Politics

The Trump administration is behind a steady barrage of environmental insults but the assaults on the Endangered Species Act (ESA) are among the most heinous.  While this administration has amassed a track record of harming wildlife, the weakening of the ESA is the crowning achievement of their war on nature. This move is all the more egregious in light of a recent UN Biodiversity report which indicates that one million species are on the brink of extinction around the world. Another recent report shows that marine life is also being killed by warming seas. This is consistent with the actions...

At least two Canadian provinces have suspended environmental regulations in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak. Both Alberta and Ontario are at war with climate action. These provinces oppose a national carbon tax, despite strong evidence that demonstrates the utility of carbon pricing. Now it would appear that these two provincial governments are taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to further erode environmental protections. Ontario Premiere Doug Ford's Progressive Conservative government has systematically dismantled climate action and environmental protections. They have canceled the province’s cap-and-trade program, eliminated 227 clean energy projects, while weakening both conservation programs and endangered species protections. ...

Global support for climate action has increased in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak. In a global poll almost three quarters of respondents indicated that they think climate change is as serious as the coronavirus.  In response to the economic collapse we are also seeing increasing interest in a targeted stimulus package that would promote a green recovery. The global poll suggests that almost two thirds of respondents support a green economic recovery. Although Covid-19 has afflicted millions and killed hundreds of thousands there have been a host of environmental benefits associated with this modern day plague.  This includes increasing...

Although U.S. President Donald Trump said said no one could have anticipated the COVID-19 pandemic, records show that he was repeatedly warned. He made light of the virus even after the first confirmed case in Washington state on January 22. At one of his rallies he even called it another "hoax" created by the Democrats. On numerous occasions he said it would go away. It hasn't. Over and over again he said he has a plan and the situation is under control. He does not have a plan and the pandemic is clearly not under control. Like climate change and...

Here are the climate related excerpts from the CNN Univision Democratic Presidential Debate between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders that took place on March 15, 2020 in Washington DC. The debate was moderated by CNN's Jake Tapper, Dana Bash, and Univision’s Ilia Calderón.  Although the coronavirus was predominate theme in the debate, more than 12 minutes were devoted to climate change and fossil fuels. Here is the full summary: Jake Tapper: (13:37) Let’s move now to the climate crisis. I’m coming right to you Senator Sanders. The world Health Organization calls the climate crisis, a “Health crisis” and warns that...

Businesses have signed two climate promises in recent years. The most recent is the Climate Pledge which was founded by Amazon along with Global Optimism an organization founded by Christiana Figueres, the UN’s former climate change chief and Tom Rivett-Carnac, a former senior advisor to the Executive Secretary at the UN Climate Convention.  As part of his work with the UN, Carnac developed the political strategy for the landmark Paris Climate Agreement. The Climate Pledge is a commitment to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement 10 years early. It calls on signatories to reach net zero carbon emissions across...

U.S. President Donald Trump did not cause the Coronavirus just like he did not invent hate or the climate crisis, but he does have an extraordinary aptitude for making bad situations worse. More than 1000 Americans are known to have the virus but that number is likely far higher as tests are in short supply. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), only slightly more than 8,000 Coronavirus tests have been administered in the U.S. to date. The WHO offered the administration a test a month ago but Trump refused it. This has led many people to conclude that...

Trump's disdain for the environment is being challenged by those who refuse to submit to this administration's autocratic rule. Although Trump is actively subverting constitutional constraints to embolden his bid to hold on power, organizations like the NRDC and the Sierra Club are leveraging the courts to push back against this administration's environmental assaults.  The Sierra Club successfully resisted drilling lease sales in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, they protected more than two million acres of public land. and are increasing the number of coal plants slated for retirement. The NRDC has also been involved in lawsuits to stop the...

Seven candidates participated in Tuesday’s Democratic primary debate in Charleston, South Carolina. The participants in the tenth Democratic presidential debate were Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Tom Steyer, Michael Bloomberg and Amy Klobachar. Here are excerpts of the six times that climate change was mentioned in the debate. STEYER: And let me say that I got into this race because I wanted to fight for economic justice, for racial justice, and to make sure we had climate justice for the American people. SANDERS: In the White House today -- in the White House today, we have a...

US President Donald Trump's proposed budget for fiscal 2021 seeks to kill climate action and science. This budget is a continuation of what we have seen in his previous three budgets. It includes opposition to pollution abatement, energy efficiency and renewable energy, while increasing support for fossil fuels. Here is a breakdown of how this budget impacts the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, the Department of the Interior, and Climate Adaptation Science Centers. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Trump wants to eliminate 50 EPA programs including Energy Star and projects that make the US safer for Americans.  This includes...