SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
An activist prepares a balloon painted to look like planet Earth and decorated with orange hair and eyebrows in the likeness of U.S. President Donald Trump during a climate protest prior to a meeting of European Union leaders at the Chancellery on June 29, 2017 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
'The Ignorance Is Astounding': Citing Cold Weather, Trump Says US 'Could Use a Little Bit of Global Warming'
"Weather is not the same as climate. The president should be able to understand that. It isn't hard."
Dec 29, 2017
"This is what happens when you try to run the country without a science adviser."
So wrote meteorologist Eric Holthaus after President Donald Trump, citing the bitter cold currently gripping the eastern U.S., suggested in a Thursday night tweet, "Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old global warming that our country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against."
\u201cIn the East, it could be the COLDEST New Year\u2019s Eve on record. Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against. Bundle up!\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1514505707
In addition to demonstrating that he is unaware of the distinction between weather and climate, Trump also appeared to be referencing his decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate accord--a move environmentalists slammed as "stupid and reckless."
Such recklessness has characterized much of Trump's approach to the environment--both globally and in the U.S.--throughout his first year in office.
As the ranks of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continue to be filled with climate deniers and Big Oil favorites, the agency's chief, Scott Pruitt, is moving at breakneck speed to dismantle even the most basic protections against environmental degradation--opening the door to both short-term and long-term catastrophes in a bid to reward the fossil fuel industry.
Furthermore, the GOP's $1.5 trillion tax bill Trump signed into law last Friday opens Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling, a decision characterized by Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune as "a gift to corporate polluters and a means to pay off these tax cuts for the rich."
Trump's tweet Thursday night sparked a flurry of reaction from climate experts and analysts, but it wasn't the first time Trump has used cold weather to suggest that the citizens of the world should welcome the climate crisis.
\u201cIt's really cold outside, they are calling it a major freeze, weeks ahead of normal. Man, we could use a big fat dose of global warming!\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1445261430
Holthaus concluded that "as twisted and wrong" as these tweets are, they are "exactly what resonates with his base. Poking fun at existential global problems in the sickest, most selfish way possible."
Others echoed Holthaus on Thursday, calling Trump's scientific ignorance a serious danger to future generations.
\u201cThis is what we\u2019re up against. He is dismantling our most critical environmental and public health protections, while also spreading misinformation. \n\nHelp us fight this madness. https://t.co/A9H8Xy8dxL https://t.co/3h6gvambd5\u201d— NRDC \ud83c\udf0e\ud83c\udfe1 (@NRDC \ud83c\udf0e\ud83c\udfe1) 1514513352
\u201cThe ignorance is astounding. https://t.co/V5yo7N4TQX\u201d— Atom Araullo (@Atom Araullo) 1514523409
\u201cIn 2017, there were about three record high temperatures in the U.S. for every record low temperature. Weather is not the same as climate. The president should be able to understand that. It isn't hard. https://t.co/piwHcvZWbH https://t.co/7EFkR5SmUN\u201d— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@Rep. Pramila Jayapal) 1514507429
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
"This is what happens when you try to run the country without a science adviser."
So wrote meteorologist Eric Holthaus after President Donald Trump, citing the bitter cold currently gripping the eastern U.S., suggested in a Thursday night tweet, "Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old global warming that our country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against."
\u201cIn the East, it could be the COLDEST New Year\u2019s Eve on record. Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against. Bundle up!\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1514505707
In addition to demonstrating that he is unaware of the distinction between weather and climate, Trump also appeared to be referencing his decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate accord--a move environmentalists slammed as "stupid and reckless."
Such recklessness has characterized much of Trump's approach to the environment--both globally and in the U.S.--throughout his first year in office.
As the ranks of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continue to be filled with climate deniers and Big Oil favorites, the agency's chief, Scott Pruitt, is moving at breakneck speed to dismantle even the most basic protections against environmental degradation--opening the door to both short-term and long-term catastrophes in a bid to reward the fossil fuel industry.
Furthermore, the GOP's $1.5 trillion tax bill Trump signed into law last Friday opens Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling, a decision characterized by Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune as "a gift to corporate polluters and a means to pay off these tax cuts for the rich."
Trump's tweet Thursday night sparked a flurry of reaction from climate experts and analysts, but it wasn't the first time Trump has used cold weather to suggest that the citizens of the world should welcome the climate crisis.
\u201cIt's really cold outside, they are calling it a major freeze, weeks ahead of normal. Man, we could use a big fat dose of global warming!\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1445261430
Holthaus concluded that "as twisted and wrong" as these tweets are, they are "exactly what resonates with his base. Poking fun at existential global problems in the sickest, most selfish way possible."
Others echoed Holthaus on Thursday, calling Trump's scientific ignorance a serious danger to future generations.
\u201cThis is what we\u2019re up against. He is dismantling our most critical environmental and public health protections, while also spreading misinformation. \n\nHelp us fight this madness. https://t.co/A9H8Xy8dxL https://t.co/3h6gvambd5\u201d— NRDC \ud83c\udf0e\ud83c\udfe1 (@NRDC \ud83c\udf0e\ud83c\udfe1) 1514513352
\u201cThe ignorance is astounding. https://t.co/V5yo7N4TQX\u201d— Atom Araullo (@Atom Araullo) 1514523409
\u201cIn 2017, there were about three record high temperatures in the U.S. for every record low temperature. Weather is not the same as climate. The president should be able to understand that. It isn't hard. https://t.co/piwHcvZWbH https://t.co/7EFkR5SmUN\u201d— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@Rep. Pramila Jayapal) 1514507429
"This is what happens when you try to run the country without a science adviser."
So wrote meteorologist Eric Holthaus after President Donald Trump, citing the bitter cold currently gripping the eastern U.S., suggested in a Thursday night tweet, "Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old global warming that our country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against."
\u201cIn the East, it could be the COLDEST New Year\u2019s Eve on record. Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against. Bundle up!\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1514505707
In addition to demonstrating that he is unaware of the distinction between weather and climate, Trump also appeared to be referencing his decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate accord--a move environmentalists slammed as "stupid and reckless."
Such recklessness has characterized much of Trump's approach to the environment--both globally and in the U.S.--throughout his first year in office.
As the ranks of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continue to be filled with climate deniers and Big Oil favorites, the agency's chief, Scott Pruitt, is moving at breakneck speed to dismantle even the most basic protections against environmental degradation--opening the door to both short-term and long-term catastrophes in a bid to reward the fossil fuel industry.
Furthermore, the GOP's $1.5 trillion tax bill Trump signed into law last Friday opens Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling, a decision characterized by Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune as "a gift to corporate polluters and a means to pay off these tax cuts for the rich."
Trump's tweet Thursday night sparked a flurry of reaction from climate experts and analysts, but it wasn't the first time Trump has used cold weather to suggest that the citizens of the world should welcome the climate crisis.
\u201cIt's really cold outside, they are calling it a major freeze, weeks ahead of normal. Man, we could use a big fat dose of global warming!\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1445261430
Holthaus concluded that "as twisted and wrong" as these tweets are, they are "exactly what resonates with his base. Poking fun at existential global problems in the sickest, most selfish way possible."
Others echoed Holthaus on Thursday, calling Trump's scientific ignorance a serious danger to future generations.
\u201cThis is what we\u2019re up against. He is dismantling our most critical environmental and public health protections, while also spreading misinformation. \n\nHelp us fight this madness. https://t.co/A9H8Xy8dxL https://t.co/3h6gvambd5\u201d— NRDC \ud83c\udf0e\ud83c\udfe1 (@NRDC \ud83c\udf0e\ud83c\udfe1) 1514513352
\u201cThe ignorance is astounding. https://t.co/V5yo7N4TQX\u201d— Atom Araullo (@Atom Araullo) 1514523409
\u201cIn 2017, there were about three record high temperatures in the U.S. for every record low temperature. Weather is not the same as climate. The president should be able to understand that. It isn't hard. https://t.co/piwHcvZWbH https://t.co/7EFkR5SmUN\u201d— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@Rep. Pramila Jayapal) 1514507429
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.