The World Has Passed A Dangerous CO2 Pollution Threshold, But Climate Deniers Still Push U.S. Inaction

authordefault
on

The month of September 2016 marks the first time in human history that CO2 levels in the atmosphere topped 400ppm in all recorded areas. In fact, CO2 levels have not been that high since dinosaurs ruled the earth. And thatโ€™s not even the bad news. According to scientists, the human race may never see carbon dioxide levels drop below this dangerousย threshold.

Just three years ago, CO2 levels passed the 300ppm threshold, and predictions suggested the 400ppm level was many, many years down the road. Sadly, they were veryย wrong.

As 350.org points out, and as their name suggests, the safe limit of carbon dioxide in the earthโ€™s atmosphere is 350 parts per million. Passing into the 400ppm zone puts the planet at extreme risk of accelerated warming and catastrophic weatherย events.

Again, thatโ€™s not even the worstย news.

At a time when we’re surpassing dangerous carbon dioxide pollution levelsย and the evidence of climate change is visible all over the United States, weโ€™re still a country ruled largely by climate change deniers. Worse still, we donโ€™t seemย all that concerned by thatย fact.

While the majority of Americans continue to believe in science, they are represented by a member of Congress that believes in the fossil fuel industry instead of climate experts. As a result, the climate suffers and Americans claim to fret over the issue while electing people who publicly admit that they do not believe there is aย problem.

The problem goes deeper still when you consider the climate positions of the Republican Partyโ€™s ticket for this yearโ€™s presidentialย election.

Donald Trump, the GOPโ€™s presidential nominee, has stated time and time again that he does not believe in climate change. During the first presidential debate, he claimed to have never said that it was a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese, and his campaign staff scrambled to delete his Tweet saying exactly that as the debate was goingย on.

While much attention is paid to Trumpโ€™s stance on climate change, far less attention has been paid to his running mate, Mike Pence, even though Penceโ€™s views onย science are equally asย disturbing.

As The Huffington Post points out, Pence kind of believes the climate is changing, but he firmly believes that there is nothing we can do about it. During a recent interview on CNN, Pence claimed that both he and Trump believe that the climate is naturally warming and that it is ridiculous to believe that the policies of the United States can ever change the climate. Before becoming Trumpโ€™s running mate, Pence had referred to climate change as both a โ€œmythโ€ and aย โ€œtheory.โ€

The Libertarian ticket, though currently polling at below 10% nationally, doesnโ€™t fare much better on the issue of climate change. Their nominee, former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, does actually accept the science showing that the planet is warming due to human activity, but he said recently that the sun will engulf the earth in a few billion years anyway, so why bother preserving theย planet?

It is worth noting that Johnsonโ€™s Libertarian ideology is in favor of limited government and privatization of vital services, and he believes that if any action isย taken on climate change it should come from private industry. But it seems highly doubtful that companies like Koch Industries and ExxonMobil will suddenly advocateย for a reduction in fossil fuelย use.

On the whole, the Democratic Party seems very willing to accept that climate change is happening due to human activities and that we should take action. However, as President Obama has shown, the Democratic Party is all too willing to make concessions to the fossil fuel industry and has given them unfettered access to federal lands for energy exploitation, thus helping to increase our carbonย emissions.

And this all goes back to the main point of how the majority of Americans โ€”ย Republicans, Democrats, and everyone else โ€”ย believe in climate change and yet vote for politicians who are more than willing to let the fossil fuel industry pollute as they wish. It is hypocritical to say that you care for something while voting for a leader at any level who has made it clear that they will destroy that which youย love.

The sad reality is that Americans are too shortsighted when it comes to issues like climate change, and they are still operating under the impression that the problems are still decades away. But as the latest science shows us, the problems are here right now, and they areย getting worse with each passing month ofย inaction.

Image credit:ย Donald Trumpย speaking at CPAC in Washington D.C. on February 10, 2011, by Gage Skidmore via Wikiย Commons

authordefault

Farron Cousins is the executive editor of The Trial Lawyer magazine, and his articles have appeared on The Huffington Post, Alternet, and The Progressive Magazine. He has worked for the Ring of Fire radio program with hosts Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Mike Papantonio, and Sam Seder since August 2004, and is currently the co-host and producer of the program. He also currently serves as the co-host of Ring of Fire on Free Speech TV, a daily program airing nightly at 8:30pm eastern. Farron received his bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of West Florida in 2005 and became a member of American MENSA in 2009.ย  Follow him on Twitterย @farronbalanced.

Related Posts

on

The Reform UK leader reiterated false climate claims at Jordan Petersonโ€™s Alliance for Responsible Citizenship event in London.

The Reform UK leader reiterated false climate claims at Jordan Petersonโ€™s Alliance for Responsible Citizenship event in London.
on

The Trump appointee and fossil fuel executive called the transition to renewable energy โ€œlunacyโ€ at an event packed with climate science deniers.

The Trump appointee and fossil fuel executive called the transition to renewable energy โ€œlunacyโ€ at an event packed with climate science deniers.
on

A list of attendees viewed by DeSmog shows fossil fuel companies represented alongside major religious right groups at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship event.

A list of attendees viewed by DeSmog shows fossil fuel companies represented alongside major religious right groups at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship event.
on

DCI Groupโ€™s 2024 clients include the American Petroleum Institute, which has a history of undermining the scientific consensus on climate change.

DCI Groupโ€™s 2024 clients include the American Petroleum Institute, which has a history of undermining the scientific consensus on climate change.