On day of 'shock and awe,' LA wildfire insults set Trump climate tone
Plus, how scientists measure global temperatures differs; the results are the same
In today’s edition:
— Trump’s insistence that bad management caused the LA fires sets the tone for new climate era
— Fed’s withdrawal from central bank climate group raises financial crisis chances
— How scientists measure global temperatures, and does it matter?
— The era of 100-year storms is over, scientists say. Each one now could be worse.
He had us until the man on Mars.
Until then, the vengeful joyride of President Donald Trump’s inauguration speech had careened recklessly but expectedly from insult to calumny to religious proclamation, with only the portraits on the Capitol Rotunda walls rattling at the historical defamation as if the founders were hearing it for the first time.
But the man on Mars shook us out of the funk and we realized that it was indeed just vicious entertainment at the highest level, with Elon Musk the lone believer. Not that we won’t ever get a man on Mars, which would require an 18-month space trip. But let’s see how we do with the rest of the wall first.
Still, among insults to every political leader and many countries, one stood out to us. While trashing government leaders and Democrats for allowing the LA wildfires to start and flourish, Trump said the fires had been allowed to consume the homes of many people “without a token of defense.” So much for the brave first responders.
It wasn’t the first time Trump — or any climate deniers — blamed a climate tragedy on personal mismanagement, but it was his first time as president, at least of the second term. And that sets a dangerous tone for the litany of disasters still to come.
Climate journalists and advocates, in idle moments, often like to speculate how big a climate disaster would be needed before the world wakes up to what it was causing and starts rallying together to reduce the murderous usage of harmful oil and gas. A million victims? Five million? Ten million?
The answer, now that we’ve seen the drought-based climate fires take hit one of our largest cities, is that there is no limit. Someone will always finger point to a political enemy, seeking a scapegoat for what should be blindingly apparent to anyone watching who still lives in reality.
History will be the ultimate judge. But markets will serve in the meantime. Stocks rose Tuesday on hopes for low taxes and little regulation, though oil fell as the “drill, baby, drill” mantra failed to impress. From catastrophe bonds to new forms of insurance derivatives to municipal bonds and of course, stocks, investors will chart the climate course these next four years based on what they see. Not what they are told.
Don’t forget to contact me directly if you have suggestions or ideas dcallaway@callawayclimateinsights.com.
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Tuesday’s subscriber insights: Fed’s withdrawal from central bank climate group raises risk
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