Hundreds of scientists and energy experts sent a letter to the President-elect of the United States on Tuesday, urging him to admit that climate change is real and to take specific steps to address it.
The 800 signatories to the letter, all Americans or individuals working in the US, called on Donald Trump to publicly state that global warming is a “human caused, urgent threat.”
“If not, you will become the only government leader in the world to deny climate science,” the message stated. The dispatch was organized by the popular magazine, Scientific American.
“Your position will be at odds with virtually all climate scientists, most economists, military experts, fossil fuel companies and other business leaders, and the two-thirds of Americans worried about this issue,” the scientists added.
Their missive is a long-shot attempt to sway an incoming President who has so far refused to accept the scientific consensus that the burning of fossil fuels is responsible for rapidly increasing global temperatures.
In a now-deleted tweet from 2012, Trump claimed that the “concept of global warming” was created by the Chinese to harm US manufacturing.
In addition to promising to block new environmental regulations, Trump wants to trash President Obama’s Clean Power Plan, effectively withdrawing the US from the sweeping climate pact that the international community agreed upon in Paris at the end of last year.
That agreement, if continually strengthened, could prevent the catastrophic two-degree Celsius global temperature increase that’s projected by the end of the century. The deal would be rendered completely ineffective if the US — the world’s second largest polluter — doesn’t play ball under Trump.
In their letter on Tuesday, the 800 climate experts demanded that Trump “uphold America’s commitment” to the Paris Climate Agreement.
They also appealed to the President-elect’s infrastructure spending promises, calling on him to focus part of his one trillion dollar commitment to rebuilding America on boosting clean energy development.
“You have the support of the majority of companies, military leaders, scientists, engineers, and citizens to respond to the threats posed by climate change by reducing carbon pollution and expanding clean energy,” the letter noted.
It concluded that Trump can decide if he wants his presidency “defined by denial and disaster, or acceptance and action.”
Not addressed on the communication was Ivanka Trump, the President-elect’s daughter. Politico reported last week that she wants climate change to be one of her “signature issues.”
On Monday, prominent global warming advocate Al Gore had a curious meeting in Manhattan with both Donald and Ivanka Trump. After the sit-down, the former US Vice President told the press that he had a “lengthy and very productive session” with Trump.
“It was a sincere search for areas of common ground… I found it an extremely interesting conversation, and to be continued, and I’m just going to leave it at that,” Gore added.
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