The world is facing a critical moment in the fight against climate change, and the actions of one man have sparked a controversial silence. Donald Trump's aggressive assault on environmental regulations has left many questioning where the pushback is.
Trump's administration has been dismantling the legal framework that allows America to tackle global warming emissions, and it's a move that has climate deniers celebrating. Marc Morano, a long-time climate skeptic, boldly stated at the World Prosperity Forum that Trump is gutting everything climate activists have fought for. But here's where it gets controversial: he might be right.
The Heartland Institute, a conservative think tank known for spreading climate disinformation, sponsored the event where Morano spoke. And they're not alone in their silence. Billionaires, Democrats, and even climate activists seem to be acquiescing to Trump's pro-fossil fuel agenda.
Robert Brulle, an environmental professor, describes the situation as a march of destruction. The Trump administration has dismantled the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the premier climate research center in the US. And the response? A whimper, if that.
Last month, the administration repealed the 2009 'endangerment finding', which established that greenhouse gas pollution is a threat to public health. This repeal is just one in a long line of climate-related actions by Trump, including curtailing weather forecasting and climate science research, publishing reports denying established climate science, and cutting funding for clean energy and community projects.
Under Trump's appointee, Chris Wright, the Department of Energy has even banned the use of terms like 'climate change' and 'sustainability' in key renewable energy departments. It's a blitz of anti-climate actions, and many Democratic representatives have retreated from talking about the climate crisis.
The debate within the Democratic party is whether affordability is a better message than climate action, despite polls suggesting the American public wants clean energy prioritized. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has resisted this trend, urging people to ignore the 'climate hushers' who think Dems should stay quiet.
Genevieve Guenther, an expert in climate communications, agrees that the Democrats' climate hushing is politically foolish and only benefits the Trump regime's agenda.
Morano expressed shock at the 'flips on climate' by tech moguls Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, whose companies have abandoned ambitious climate promises as they face the energy demands of their AI businesses. Gates, whose foundation has donated to a think tank run by climate denier Bjorn Lomborg, published a controversial memo arguing that climate change won't lead to humanity's demise and advocating for ending climate funding.
Microsoft and Amazon, who donated to Trump's inauguration fund, have embraced fossil-fuel-powered AI data centers alongside Trump energy officials. Bezos, owner of the Washington Post, reportedly made significant cuts to the paper's climate desk, and just weeks later, the Post published an editorial praising Trump's repeal of the endangerment finding.
Journalists, according to Morano, have been less aggressive in reporting on Trump's fossil fuel agenda. The growing 'climate hush' is not limited to the US; it's a global silence. At Davos, world leaders talked less about addressing climate change, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney limiting his mentions of climate change to a quiet reference to the COP summit.
Despite this silence, the vast majority of people worldwide support climate action. So, what can be done? Katherine Hayhoe, a climate scientist, advises having conversations about climate change, especially in this time of 'climate hushing'.
For Brulle, it's not just about talking; the climate movement in the US has failed, and it needs to be rebuilt in a different manner. Bill McKibben, an environmentalist, is more optimistic, believing that the real story is the fast movement towards clean energy, even if it's not always in the name of 'climate'.
The question remains: will the silence be broken, or will the world continue to face a 'spiral of science'?
