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Climate change inaction boils down to ignorant politics

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With the rise of ultra-partisan politics, it has become increasingly hard to distinguish fact from reality.

We live in the age of spin, yet we must be wary that our understanding and need for science is non-negotiable.

Notable scientists in several fields of study have declared their disdain for President Donald Trump and his administration’s grasp on reality. Neil Degrasse Tyson and Stephen Hawking have both criticized the empty rhetoric of this administration, such as “Make America Great Again” and “America First,” which solidifies xenophobic and isolationist viewpoints in the discourse.

Tyson explains his opposition to the administration’s plans to cut science funding in a series of tweets, “President Donald Trump’s first proposed budget could make America ‘weak,’ ‘sick’ and ‘stupid.’ The fastest way to Make America Weak Again: Cut science funds to our agencies that support it.” 

This administration’s lack of response to the seriousness of climate change along with defunding federal science programs creates dissonance between the desire to progress the country and the lack of understanding of science.

The President’s perceived opposition to action against climate change — something created by the Chinese” — seems to suggest his inaction comes from ignorance. Science, although not immediately economically beneficial, creates a population of informed and diverse people.

In an interview with ITV, Dr. Hawking explains, “Climate change is one of the great dangers we face, and it’s one we can prevent. It affects America badly, so tackling it should win votes for [Trump’s] second term.”

Any argument that justifies action that opposes measures combating the warming climate either displays willful ignorance of reality or moral subversion for profit. There can be nothing to justify inaction against this serious problem.

Economics must, for once, take a backseat to the habitability of our planet. Science must reinforce political opinion, economic gain and social customs.

Our leaders, now more than ever, must be critically evaluated if they display willful ignorance of scientific facts. We cannot hope to create a better world, regardless of economic, political or social views if we do not agree upon objective reality. Our collective understanding of science must advance if we hope to improve our condition.

Opinion columnist Adib Shafipour is a biochemistry sophomore and can be reached at [email protected]

3 Comments

  • Abid … I know you are upset.

    Tom Perez is firing everyone left and right at the the DNC.

    You think you won a Victory on healthcare. But you are still angry, and you are still concerned about the collapsing and disintegrating ObamaCare, and Obama’s legacy which is also collapsing and disintegrating with every Trump EO.

    Despite what you see on the news, Trump is achieving a lot … checking off campaign promises left and right. But in your universe Abid … of UH, CNN, TPM, your Professors, and Hollywood, you don’t hear the Good Trump News, of a growing economy, increasing job growth, increasing consumer confidence, the promise of a brighter future, etc..

    Abid, you concentrate on what you think is bad, like the attempt to repeal ObamaCare, but eventually it will get done.

    Truth is Abid … ObamaCare is a terrible bill. Right now only 1/3rd of US counties have only one option of a healthcare carrier, which was the true purpose of ObamaCare … for it to fall apart, so the Democrats could propose single payer, and you know that Socialists love to control everyone’s healthcare.

    As far as global warming … as a Conservative, I actually like clean air and clean water. In fact, I Love it.

    But it can be achieved without Obama’s job killing restrictions and little common sense. There was nothing American about anything Barack Obama did. He Hates America even more than Colin Kapernick.

    And let’s be honest, no immigrant coming to America today, wants to come to Americanize their life, as they did a hundred years ago. The immigrant of today does not care of global warming, their only concern is to get on the gravy train.

    It’s the benefits. I saw a video recently of a Muslim woman driving a nice car, and after purchasing a cartload of soda on her NY State welfare card, which she promptly took it to her families convenience store to resale to the public.

    Stephen Hawking has turned away from science with his statement on global warming.

    The Earth was here long before we were here, and it will be here long after we are gone. More pollution than we have ever produced can be put into the air by just one Mt. Pinotubo like eruption, and guess we are still here.

    We have several active volcanoes like Etna, spewing CO2 into the atmosphere right now, and I expect that our summer will be cooler than expected, which is something that your global warming models never account for, because man in your eyes Abid is the only culprit.

    Have you ever heard of Frankenstein Abid? In 1815, Mt. Tambora, erupted causing the volcanic winter of 1816, the “Year without a Summer.” In which Mary Shelly was exposed to when she and her future husband Percy while visiting Lord Byron in Switzerland.

    Mary Shelly took to the pen after having the vision to reanimate a dead body in a desolate place with was cold, rainy and cloudy, which never ended. Frankenstein was written in 1816 and published several years later.

    It was a “When Weather Changed History” moment.

    Abid, scientific fact is has been politicized into a commodity to be bought and sold like a worthless Climate Credit. If you have the money, you can officially pollute all you want.

    You fear Abid, since you want to be a scientist, that the money will have dried up when you get your chance. It’s understandable, you fear for your future livelihood.

    Your rhetoric today with ominous overtones like “economics must take a backseat to the habitability of our planet” and ” science must reinforce political opinion, economic gain and social customs.”

    I got a good giggle when you wrote “our leaders, now more than ever, must be critically evaluated if they display willful ignorance of scientific facts. We cannot hope to create a better world.”

    Abid, we are in a better world already.

    • My brother… you place your faith in Trump before you listen to a scientist about science?

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