How is it Wednesday already?
While the news this week is focused on cleaning up in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, climate changeand the role it may have played in exacerbating storm conditionsremains a topic of discussion. Check out Bob Inglis taking on Myron Ebell on fear mongering on CNN last night:
White House dodges: White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders indicated she doesn’t think President Donald Trump’s mind has “changed over the last several weeks,” on the issue of climate change. She added that she is unsure whether he is reconsidering the Paris Climate Accord following the deadly storms. Homeland Security advisor Tom Bossart would not say whether he believe climate change played a role in the storm, adding “I will tell you that we continue to take seriously … climate change, not the cause of it but the things that we observe.”
Not mincing words: Pope Francis said the recent spate of hurricanes should prompt people to understand that humanity will “go down” if it does not address climate change, and history will judge those who refuse to act. “If we don’t turn back, we will go down,” he told reporters. “You can see the effects of climate change with your own eyes and scientists tell us clearly the way forward…All of us have a responsibility. All of us. Some small, some big. A moral responsibility, to accept opinions, or make decisions. I think it is not something to joke about.” The Pontiff quoted a phrase from the Old Testament: “Man is stupid, a stubborn, blind man.”
Pancakes and climate change: Chief White House economic advisor Gary Cohn is convening a breakfast meeting next Monday of senior climate and energy ministers from about a dozen nations in advance of the United Nations General Assembly meeting. The gathering is billed as an “opportunity for key ministers with responsibility for these issues to engage in an informal exchange of views and discuss how we can move forward most productively.”
Tune in later this week for more from the ecoright.