Anxiety Mounts Abroad About Climate Leadership and the Volatile U.S. Election (excerpts): InsideClimate News

"VIENNA, Austria—Whenever artist Michael Aschauer returns home after an extended stay in the United States, people here pepper him with questions about the direction America is heading. 

With gallows humor typical of the city, they often ask, "Will it fall apart slowly, or very fast?" he said, adding that Vienna has plenty of experience with how rising and falling empires can destabilize global systems.

Aschauer is married to an American and keenly watches climate and energy politics on both sides of the Atlantic while trying to imagine a post-carbon future. In an informal social media art project, he documents gas stations that have been abandoned or converted to other uses. 

He said it's hard to imagine that Americans would re-elect the

incumbent president, but that it can't be ruled out, either, given the current volatility of U.S. politics. "The outcome will have profound consequences for the future of Earth's climate," he added.

Carbon budgets detailed in recent climate reports show that four more years of pro-fossil fuel policies in the U.S. would make it much harder for the world to reach the Paris climate agreement goal of preventing catastrophic global warming, he said. On the other hand, Biden's decarbonization plan would accelerate demand for renewable energy in the world's biggest consumer economy and speed the global shift to a zero-carbon economy. "

.................

"Debate Debacle

But it's not all fear and loathing—people here say they feel a cultural, social and economic affinity with the U.S. And the interest is even more intense this year, after extensive international media coverage of the escalating cycle of police violence and destructive protests, as well as wildfires, hurricanes, the botched pandemic response and potential election chaos all painted a picture of a country in turmoil. 

Last week's presidential debate reinforced global concerns about the direction of the U.S., said Reimund Schwarze, an environmental economist with the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Germany. Trump's recent statements questioning the legitimacy of the election process raise the specter of widespread unrest, he said."   "

................................

"  "From what I see in the Democratic Party, there is a lot of movement, a lot of mobilization from the other side." Even with time running short for meaningful climate action, he said, there is a hopeful scenario that a generational shift in politics in the U.S. could upend the political landscape for many years to come, leading to fundamental changes in U.S. policy. 

All over the world, people are waiting in suspense to see if Nov. 3 marks the start of that shift.

"I don't want to put any pressure on anyone," Austrian ecologist Sarah Höfler posted on Twitter recently, "but the American election will, in my opinion, decide whether humanity has still a chance in the #ClimateCrisis. It is as simple as that."  "

Go to complete story by Bob Berwyn in InsideClimate News

Related: America's year of fire and tempests means climate crisis just got very real (excerpt): Guardian

 Pics from this blog

 

Trump,Biden,#climateaction,voters,#USA,European Union,#jailclimatecriminals, 

Trump and Biden: Little room for climate change in US election (excerpt): DW

The White House

As the US faces wildfires and storms, climate change remains one of the most divisive topics among voters. Yet despite the high stakes, so far, it has played a minor role in the upcoming election. 

US President Donald Trump has undone many major pieces of climate policy during his term, walking out on the Paris Agreement to limit global warming and eliminating numerous Obama-era environmental regulations. 

However, climate change doesn't even make the top 10 concerns among registered voters, even as the US faces extreme weather from wildfires to storms, scientists say are more prevalent by global warming. It ranks 11th behind the economy, health care, Supreme Court appointments and the pandemic, according to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center published in August. 

While climate doesn't top the voters' agenda, it's still one of the most divisive issues among Trump and Biden supporters. Some 68% of Democratic voters see climate change as high priority compared to 11% of Republicans, found the Pew survey. 

Following a storm in Iowa last month, estimates suggested that almost a third of the state's crop-growing land was affected

Wildfires are becoming more frequent in California, where the ground and vegetation has suffered from long, dry summers

But what are the Biden and Trump campaigns promising to do on climate change and the environment — and how does it tally with what voters want?

Go to complete DW article

 Related: Donald Trump is hampering fight against climate change, WEF warns (excerpt) : The Guardian (2 years ago)

Trump, Biden, #USA, USA, voters, #climate crisis, #climatecriminals, #jailclimatecriminals, 

Greenpeace Gives Democratic Platform C+ on Climate, Calling for 'Action at the Scale That Science and Justice Demand':

Climate Criminals

"We know the Republicans have no plan," says the advocacy group. "But that doesn't mean the Democrats can take their feet off the gas."

Greenpeace USA announced Wednesday that the platform which Democrats are set to adopt this week earns only a C+ rating based on the scorecard process the group previously used to rank the climate policies of what was once a large field of the party's 2020 presidential primary candidates.

That C+ (52.5 points out of 100) is notably lower than the B+ (75.5/100) that Greenpeace gave to former Vice President Joe Biden, whom Democrats formally nominated as the party's candidate Tuesday night, or the B+ (77/100) the group gave to his former competitor and current running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.).

Although the soon-to-be-finalized 2020 Democratic platform received "decent marks for advancing renewable energy and environmental justice," Greenpeace determined that there are "critical policy gaps in addressing the power of the fossil fuel industry" and it makes "no mention of the Green New Deal."

Trump EPA Plan to Gut Emission Rules for Oil and Gas Industry Denounced as 'Beyond Comprehension': Common Dreams

Your taxes funding fossil fuels

"If Trump is reelected and this rule sticks, it is probably the single most consequential near-term climate decision of his presidency."

by

Julia Conley, staff writer

In a move one green group said shows the Trump EPA's approach is "manifestly inconsistent with the agency's legal obligations" and with science, the agency is under fire for preparations to roll back methane rules for U.S. oil and gas producers.

Before Friday, the New York Times reported, the EPA is expected to unveil two new rules regarding methane, a greenhouse gas with 80 times the heat-trapping power of carbon dioxide in the first two decades after emission.

One would eliminate federal regulation of methane emissions from oil and gas wells across the country and would prevent future regulation at sites built before 2015, and another would weaken remaining requirements for companies, including one directing them to locate and fix leaks in wells. 

With the new rules in place, meteorologist and climate reporter Eric Holthaus said, voting Trump out of office in November will be imperative to protect communities across the country from methane emissions, which the EPA itself has said are linked to premature death, stroke, chronic bronchitis, and low birth weight as well as the warming of the planet. 

Read the complete Common Dreams article

Related:  Fossil Fuel Workers Deserve Better: Video



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And in Mandarin:

为这个星球投票选出特朗普。
您的税款为化石燃料提供资金

“如果特朗普再次当选并且坚持这一规则，这可能是他担任总统期间最重要的近期气候决定。”
通过
朱莉娅·康利（Julia Conley），特约作家
 

一个绿色组织在一项举动中表示，特朗普EPA的做法“明显违背了该机构的法律义务”，

并且与科学相抵，该机构正着手准备撤消美国石油和天然气生产商的甲烷法规。

 

据《纽约时报》报道，周五之前，预计美国环保署将发布两项有关甲烷的新规定。

甲烷是一种温室气体，其排放后的头二十年内的二氧化碳的集热能力是其的80倍。

 

一种将取消联邦对全国油气井的甲烷排放的监管，并阻止未来在2015年之前建造的场所进行监管，

另一种将削弱对公司的剩余要求，包括指示公司定位和修复井中的泄漏。

 

有了新规定，气象学家和气候记者埃里克·霍尔特豪斯（Eric Holthaus）表示，

必须在11月投票给特朗普，以保护全国各地的居民免受甲烷排放的威胁，

而美国环保署本身已将其与过早死亡，中风，慢性病联系在一起。支气管炎，低出生体重以及地球的变暖。

 

阅读完整的《共同梦想》文章

Wèi zhège xīngqiú tóupiào xuǎn chū tè lǎng pǔ.
Nín de shuì kuǎn wèi huàshí ránliào tígōng zījīn

“rúguǒ tè lǎng pǔ zàicì dāngxuǎn bìngqiě jiānchí zhè yī guīzé, 

zhè kěnéng shì tā dānrèn zǒngtǒng qíjiān zuì zhòngyào de jìnqí qìhòu juédìng.”
Tōngguò
zhūlìyà·kānglì (Julia Conley), tèyuē zuòjiā
 

yīgè lǜsè zǔzhī zài yī xiàng jǔdòng zhōng biǎoshì, 

tè lǎng pǔ EPA de zuòfǎ “míngxiǎn wéibèile gāi jīgòu de fǎlǜ yìwù”, 

bìngqiě yǔ kēxué xiāngdǐ, gāi jīgòu zhèng zháo shǒu zhǔnbèi chèxiāo měiguó 

shíyóu hé tiānránqì shēngchǎn shāng de jiǎwán fǎguī.

 

Jù “niǔyuē shíbào” bàodào, zhōu wǔ zhīqián, 

yùjì měiguó huánbǎo shǔ jiāng fābù liǎng xiàng yǒuguān jiǎwán de xīn guīdìng. 

Jiǎwán shì yī zhǒng wēnshì qìtǐ, qí páifàng hòu de tóu èrshí niánnèi de èryǎnghuàtàn 

de jí rè nénglì shì qí de 80 bèi.

 

Yī zhǒng jiāng qǔxiāo liánbāng duì quánguó yóuqì jǐng de jiǎwán páifàng de jiānguǎn, 

bìng zǔzhǐ wèilái zài 2015 nián zhīqián jiànzào de chǎngsuǒ jìnxíng jiānguǎn, 

lìng yī zhǒng jiāng xuēruò duì gōngsī de shèngyú yāoqiú, 

bāokuò zhǐshì gōngsī dìngwèi hé xiūfù jǐngzhōng de xièlòu.

 

Yǒule xīn guīdìng, qìxiàng xué jiā hé qìhòu jìzhě āi lǐ 

kè·huò ěr tè háo sī (Eric Holthaus) biǎoshì, bìxū zài 11 yuè tóupiào gěi tè lǎng pǔ, 

yǐ bǎohù quánguó gèdì de jūmín miǎn shòu jiǎwán páifàng de wēixié, 

ér měiguó huánbǎo shǔ běnshēn yǐ jiāng qí yǔguò zǎo sǐwáng, zhòngfēng, 

mànxìngbìng liánxì zài yīqǐ. Zhīqìguǎn yán, dī chūshēng tǐzhòng yǐjí dìqiú 

de biàn nuǎn.

 

Yuèdú wánzhěng de “gòngtóng mèngxiǎng” wénzhāng

Quit Obsessing About Climate Change. What You Do or Don’t Do No Longer Matters.: Medium

"It is not really our fault. 

Besides being stupid and greedy, we are genetically handicapped to deal with this situation. We simply don’t live long enough to plan ahead. By “planning ahead” I don’t mean decades. I mean centuries. The reason is that people with money and power, the people with the means to do something, just don’t care. They would have to give up some of that money and power to change things. 

They figure they won’t be around to suffer the consequences of climate change anyway, so they just don’t give a damn. It would require Biblically long lifetimes to plan ahead for the human race. For now and the near future we can, at most, hope to live to a hundred, not the 969 years of Methuselah. If you were going to be around for the consequence of your actions or inaction for as long as he was, you would care."

Read The Medium article 

See also: 

How realistic a goal is decarbonizing the economy?: Medium

 

 

#criminales climáticos de la cárcel

#criminalesclimáticosdelacárcel

#jailclimatecriminals

#gaolclimatecriminals

 

 

Canadian youth taking up the climate change fight

"When it comes to climate change, many Canadian youth are not leaving it up to politicians to solve the issue. A panel of young activists explains how they are taking up the fight themselves."

CBC NEWS  June 19  2019

This Statistic Changed My Entire Perspective about Climate Change: Medium

Climate Criminals

"It’s time to stop blaming individuals and start holding institutions and corporations responsible for climate change. This is not to say that individuals cannot do their part to take care of the planet, but that it is going to take more than aggregate small scale change to fix the problem. It is important to remember that we live in a democratic country, and it is our civic duty to contribute to and protect our democracy, especially in a world where the idea of a government by the people, for the people is at risk. 

As election day approaches, remember that voting on its own does not fulfill our responsibility as free American citizens — informed voting does. By staying informed and engaged, we make better decisions both in and out of the voting booth; in a capitalist society, we vote with our dollar too."

Read the Medium article 

Related: Out on its own: Australia the only country to use climate funding to upgrade coal-fired plants

Climate Change: The Antidote To Democracy’s Mid-life Crisis: Medium

 

Opinion on climate change

"The manifesto for this new democratic movement will contain few, if any, new ideas. Rather, it will organise a familiar set of policies into a coherent programme:

A flat-rate, no-exceptions tax on emissions — possibly linked to a dividend for all citizens, or with revenues used to fund other climate protection measures.

1. Investment in renewables and low-emission transport infrastructure, which will also create jobs.
2.  
   Enhanced protections for natural carbon sinks in public hands, and incentives for private landowners to increase the quantity of carbon stored by the trees, plants and soils on their land.
3.  
   Funding for research into carbon capture and use, energy storage and next generation renewables.
4.  
   Higher mandatory energy efficiency standards for all new buildings, saving households and businesses money on their energy bills.
5.  
   Scrappage schemes for petrol and diesel vehicles and money for homeowners and landlords to upgrade the energy efficiency of existing properties.
6.  
   Investment in climate adaptation and resilience to ensure those most exposed to the impacts of extreme weather — from hurricanes to forest fires — are as well protected as possible.
7.  
   Public awareness campaigns to promote dietary changes that both reduce emissions and improve health.
8.  
   Lowering the voting age to 16, as a way of giving greater democratic voice to those who will be most personally affected by the long-term consequences of global warming."

 

Read the Medium Article 

 

 #energy efficiency  #climate action now   #renewables  #transport  #energy storage  #meat

The Year That Climate Change Became a Kitchen-Table Issue: Nexus Media

Photo by Paweł Czerwiński on Unsplash

"Not only are more Americans worried about climate change than ever before, for the first time, a significant portion of the electorate rates climate change as a top issue. In 2016, climate change was the sixth most important issue for liberal Democrats, according to Yale and George Mason University, while today it’s their fourth most important issue. It may be higher still. A recent Marist poll found that, among all Democrats, climate change is the second most important issue, trailing only health care. And it’s not just Democrats. In particularly vulnerable parts of the country, like Florida, Republicans are worried too."

Read the Nexus Media article 

#voters  #politicians  #climatechange #politics #USA #republicans  #democrats