Following up on an electoral promise, US President Donald J. Trump has ordered the withdrawal of the USA from the Paris Accord on climate change which would have committed the nation to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. The decision was made to international protest (virtually all other world nations have signed the accord), and to protests from some of the cities and states within the USA which have declared that they will still abide by the conditions set down in the accord.
US Industry, sensing that renewable energy is the way forward, has also protested to President Trump. The decision has also caused some of his advisors to resign including SpaceX and Tesla car billionaire Elon Musk, who has resigned from a Presidential advisory council.
Comment by David Todd: While sometimes unfairly criticised by the liberal media for some of his other policies, President Donald Trump was at least widely applauded for his recent order to attack Syria in retaliation for its use of nerve gas on rebel civilians. Trump’s ability to take decisive action in this way showed up the dithering weakness of his Presidential predecessor Barak Obama on foreign policy. In doing so, Trump also demonstrated a strength of will not only to Syria, but also to North Korea, Russia and China.
In that case the decisive Trump got it right. However, he has since made a decision which gained the derision of the world: withdrawing from the Paris Accord. It was a reminder that being decisive is a good thing…but only if you make the right decisions.
This writer used to be a partial climate change sceptic…not so much over its actuality – for even after discounting some scientists’ foolish attempts to exaggerate the temperature changes, the rises were still measurable for all to see – but more so over its causes. Historical records in the form of tree rings and ice samples show that there have been even more dramatic variations in global temperatures usually caused by variations in the solar cycle. Nevertheless, despite thinking that the solar cycle was probably more important than any man made effect, your correspondent’s reasoned view was that we should at least “play safe” and limit greenhouse gas emissions because sooner or later (even if possibly much later) they would eventually cause a rise in global temperatures. Who wants to live on Venus after all? However, after having a discussion with one of Britain’s leading solar scientists, RAL Space’s Dr Mike Hapgood a year or so ago, who told him that he could detect no underlying solar cause for the current uptick in world temperatures, your correspondent’s view has hardened: to limit future temperature changes WE HAVE TO reduce greenhouse gas emissions NOW. That means the USA has to continue with its Paris Accord obligations. And to do so, it means that President Trump has to decide to do the right thing…for the sake of Planet Earth and the human civilisation.