Donald Trump and global warming. What he has said recently
Environment — di Stefano Carnazzi
What the United States president-elect Donald Trump thinks about climate change. In his own words. Really.
Donald Trump and global warming. What he has said recently
What the United States president-elect Donald Trump thinks about climate change. In his own words. Really.
"The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese, in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive." A single tweet by Donald Trump from 2012, now president-elect of the United States, will not be enough — we hope — to sum up his future political line on the subject of climate and global warming, but it may be indicative of a line of thinking.
The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.
Taking on a public role at the helm of the world's most powerful economy, he may perhaps have to bend the ideas he has expressed in the recent past to the now unstoppable forces of new technologies, renewables, the unanimity of the scientific community. Even the World Bank. Certainly, it does not seem difficult to infer what the new president of the United States truly thinks about climate, the environment and renewable energy, from his own words. Which we quote verbatim.
Donald Trump fundamentally denies the existence of global warming, placing himself on the opposite side from 97.1 per cent of scientists worldwide and from every head of state currently in power.
Global warming according to scientists
97.1 per cent of scientific research worldwide reaches the same conclusion: global warming is triggered, caused and worsened by human activity.
Global warming according to Donald Trump
At a conference on 25 May in North Dakota, Trump stated that he would cancel American participation in the Paris Agreement, allow oil drilling along the Atlantic coast, restart the Keystone XL project — the pipeline that would cut North America in two — and would likely dismantle the already beleaguered United States Environmental Protection Agency, the EPA.
The largest nature organisation in the United States, Sierra Club, published a report in July analysing statements by world leaders on the subject of global warming. According to the report, "the scientific truth of climate change is accepted by leaders of every country recognised by the United States, including Bashar al-Assad of Syria, Kim Jong-un of North Korea, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe." But not by Trump: "Donald Trump would be the only head of state in the world not to acknowledge climate change."
In March 2016, in an interview with the Washington Post, he stated:
I think there is some change in climate. But I don't think it's man-made. I don't believe it, to any great extent. There's certainly a change of climate going on — if you look, we had global cooling in the 1920s and now we have global warming, though now it's not clear whether we even have that, this global warming. They call it all sorts of different names; I think the in phrase now is "extreme weather conditions." I don't believe it very much… Maybe there's a small man-made effect, but I don't believe it to a great extent.
In January 2016, on the programme Fox & Friends, Trump linked the subject of global warming to a speculative hoax:
It's just a new form of tax — a very, very expensive one. A lot of people are making a lot of money out of it.
To corroborate his most recent statements to the press, and to dispel any suspicion that these are ideas fabricated or exaggerated by the journalists who recorded them, here are some of his own tweets, selected from dozens — the full list here — in which Trump refers to global warming in various ways, from "hoax" to "bullshit."
"It'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!"
It'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!
"Just out – THE POLAR ICE CAPS are at an all time high, the POLAR BEAR population has never been stronger. Where the hell is GLOBAL WARMING?"
Just out - the POLAR ICE CAPS are at an all time high, the POLAR BEAR population has never been stronger. Where the hell is global warming?
"Wind turbines are the greatest threat in the US to both bald and golden eagles. Media claims fictional 'global warming' is worst."
Windmills are the greatest threat in the US to both bald and golden eagles. Media claims fictional ‘global warming’ is worse.
"All weather events are used by GLOBAL WARMING HOAXSTERS to justify higher taxes to save our planet! They don't believe it themselves (they do it for the money)!"
Any and all weather events are used by the GLOBAL WARMING HOAXSTERS to justify higher taxes to save our planet! They don't believe it $$$$!
"We should be focused on magnificently clean and healthy air and not GLOBAL WARMING-which is a very expensive HOAX! Our planet is freezing, record low temps, and our Global Warming scientists are stuck in ice."
This very expensive GLOBAL WARMING bullshit has got to stop. Our planet is freezing, record low temps,and our GW scientists are stuck in ice
"Ice storm rolls from Texas to Tennessee – I'm in Los Angeles and it's freezing. Global warming is an total, and very expensive, hoax!"
Ice storm rolls from Texas to Tennessee - I'm in Los Angeles and it's freezing. Global warming is a total, and very expensive, hoax!
The fact-checking website ClimateFeedback summarises then-candidate Donald Trump's grasp of the global warming issue as follows.
They submitted all the climate-related statements made by White House candidates (anonymously) for analysis by scientists and researchers. One of them commented: "The candidate's level of scientific knowledge is on a par with that of a fifth-grade pupil." If only!