by Robert McLean
The populist groundswell that has handed Donald Trump Republican
presidential candidacy in the November U.S. election is what needs to be checked
if catastrophic climate change is to be avoided.
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Donald Trump - the Washington Post says
he is a danger to America and the world. |
The real estate billionaire (claimed, as no-one has as yet seen
his tax returns) appeals to base emotions and although his apparent wealth comes
from being shoulder-deep in the neoliberal establishment, he portrays himself
as a simple soul, absolutely in touch with those from a wholly different socio-economic
stratum.
It is the likes of Donald Trump who must be addressed if the
world is to stand any chance of avoiding the worst of climate change.
Trump is a climate denialist and so as you know where he
stands, it becomes a little easier to deal with him.
However, he is becoming a powerful and influential fellow
with legions of loyal followers and so “dealing with him” is becoming
increasingly difficult.
Climate change is a wicked problem for which there is no
simplistic answer, but Trump has prized open his popularity with promises of
simple solutions to everything, appealing to Americans feeling downtrodden by,
confusingly, the very processes that have made Trump rich.
Countering climate change is not going to be easy, but Trump
in his “I love you” approach has not for
a moment allowed his supporters any sense of
challenge or difficulty in “making America great again”.
His promise of making America
great again means a strengthening of or a return to the America that was until
recently the world’s leading emitter of greenhouse gases. It’s now second only
to China and with Trump in charge, the U.S. would be back at the top of the
list.
There is more to Trump than
his disregard for matters about which the world’s climate scientists concern themselves,
although that is obviously the most critical, for the “might is right” view is
a part of his platform and as the Washington Post says in an editorial he is a
danger to both America and the world.
