The Arsenal Republicans will use in their War on Climate

There are a number of weapons that the GOP will use in their war against climate protections. The planning has already begun as the new slate of Republican legislators and governors prepare to be sworn in in January. Here is the array of resources each side has in its arsenal.

Republicans are already zeroing in on targets. They will try to pass legislation that eliminates climate change mitigation efforts and environmental protections. The right to filibuster and a Presidential Veto are all that stands in the way of the GOP’s legislative assaults. When the Democrats avail themselves of their only option or the President uses his veto, Republicans can be expected to wreak bloody havoc.

For starters the GOP can block all of the President’s nominees. They can defund federal agencies like the EPA. They can shut down government by refusing to approve a budget (Republicans have already done this in the past so there is no reason to believe that they would not do it again). They could even trigger the “nuclear option” of a global financial collapse by breaching the debt ceiling and defaulting on the US national debt.

Republicans can fight regulations using the Congressional Review Act which gives Congress the ability to shutdown the rule making process. This would require a majority vote of disapproval in both chambers of Congress, and in the Senate the Democrats do not have enough votes to filibuster. They can also slow down regulations through various Senate committees by launching “investigations.”

Most Democrats and businesses with a conscience along with a number of mayors and investors will oppose the Republican agenda. However, the loudest voices will come from environmental organizations and concerned citizens. As evidenced by the recent People’s Climate March support from environmentally concerned citizens is at an unprecedented high. If enough people get involved these protests may even succeed in forcing some Republicans to think twice ahead of the 2016 presidential elections.

To stay within acceptable temperature limits the US must radically decrease their greenhouse gas emissions. If Republicans are allowed to proceed with their agenda it will radically accelerate carbon production. The implications of runaway climate change are widely
documented. The scientific community is virtually unanimous in its
assessment of what will happen if we continue on our current trajectory.
If Republicans succeed in dismantling climate mitigation efforts it will augur catastrophe.

Although it will get far worse in the future, the current situation is already perilous. As many as five million people are killed each year by climate change related phenomenon, by the end of the century that number could rise to 100 million. Simply put, the GOP’s agenda is a road-map to the earth’s sixth mass extinction event.

The Republican assault on climate protections may not be fought with guns, planes or tanks, but if it goes unchallenged, it could prove more lethal than a full scale conventional war.

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