Trump Exacerbates Warming, extinction

The author briefly reviewed the actions that have been taken or are underway to be adopted to combat climate change, spearheaded by grassroots movements and by government and business leaders, yet at a time when consumerism is at an all-time high worldwide. For instance, it was noted that there has been a remarkable advancement of solar panel installation on both new and preexisting construction in Germany, that TGV high-speed rails constitute the primary source of mass transportation in France, that certain automobile manufacturers and teenagers are conspicuously lowering their own carbon footprints (e.g., Volvo eliminating the combustion vehicle and Greta Thunberg sailing the Atlantic), and even that China is installing a football field of solar PV panels each hour of each day – all while the US – with the highest per capita GHG emission levels – continues to miss opportunities. In fact, between Black Friday and Cyber Monday – while much of the world was protesting consumerism – the US was on track for the highest consumer spending levels on record, inevitably exacerbating CO2 emissions. With this dichotomy of action and practice, Chomsky was asked how this could be reversed in time to thwart irreversible environmental damage. He replied that the characterization of failed U.S. leadership is much more deplorable than simple missed opportunities: Missing opportunities’ is too kind. …The Trump administration is dedicated to destroying the prospects for organized human life. Fortunately, there is popular resistance, primarily among the young. Whether it will suffice in time – again, speculation is idle. With a scientific consensus regarding both the cause and consequences of climate change, Dr. Chomsky was asked about the stream of countervailing information, especially as the US government has been one of the primary disseminators of socio/political/economic misinformation. And with the advent of Fox News, deception has been given a formidable propaganda outlet, creating a firm and loyal cult of misinformed individuals throughout the country. Thus, the question was posed: “Although currently we have access to free, innumerable sources of information that if we chose to use to conduct our own research to discover facts which might lead to appropriate action and reaction, this does not appear to be happening – at least not en masse. Do you have a better recipe that could stimulate a more timely and proportional public response to the exigencies of today?” Dr. Chomsky’s response: