Global warming is no hoax
14th October 2024 · 0 Comments
Former President Donald Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Ted Cruz and a host of other Republicans have engaged in straight-up lies about global warming being a hoax.
We don’t usually quote conspiracy theories, especially not from Greene, who uses outrageous conspiracies to propel herself into media reports and prove her undying devotion to Donald Trump. But as Hurricane Milton wreaked havoc on our fellow Americans within a few weeks of Hurricane Helene’s destruction, we must make our readers aware of Greene’s latest.
“The Republican Congresswoman from Georgia claimed last week that ‘they’ can control the weather after Hurricane Helene killed more than two dozen people in her state and more than 230 across the U.S.,” the Independent reported.
“Yes, they can control the weather,” she wrote on X. “It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.” In response to questions about who “they” are, Greene posted a clarification:
“Well, some of them are listed on NOAA, and most of the ways weather can be modified…If your home or business or property is damaged or a loved one is killed by their weather modifications, shouldn’t you be eligible for compensation?” Greene wrote.
According to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), “NOAA does not research or conduct weather modification experiments and has no plans to do so in the future.”
Unfortunately, we now live in an era where a growing contingency of people twists any kernel of truth to fit their propaganda. That’s what Greene did in this case.
Anyone who plans to produce artificial changes in the atmosphere’s composition, behavior, or dynamics (weather modifications) must report the planned activity to NOAA 10 days before commencing the project.
NOAA does list instances of weather modifications. Some include fires or heat sources to influence convective circulation or to evaporate fog; modifying the solar radiation exchange of the earth or clouds through the release of gases, clouds of dust, liquids, or aerosols into the atmosphere; and modifying the characteristics of land or water surfaces by dusting or treating them with powders, liquid sprays, dyes, or other materials.
To that end, we all can agree that there are individuals or companies engage in weather modifications?
NOAA does not.
And while it is common sense that these weather modifications are doing harm to climate, none of those activities allow anyone to control the weather, hurricanes, tornadoes, typhoons, wildfires and other natural disasters.
These conspiracy theorists are seeding the ground for justifying the deregulation of fossil fuel and chemical plant emissions and the wholesale elimination of the Environmental Protection Agency and NOAA.
According to a January 2024 Pew Research survey, just 12 percent of Republicans and Republican leaners say dealing with climate change should be a top priority for the president and Congress. For Republicans, coping with climate change ranks last among the 20 issues included in the survey.
Conversely, 59 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say climate change should be a top priority for the president and Congress. An even more significant majority (78%) views it as a major threat to the U.S.
They refuse to invest in environmentally safe energy sources or demand the production of organic products rather than plastics. Such solutions could help reverse the poisoning of the air and water with contaminants from methane gas and chemical plant pollutants.
Last week’s Formosa Plastics plant leak in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, underscores the dangers that chemicals, such as ammonia, can cause. Four workers were injured, and two are in critical condition from inhalation burns sustained at the plant.
According to The Advocate, the Fire Department said, “There is no danger to the public.” Really? No danger to the public? That’s absurd. However, government leadership sticks together, especially when money is involved in campaign contributions.
Since its announcement, the community has been fighting against the plant’s existence. Here are some of the issues with the Formosa Plastics project.
In January 2024, while a lawsuit against the plant was pending, The Lens reported that the plant could emit up to 800 tons of toxic air pollution and 13.6 million metric tons of greenhouse gases yearly. It could also release up to 7.7 tons of ethylene oxide annually, a known carcinogen.
RISE St. James, an environmental justice group, lost its fight to stop the expansion of a plastics plant in Cancer Alley.
An appellate court concluded that the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) had complied with the federal Clean Air Act and its duty to minimize adverse environmental impacts on surrounding communities. The decision reinstated the 15 air permits that LDEQ had issued to Formosa Plastics for its planned complex, which includes 14 chemical manufacturing plants.
The court basically said Formosa’s promise of 1,200 permanent jobs, along with pledged job training, health screenings and beautification of a nearby park, entitled the LDEQ to conclude that the social and economic benefits outweigh the environmental impact costs.”
In other words, if some people die or get hurt, so what? The need for jobs and upgrading a park is more important than human life. And it’s because of judgments such as those that Louisiana has a black eye called Cancer Alley.
That was in January 2024, before Formosa’s ammonia cylinder leaked, which injured four workers last week.
So tell us again why some people don’t want to vote or think their votes don’t count. We’ve already got Cancer Alley. Imagine how much worse things will get if we don’t vote on November 5 for candidates who care about us.
This article originally published in the October 14, 2024 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
