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On Black Friday, a new study on Climate Change was released by federal scientists. Many might have
missed the release of this blockbuster study, for this was most likely done on purpose by the Trump
administration because the country is busy shopping and spending time with the family instead of paying
attention to politics. This study confirmed that global warming is a real threat to society and it identified
the risks of not taking action to counteract the effects. However, the results of the recent elections may
be detrimental to the efforts of limiting carbon emission. Although Democrats, who are in support of
setting regulations that combat climate change, now have majority in the House, the Republican
Senate majority, which is centered around states that emit the most carbon, have shrugged off the
report signaling that they intend no prospect for action. The current political gridlock is very dangerous
for the health of people, the planet, and the economy. If federal action is continuing to stalemate,
maybe the climate change effects such as wildfires and hurricanes will eliminate the filibuster in the
future, and some serious legislation will be passed to save our planet.
missed the release of this blockbuster study, for this was most likely done on purpose by the Trump
administration because the country is busy shopping and spending time with the family instead of paying
attention to politics. This study confirmed that global warming is a real threat to society and it identified
the risks of not taking action to counteract the effects. However, the results of the recent elections may
be detrimental to the efforts of limiting carbon emission. Although Democrats, who are in support of
setting regulations that combat climate change, now have majority in the House, the Republican
Senate majority, which is centered around states that emit the most carbon, have shrugged off the
report signaling that they intend no prospect for action. The current political gridlock is very dangerous
for the health of people, the planet, and the economy. If federal action is continuing to stalemate,
maybe the climate change effects such as wildfires and hurricanes will eliminate the filibuster in the
future, and some serious legislation will be passed to save our planet.
Discussion Questions:
1: Do you think the recent election results will make a significant difference in passing legislation to
combat climate change?
combat climate change?
2: Since the report forecasts that the most severe changes could be felt in some of the regions,
particularly the Southeast and upper Midwest and northern Plains, that emit the most carbon per
dollar of economic activity and elect many of the members of Congress most resistant to acting on
climate change, do you think this will pressure these members of Congress to take action against
climate change?
particularly the Southeast and upper Midwest and northern Plains, that emit the most carbon per
dollar of economic activity and elect many of the members of Congress most resistant to acting on
climate change, do you think this will pressure these members of Congress to take action against
climate change?
3: This report also predicts a downfall in the economy with the effects of future climate change, with a
predicted drop in GDP by 10% by the end of the century. Because Trump emphasizes economic
prosperity, do you think these facts will pressure him to take action?
4: What are some of your opinions on the released report and what it contains? What do you see in thepredicted drop in GDP by 10% by the end of the century. Because Trump emphasizes economic
prosperity, do you think these facts will pressure him to take action?
future of this country and the world?
I think it was intentional that the report was released before a major, distracting holiday (pretty good strategy). Passing climate change regulation would be pretty difficult without the president's approval. It would require some very strong public outcry to make trump sign a bill against what appears to be a personal and sincere belief that Climate change is a hoax.
ReplyDeleteAs for congress, The recent bout of bigger than normal natural disasters has revived public conversation about climate change, which I would think makes anti-climate change members of congress very nervous.
A predicted drop in GDP by the end of the century seems a little far-fetched. A century into the future, we might discover new technology, or nuke each other, so I don't think this figure is all too useful.
I think that the trump administration didn't stop the study, because if he did, he would be immediately impeached, and second, of course America is going to be focused on shopping and spending time with family. Those are both more important than politics, nobody wants to always focus on politics all the time. There have been over 1,000 reports released proving climate change, it's not going to change their mind, why we are surprised now is confusing to me. Also there's no correlation between GDP and climate change, 10% GDP loss in a century is completely dependent on how the president runs the country, and so far, we're up 4.1%.
ReplyDeletePrior to the midterm elections there wasn't very much action towards passing bills that can counteract the effects of climate change. Now that Democrats control the House and Republicans control the Senate I think that there will still be no significant actions taken to regulate pollution/emissions. Gridlock is too strong in on the hill right now. Despite Trump's emphasis on economic prosperity I do not think he will take any actions to slow climate change because the effects on the market will not occur until after his presidency. Additionally, I think his ego and personality play a role in his refusal to provide environmental protection laws.
ReplyDeleteI do not think the recent election will create a significant change in the legislation that Congress is passing since they are more split than before with the House dominated by Democrats and Senate with a Republican majority. The two political parties are more polarized than ever before, so a majority of one party in both houses is the only way more legislation would be passed. I honestly think that since there is still a clear split in the House and Senate that if anything, there will be more gridlock than before. To answer questions 2 and 3 in one, I honestly think only immediate and urgent action/disasters will pressure Congress to pass legislation. In today’s society, people have lost sight of the long-term goals of the planet and certain politicians are too stubborn to realize that cooperating on resolving climate change is one of the top priorities as of now. The issue with climate change is that it is not an immediate threat no matter how bad it really is and our government is not willing to act unless it is affecting our society now. Even with all the natural disasters recently, it won’t be enough for our government to take seriously unless the public complains a lot about it or there is a natural disaster that takes out half the country.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the recent election of a majority of Democrats to the House could aid in protecting and furthering environmental protection laws, it seems unlikely. With Trump´s adamant approach towards repealing environmental regulations on corporations and pulling our of the Paris Climate Agreement alongside the Republicans holding majority in the Senate, it seems they would be able to push against environmental regulation more than the Democrats in the House would be able to advocate. The administration believes the regulations to be restricting large corporations and therefore the benefits on the economy. Since improving the economy and furthering jobs was a focus of Trump´s campaign, he, alongside the Republicans, will continue to press for repealing Obama administration protections and be against any future proposals for environmental regulation or spending.
ReplyDeleteWith the Democrats in majority of the House, I think that will help in protecting environmental laws that have been in place. I'm not sure if congress will take action because of the cost, however if other nations continue to push more and more to help for climate change, I believe there might be a chance to influence the US to take more action. Trump has a very strong stance on climate change and I don't think there will be anything that will change his opinion on it, even if it is impacting the economy. I fear that there might not be a future for the world if climate change reaches a certain point that creates a loop of worsening.
ReplyDeleteWhile the effects of climate change will be most severs in places that traditionally resist climate change legislation, I doubt that this will pressure the individuals there and their representatives to change their perspective. This will be due to a combination of economic factors and stubborn ignorance. There are countless coal/fossil fuel/oil industries in these areas that create valuable jobs for "blue-collar" workers. This motivates the citizens there to be against regulations as that can lead to reduced wages or jobs, and therefore they have their own livelihood at stake. Additionally, large corporations have made it clear time and time again that they do not care about their environmental impact as long as they make profits. These corporations have even invest in research to defend their continued exploitation of the environment. And because they have a lot of money, they are also able to buy their way into Congress votes. Lastly, despite the overwhelming evidence and scientific consensus on the harmful effects of climate change, there are still people who refuse to believe in it. This willful ignorance will be impossible to combat, as they can dismiss climate change as being a natural process, or some far-fetched conspiracy theory.
ReplyDeleteWith the shift of Democrats into the majority of the House has the potential to help in the protection of environmental laws. However as stated before, having Trump as our president and being Republican, environmental laws are no where on his agenda. This will make it really hard to create and pass laws in order to help protect our environment from all carbon we are emitting. It is becoming clear that we are majorly affecting global warming with all the solution we are doing and we must act soon or else we won't be on this planet anymore. The earth will be able to overcome this problem, the question is if we will be here to watch it?
ReplyDeleteIt has been quite apparent to most that climate change is a real threat to society and will continue to get worse if nothing changes. However, Republicans fundamentally do not prioritize climate change. To make things worse, Trump is in office and has publicly stated that he does not believe in climate change. It also does not help that Republicans have maintained the Senate. Thus, I do not think many policies that will positively impact climate change will get through at least until the next presidential election.
ReplyDeleteThe recent election results will have a significant difference in passing legislation and the Republicans hold a majority over the Democrats in the Senate - with 51 Republicans, 47 Democrats and 2 Independents. Yes there is a possibility of swing votes among the Senate, but it is very unlikely and this puts the Democrats at a disadvantage for passing legislation which can help the current state of climate change. The states who are most impacted by climate change with Congresspeople who resist taking action will definitely receive pressure to pass legislation and support climate change regulations, yet they will most likely vote with their own beliefs and vote along party lines as they have made it clear that they will resist regulations to climate change regulations.
ReplyDeleteI think the biggest difference now is the new majority of Democrats in the house. This is a good balance to Trump's apathy towards the Environment and regulations regarding it. This report has clearly proven that climate change is real, and this makes it harder for Trump o avoid the situation without damaging his own credibility.
ReplyDeleteEven though the report was released during a time that most Americans would not pay attention to politics, climate change is still a large issue that poses a real threat to society if nothing is done about it. I believe that these recent election results will have a significant influence on passing legislation with the new majority of Democrats in the House. With this new change, we can expect to see environmental regulations rise even if combating environmental change has never been high on Trump's agenda
ReplyDelete