The unthinkable is not unlikely, it’s undeniable and undesirable, and it’s becoming unavoidable.
The Trump delegation selling coal at the 2018 United Nations Climate Conference COP24 got a well-deserved reproach. The Trump economy and his administration have failed, but U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) made the news last November with surprising remarks:
“When I travel across Arkansas speaking with business people and local leaders, I hear an unmistakable sense of optimism and excitement in their voices as they explain how businesses feel empowered to grow and expand. This didn’t happen by accident or coincidence. It’s the result of thoughtful, deliberate policies that are designed to boost confidence, relieve unnecessary burdens and spur growth. Tax reform is at the top of the list of reasons why our economic indicators are moving in the right direction… More than 1.8 million jobs have been created since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act became law.
“We have used the Congressional Review Act to roll back harmful regulations from the Obama era… They know that when Washington gets out of the way and frees businesses and entrepreneurs to do what they are capable of doing, the benefits reach far and wide.”
Boozman is preaching a false story. I have called his office inquiring about these claims without response. Boozman ignores the thousands of layoffs and stores going out of business. Many new jobs are for Homeland Security and other immigration enforcement agencies. Part-time and low-wage jobs without medical benefits and workers’ compensation insurance are included in Boozman’s headcount. A healthy economy would provide full-time jobs with health benefits.
The 2018 federal deficit rose to $779 billion, driven in part by the $1.5 trillion Trump tax cuts that Boozman applauds. To pay a fraction of the deficit, Trump canceled a 2.1 percent pay increase for hundreds of thousands of federal workers. But Trump is not worried about the $21.5 trillion national debt, he is not going to be around.
Environmental regulations are not “in the way,” they are essential to protect public health and stop greenhouse gas emissions. Trump has rolled back 78 environmental rules so far, in order to increase fracking, drilling, and mining. Deforestation permits are hiding in the weeds. In Florida, a high-risk coastal state, four million acres of wetlands will be destroyed unless people send comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2018-0149. The 60-day comment period will start once the government reopens.
US free-market economy
Massive public relations campaigns have sold the free-market economy as the only democratic model, used to lower taxes on the wealthy, eliminate environmental regulations, and dismantle public education and social welfare programs. The result has been the destruction of life and nature, a planetary crisis, economic inequality, and an unsustainable economy.
The climate crisis is not about running out of oil. Counting crude oil barrels and exporting shale crude at a loss for more than 10 years are the results of investment banking greed and massive subsidies paid by the middle class. U.S. emissions have not decreased. Replacing coal with natural gas is a false solution – methane in the short term is 30 times worse than carbon dioxide.
Global Climate Economy
The new “Global Commission on Economy and Climate” December 2018 report has bold climate initiatives. The New Climate Economy for a sustainable planet would save more than 700,000 lives from air pollution, increase women’s participation in the labor force, deliver more than 65 million additional jobs, and add $26 trillion to the global economy through 2030.
Work is process and the results are feasible if we all get on board. The next two years are a critical window for policy and investment decisions for the next 10 years.
The priorities are: Pricing carbon and moving toward mandatory disclosure of climate-related financial risks. Investing in sustainable infrastructure. Harnessing the power of the private sector to unleash innovation.
Rise up
The U.S. has a unique opportunity to provide world leadership on climate solutions. The 2018 US National Climate Assessment shows the economic benefits of a green economy. Believe it or not!
Dr. Luis Contreras
If it is Sunny and the streets are flooded, you may be in Miami
Other coastal cities are facing the same threats … with impacts to sewer and public water systems
Here is a story from 2014, today the floods are all over the place.
https://miami.cbslocal.com/2014/10/07/new-storm-water-pumps-to-reduce-flooding-in-miami/
The 2017 tax cut has received pretty bad press, and rightly so. Its proponents made big promises about soaring investment and wages, and also assured everyone that it would pay for itself; none of that has happened.
No money has, in fact, been brought home, and the tax cut has probably reduced national income. Indeed, at least 90 percent of Americans will end up poorer thanks to that cut.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/01/opinion/the-trump-tax-cut-even-worse-than-youve-heard.html