Time to figure out which the way the wind blows… Photo credit Hoarder Politics today
Elon Musk – “Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world,”
Japanese Environment Minister, Koichi Yamamoto – “I’m very disappointed… I am angry”
Barack Obama – “Rejecting the future”
UN chief Antonio Guterres’s – “A major disappointment”
Miguel Arias Cañete, EU climate commissioner – “A sad day for the world”
Donald Trump – “We don’t want other leaders and other countries laughing at us anymore – and they won’t be.”
NOBODY’S LAUGHING NOW. TRUMP PULLS OUT OF THE PARIS AGREEMENT.
This week, Donald Trump made the decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement leaving the world lamenting the loss. Despite strong opposition, Trump stated in his speech, that his “solemn duty to protect America and its citizens” was the driving force into this decision.
As the above quote suggests, Trump seems to truly believe that the Paris accord is some sort of elaborate in-joke directed at America, and that only he has foreseen the punchline. During the 2016 campaign, he infamously claimed that climate change is a “hoax” created by China to level the global playing field. He claimed that playing along with this hoax was hurting the US economy, costing as many as 27 million American jobs.
FAKE NEWS
But this simply isn’t true. While it may provide some jobs within fossil fuel industries, there are now twice as many people employed in America on solar farms than there are in coal mines. In fact, heads of companies including Apple, Google, Microsoft and Amazon and major fossil fuel producers such as Exxon Mobil, have been urging Trump to not leave the agreement. Since announcing his decision, Donald Trump lost Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and Robert Iger, CEO of Disney from the White House advisory committee.
The pact states that a nation seeking to leave can give notice three years after the date it entered into force – 16 November 2016 for US. The process of leaving will likely take at least another year, meaning this seemingly huge landmark shift won’t actually take place until after Trump’s first (and possible only) term.
MORE MEDIA CIRCUS?
True to his business background Trump even tried to enter negotiations for the US’s re-entry terms within minutes of announcing his intention to leave the agreement. This clumsy attempt to create leverage over other nations, caused further outcry and could explain the true nature of the decision. While Trump is not used to running a country, he is very comfortable running a media circus. Every policy that Trump has actually followed through on, has both generated huge controversy and so far, have effectively amounted to nothing:
- Muslim countries fly ban – opposed by American judicial system and subsequently put on indefinite hold.
- Build that wall! – while some budget has been allocated to “begin preparations”, this is in reality – put on indefinite hold.
- Examination into Hillary’s personal email server use – put on indefinite hold.
NOT ANOTHER “APPRENTICE” SHOW.
It’s time that Trump learns that America isn’t “The Apprentice” and it’s time to stop running the country for ratings. We as a species desperately need to learn how to treat our planet better and the Paris agreement is a major step in the right direction. Since opening, our OPTIMeyes division, focused on providing renewable energy solutions to business, has had back to back bookings from all sorts of clients. With corporations flocking to renewables and world leaders in support – why can’t self-proclaimed business guru and the elected President of the United States see which the way the wind blows?
If you want to see what your business can do to get involved in the renewable revolution to help control climate change whilst saving money in the process, get in touch with our team.