The President of the United States has continued his war of scepticism on climate change by asserting the current cold snap covering parts of the US could be fixed with a dose of “good old Global Warming”.
Donald Trump is leader of the world’s second largest emitter of greenhouse gases which 97 percent of the scientific community believe will lead to a catastrophic global situation that could cost $12 trillion and threaten the “majority of humankind”.
But he appears to think a bit of snow vindicates his decision earlier this year to pull out of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
There are a number of issues here - not least that Trump is confusing weather with climate.
Parts of the US are set to see the coldest New Year in decades but looking at short-term weather patterns says little about longer-term climate trends.
And looking at relative temperatures globally gives even more perspective.
Before Trump sent his tweet, the Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang saw it coming.
Unsurprisingly his tweet drew a collective resigned sigh.
Trump announced he would pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on climate change in June of this year.
He said that he would begin negotiations to re-enter the agreement or establish “an entirely new transaction” to get a better deal for the US whilst also suggesting re-entry was hardly a priority, saying: “If we can, great. If we can’t, that’s fine.”
Trump added that he was making the move “in order to fulfil my solemn duty to protect America and its citizens the United States”.
According to no less an authority than NASA, the effects of climate change on the US will see:
Increased flooding in the north
Increased droughts in the southwest
More frequent and stronger hurricanes
A sea level rise of 1-4 feet by 2100
On the plus side, there will probably be a boom in the emergency jobs sector.
Oh, and it will really interfere with his golfing.
Trump demonstrated his lack of understanding of the issue during his speech on pulling out of the Paris Agreement.
He said: “Even if the Paris Agreement was implemented in full with total compliance by all nations, it is estimated it would only produce a two-tenths of one degree Celsius reduction in global temperature by 2100.
“A tiny, tiny amount.”
The President missed the point that the Paris Agreement’s aim is to limit the rise in global temperatures.