The world vs. U.S.
Though the Trump White House ignores climate change, the rest of the world isn’t neglecting the doomsday issue. A top-level gathering of global leaders in Paris is pushing ahead with plans to cool temperatures and shift economies at a hurry-up pace.
The meeting amounted to a two-fold jab at the White House. Everyone else is on board with an ambitious bid to cut weather-disrupting temperatures and switching to clean fuels. And, by the way, Trump is standing far outside the global mainstream on a turning point issue. To rub it in, France’s president and host adopted a not-so-subtle slogan: “Make Our Planet Great Again.”
For the record, the White House wasn’t invited. That rebuke was earned by the president’s decision to drop out of an international agreement reached in Paris two years ago to set goals and find the money to reduce the undeniable harm of rising atmospheric temperatures.
As notable as the official U.S. absence was the inclusion of nearly everyone else. Leaders in the business, banking and political spheres were in abundance as were American figures outside the Trump circle of climate change deniers.
California governors present and past — Jerry Brown and Arnold Schwarzenegger — attended to underline this state’s commitment to switching away from fossil fuels and producing power from emission-free sources. With drought-fed wildfires still crackling, Brown remarked, “The fires you’ve seen on televison ... are what we can expect, and expect a lot more of,” he said.
While this state’s policies remain on course, other entities are joining the ranks. The World Bank won’t back oil and gas investments in the future. Bill Gates’ foundation is pouring $300 million into protecting farmers in poor nations threatened with cropland devastation caused by wild swings in weather. Insurance giant AXA will reduce investments in coal operations.
Trump should be listening. His co-equals on the world stage aren’t giving up just because the president has dug in against scientific evidence. In fact, Trump’s pointed rejection of the climate change threat has revved up further steps to counter a global disaster in the making. This week’s summit drew 50 nations ranging from European powers to tiny island nations facing inundation if seas rise as predicted.
The determined spirit can’t disguise the political challenges that remain. The Paris accords reached in 2015 are built on regular progress in ratcheting down emissions in five-year increments. That ambitious direction was to be underwritten by billions in subsidies from wealthy, polluting nations, a circle that no longer includes the U.S.
Achieving these goals is possible, especially if the business and nonWashington political worlds ignore the White House. But Trump’s reckless decision to pull away from a universal concern will undercut this enormous challenge.