Donald Trump has found a way to make it even worse
Parts of the US are suffering a major heatwave. Global warming is making extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, more intense and more frequent. Rather rapidly, Earth is becoming less and less habitable for humans.
Here’s a real life example of the kinds of extreme weather we’ve seen this week and what’s to come in the future: Woodland Hills, part of greater Los Angeles, was 121 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday. This kind of weather doesn’t mean we need to stay indoors a bit more with the air conditioning turned up. Crops are dying, wildlife is dying, people are dying, and we’re using enormous amounts of power to keep ourselves at a livable temperature, which requires increased burning of fossil fuel energy sources, and thus more pollution that causes heatwaves in the first place. It’s a feedback loop that will give rise to catastrophe if action isn’t taken by all governments and all citizens.
But naturally, Donald Trump found a way to ensure this situation worsens. The Guardian reports that the Trump administration has chosen for fast-tracking “dozens of major fossil fuel, energy and water projects.” The article notes “[a]t least 19 of the projects are from companies that have spent a total of $16m lobbying the interior department since early 2017, according to an analysis by the conservation group the Center for Western Priorities. ConocoPhillips spent $11.2m of that amount lobbying the department, including on plans to drill for oil and gas within the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.”
Joe Biden, however, has a plan. In short, Biden plans to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The goal is ambitious, but I think it’s still possible. Even if Biden’s plan were to fall short, it’s still unimaginably better than Trump’s plan to scorch the Earth until it’s as desiccated and lifeless as the inside of his head.
Elections have consequences. Voting matters. If you don’t want this nation to suffocate itself with stupidity, Joe Biden is the only way to go. If you can’t muster the will to vote for Biden because of his persona, vote for him because of what he’s going to do for the planet.
Democracy thrives in snarkiness