What climate negotiators in Paris forgot - 10 reasons why Trump is an extreme event
Climate change acts as a trigger of extreme events, be it floods or heat waves. But while negotiating for an agreement on climate change in Paris in October 2016, they had not anticipated a deluge called Donald Trump.
Here are 10 reasons why, in terms of climate change, Trump represents an “extreme event.”
1) Greenhouse emissions: Trump is the source of a lot of emissions - be it anger in the form of carbon dioxide or a byproduct in the form of other greenhouse gases. In other words, Trump is a lot of gas.
2) Global warming: Trump is also a major cause of global warming. This is not anecdotal. He has already warmed up to Saudi Arabia, described Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif as a “terrific guy”, and he is an advocate of warmer relations with Russia. A bear hug is what he desires.
3) Ocean melt: As sea levels rise, relations with many countries are suffering a meltdown. Be it Australia (recall his famous phone call to Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull) , or the other Five Eyes, all of them are wary of him. As sea levels rise due to global warming, non Anglo-Saxon countries are also facing the heat. Ask Angela Merkel or Emmanuel Macron.
4) Fossil fuels: Trump loves fossil fuels, especially, the captains of the fossil fuels industry. Apparently, he believes that primordials need to extracted - be it coal or gas or oil or even primordial human emotions. Grab them…
5) PPM: Atmospheric scientists measure pollution levels based on a key term - parts per million (PPM). Trump, the great connoisseur of Twitter, has his own PPM - posts per million (followers).
6) Adaptation and mitigation: Since climate change is generally regarded as irreversible, scientists advocate mitigation to reduce the impact of climate change, and adaptation of human ecology to adjust to the changes. The world still needs to prepare on how to mitigate the impact of Trump, and how to adapt to the new POTUS.
7) Biodiversity: Trump is a signature example of human biodiversity. Orange hair, and all - humans now come in all sizes, shapes, and colours, with differing abilities. There can be only one Donald Trump - and we need to hasten our efforts at biodiversity preservation.
8) Sequestration: Scientists focus too much on carbon sequestration, but some of our thoughts and opinions really need to be buried.
9) Renewable: We know air, wind and solar power are renewable, but is Trump’s four-year tenure renewable? Or does it get replenished with time?
10) Irreversible: While the “deep state” within the US is wondering if they can reverse the penetration of foreign actors within the country and its electoral system, the world over, everyone has a question. Is Donald Trump’s irreversible?