Monday, December 14, 2015

On climate, the right is reliably ideological and wrong

[Update] GOP politicians are threatening to upend the recently-concluded climate change summit's blueprint which is designed to slow down global warming's accelerating damage to the planet, media are reporting.

One hundred and ninety-six countries signed the blueprint, thereby breathing life-saving public policy energy into years and years of scientific research by thousands of researchers worldwide, but right-wing candidates and office-holders in this country are willing to destroy the outcome of complex diplomacy that can literally give peace and the planet a chance.

It's the latest example of the right's determination to substitute echo-chamber crosstalk for facts and science and insert their toxic stew into a wide spectrum of 'policies' it champions - - whether to enable ridiculously easy access to battlefield weapons, or to prevent clinics from providing medical care to low-income women, or as the Madison-born social scientist Dr. Anna Gassman-Pines has documented in important new research, to further tighten harmful food stamp limitations that create children's foundering school performance.

These rightwing politicians are already on the wrong side of public health, child development and environmental protection - - common sense matters so fundamental to civil society that there should be only universal and enthusiastic support on their behalf.

The climate change deniers are willing monkey-wrench the agreement with little regard for landing on the wrong side of history just as the world has come together remarkably to minimize unprecedented climate-related costs and risks - - though one former GOP official feels his party is making a mistake by opposing the accord: 
The Republicans’ unyielding approach has even sympathizers shaking their heads. Paris could provide a chance for the Republican Party to get on the right side of history,” said Andy Karsner, who was an assistant secretary of energy under President George W. Bush.  


  

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

They care only for their capitalism at all costs ideology and that means people and the planet be damned. They contend that the world runs only on profits made at the expense of people and by raping the earth's natural resources. They cannot look beyond their nose to see that their profiteering is destroying the very resources....people and the environment that they need to continue make profits. Economically it makes absolutely no sense to destroy the purchasing power of the people needed to buy your products and worse to destroy the planet that sustains all life including the greedy capitalists. Republican's cannot offer proof of the success of their approach over the past 30 years but they cling to it stubbornly because it is all they can hang on to and still accept the financial backing of business and corporations.