Lauren Lantry, lauren.lantry@sierraclub.org
Last night, on 60 Minutes, President Trump continued to deny climate science, questioning whether it is man made (it is)Trump’s denial comes in spite of scientific consensus from scientists at NOAA, NASA and the Pentagon, a recent IPCC report with dire warnings for our future if pollution goes unchecked, and a deadly hurricane season escalated by climate change.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders must answer the following questions about Trump’s dangerous climate denial:
-
President Trump denied that scientists at NOAA and NASA are warning about the need for climate action. Yet, NOAA and NASA both have prominent efforts devoted to climate science and the need for climate action. NASA notes that 97% of scientists agree that we need to act on climate. The Pentagon has warned about how climate inaction will put our national security at risk. Why is President Trump content with ignoring his own scientists and advisors at the Pentagon and at NASA?
-
The president said he didn’t want to be put at a disadvantage and lose “millions and millions of jobs” or give “trillions and trillions of dollars.” More than half a million jobs were created in the clean energy sector around the world in 2017 bringing the total number of people employed in the clean energy field to over 10 million. In the U.S. clean energy jobs outnumber fossil fuel jobs 3 to 1. On the other hand, extreme weather, fueled by climate change, has cost the U.S. $240 billion over the last 10 years, and that number is expected to rise to $360 billion annually if we don’t get our pollution in check. According to NOAA, the number of extreme weather events causing at least $1 billion in economic losses has increased more than 400 percent since the 1980s. Is President Trump aware that climate denial costs the U.S. more money and more jobs?
-
President Trump continues to deny manmade climate change. Stronger and more devastating storms have become a norm. The major international climate report recently released anticipates a dramatic increase in the severity and frequency of these events, surpassing even what we see now. The new IPCC report indicates that even more severe and catastrophic impacts of climate change will occur by 2040 if serious action is not taken. And the president’s White House, acknowledging the growing impacts of climate change, would rather continue polluting than act to change our fate. Is President Trump at all concerned that his own family will experience the most profound consequences of climate change?
-
President Trump has attacked the Paris Agreement, the Clean Power Plan, and Clean Car Standards that would curb carbon pollution all while pushing for more coal to be burned. The White House has acknowledged that climate change will be catastrophic but is continuing to take steps to make the climate crisis worse. Why is the President content to let this crisis unfold without even a fight, threatening communities nationwide?
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.