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The US is going to quit the Paris Climate Agreement for no clear or consistent reason – the latest is that the impact would not be significant enough. |
Aside from being ignorantly incorrect, this misses the benefits of working with the 194 countries in the agreement. Abdicating leadership and turning our back to the world does not bode well for the US economy or the planet.
The Holocene epoch was good while it lasted. These 11,500 years have been hospitable, but we have failed the basic challenge of getting along and working together. Wars, pollution, greed and bone-headed leadership have driven us to the precipice.
President Nixon signed the EPA into existence in 1970 to work for a cleaner, healthier environment with legislation such as the Clean Air Act. Combined emissions of six common pollutants: particles, ozone, lead, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide — as well as numerous toxic pollutants have dropped by 70 percent since 1970 while GDP has grown 246 percent. The economy and our environment are not in opposition– until 2017.
The current US administration is obviously incompetent but also dangerous and we need to take back control.
We are not powerless to get off of our carbon diet, although as time goes by without the needed strong leadership and sensible ideas the challenge gets more difficult. It is sad, that one benighted, lightweight leader can hold us back from the opportunity that is right there in plain sight.