not all “hoaxes” are the same. First, climate change was a “hoax.” Then
the President deemed coronavirus to be one as well. Surely there must be
differences. Well, columnist Thomas L. Friedman has publicly corrected
the big boy on TV, “Because there is one huge difference between the
coronavirus and climate change: Climate change doesn’t peak,” and it’s
“forever. There is no herd immunity to climate change. There are only
endless impacts on the herd.”
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Steven Pinker
“It's natural to think that living things must be the handiwork of a designer.
But it was also natural to think that the sun went around the earth. Overcoming
naive impressions to figure out how things really work is one of humanity's
highest callings.
[Can You Believe in God and Evolution? Time Magazine, August 7, 2005]”
― Steven Pinker
