Ignorance Trumps science

One of the most frustrating things about hearing news about Donald Trump is the complete disconnect between the fantasy world in his head and the real world that we all live in. Most of the time, people like that are ridiculous but can be, more or less, ignored. With Trump it’s different because what he does has a large amount of influence.

Given what we know about climate change and the stakes, it’s extremely depressing to see Trump pulling the US out of the Paris climate change agreement, especially when all his reasons to do so seem to be nonsense. He is basically flying against all the climate science that we have and upsetting most of researchers in the process.

To pull out of such an agreement for nationalistic reasons is completely misguided. It’s the equivalent of sitting in a sinking boat and refusing to bail water because you think the others aren’t doing their share. Regardless of how much they are doing, you are in the same boat and not bailing out water is just going to result in the whole boat sinking faster!

You haven’t thought of this, have you?
The place we call home, without value
If you didn’t like how the songbird greeted thee
The bird would die…

Climate change is an existential threat to humanity. Even if we are able to survive in a changed world, entire countries will be lost, whether due to flooding or draught. Those who survive will have to deal with diseases spreading into new areas or, potentially, diseases we haven’t seen in millennia being released from melting permafrost.

This whole story also has a certain personal relevance as my home city of Cape Town has been suffering, for a number of years, with below average rainfall. This is developing into a huge disaster as there is literally only enough water for the next two months or so! There are extensive restrictions on how water may now be used but, even with rain this winter, it will be difficult to fill the dams to capacity again and the city of around 3,7 million people will still be vulnerable in the coming years.

It is both depressing and alarming that, either through ignorance, stupidity or callousness, Trump is continuing to pursue his America first agenda, even when it will be harmful to America.  It’s bad enough that he is slowly messing up his own country but it is a tragedy that he is messing up the rest of the world as well. His actions are not making anything great but will just leave us with another way to die.

Still, we ravage the world that we love
And the millions cry out to be saved
Our endless maniacal appetite
Left us with another way to die
It’s just another way to die