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Paul Krugman Get It Mostly Right About Why Republicans Doom Earth’s Population

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While many American victims of Republican fear mongering are quaking and buying guns due to a constant drumbeat of Islamo-fright, the greatest threat to America and the planet is being addressed by 200 world leaders. According to most experts, if it is significant, the outcome of the Paris Climate conference is likely “the last, best hope of a binding international agreement” to save every American and billions of people world-wide.

According to Nobel-winning economist Paul Krugman, Republicans will go to any length to stop American involvement in a climate deal and will hasten the world population’s demise in the process; left alone the planet will fix itself in a few centuries. Krugman’s assessment is incomplete; there is more motivation behind Republican opposition to saving the Earth’s population than simply rejecting science.

Because Americans are generally ignorant and particularly stupid about climate change, they cannot possibly connect carbon emissions to global warming responsible for historic droughts, increased food costs, wildfires, flooding, and severe storms they experience. Lacking that sense means they cannot fathom how an international climate agreement will possibly impact them; even while they suffer the effects of climate change.

It is like Republicans and their base are too dense to realize that America, no matter how exceptional, is really part of the Earth and already suffering devastating effects from global climate change due to burning fossil fuels. What is more reasonable is that many Americans are enthralled with anti-science Republicans on a constant crusade to block America from doing its part to address climate change. This is despite the well-documented empirical data that climate change is a clear and present danger to national security, the economy, and the Earth’s population.

In Krugman’s opinion piece on Friday, he fairly blamed the Republican Party for the impending cataclysm if America, as a world leader, does not join an Earth-wide effort to address climate change; exactly why the world is meeting in Paris. Mr. Krugman is right, but the GOP’s nearly unanimous rejection of decades-old established science is only part of the reason Republicans will lead in destroying the climate.

In his article Krugman notes that out of a congressional caucus numbering 278, only eight Republicans “accept the reality of man-made global warming.” Republicans running for the presidential nomination are universal in their rejection of climate science “both in the U.S. context and on the global scene.” Krugman also notes the unprecedented level of extremism defining American conservatives; he wrote.

“Some conservative parties across the West tend to be less favorable to climate action than parties to their left. Everywhere except America and Australia these parties nonetheless support measures to limit emissions. U.S. Republicans are unique in refusing to accept that there is even a problem. Unfortunately, given the importance of the United States, the extremism of one party in one country has enormous global implications.”

So there it is; noted economist Paul Krugman says Republicans will, if allowed, destroy the planet based on their religious rejection of science. However, although rejecting climate science is a factor, it is far from the only reason.

Part and parcel of Republicans’ drive to hasten global catastrophe is increasing the human suffering at home and abroad and creating instability, terrorism, and civil wars; exactly what Bush did in Iraq to create ISIL and precisely what Republicans lust to repeat because there is profit in war and human suffering.

Experts from all nations and social, scientific, and economic disciplines, including the U.S. Pentagon and all American intelligence agencies, have warned for years that climate change plays a crucial role in destabilizing civil wars like the one in Syria, increased terrorism, greater poverty and health disasters. A robust Paris Climate Talk agreement will address those issues for future generations.

In fact, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals depend on global climate action to achieve its goals of reducing poverty and improving health; goals Republicans oppose as socialism and un-American. Naturally, Republicans promoting greater fossil fuel emissions for their campaign donors’ profits get joy from punishing Americans, but their opposition is punishing people in low-emission nations who have not contributed to global warming. Still, these are Republicans and their contempt for human beings is as boundless as their satisfaction at creating pain and suffering for Americans; the world’s population should be as terrified of Republicans as they are the devastation of global warming or terrorism.

The last thing on Earth Republicans will support is any plan, much less a climate change plan, that reduces poverty and increases health. If nothing else, the past six years demonstrate they exist to increase poverty, and their opposition to good health is as rabid as their opposition to science. It is just another reason they will oppose any agenda that addresses global climate change that does make them responsible for the impending destruction of Earth’s population.

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Rmuse

Audio engineer and instructor for SAE. Writes op/ed commentary supporting Secular Humanist causes, and exposing suppression of women, the poor, and minorities. An advocate for freedom of religion and particularly, freedom of NO religion.

Born in the South, raised in the Mid-West and California for a well-rounded view of America; it doesn't look good.

Former minister, lifelong musician, Mahayana Zen-Buddhist.