Fossil Fuel Advancement Playbook Employs the “Climate Change is Real” Admission
In the current week of Senate hearings for Trump’s nominations to head the EPA, the Department of Interior, and the Department of Energy, we have heard variations on a seemingly surprising theme, to wit: Climate Change is real and human activity has something to do with it. Surprising coming from them anyway—Scott Pruitt (EPA), Ryan Zinke (Interior), and Rick Perry (Energy)—all of whom had not so long ago belonged to the Climate Change Denial faction of the Republican Party.
The three are following the same playbook, a series of moves that lead us from the concern that fossil fuels might be messing up our climate, to the conclusion that fossil fuels are the remedy for the potential ills of climate change. Something along the lines of fighting fire with fire, a kind of global homeopathy. Here’s the play:
(1) Admit Climate Change science is not a hoax,
(2) Acknowledge Climate Change may actually be occurring.
(3) Acknowledge, that human activity might contribute in some way to Climate Change.
(4) Question whether the change is happening as quickly as most climate scientists fear.
(5) Question whether, even if it is happening quickly, is it all that dire.
– here between (5) and (6) is the move from hypotheses into policy –
(6) (a) if it is not dire, then other priorities such as economic development with fossil fuels should take precedence over costly efforts to minimize emissions; or (b) if it is dire, then we should move forward on adaptation, for which we will need the economic development made possible by fossil fuels.
Continue reading “Trump Nominees’ Climate Playbook”
