Climate Change: Trump Golf Expands Water Hazard

President Donald J. Trump has announced that the United States is withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord — not to protect American jobs (it won’t) or to help U.S. industry (it won’t) but because he can. Actually, it will take 4 years for the U.S. to fully withdraw from the agreement, unless Mr. Trump ignores its terms and makes the USA seem even more unreliable to other nations.

Mr. Trump’s determination to ignore climate change will come at personal sacrifice, since the resulting sea level rise will engulf his golf courses in Florida and Ireland. Hey, maybe Eric, Don Jr., and Jared can promote water polo. Ivanka can make the bathing suits!

More:

“5 claims Trump used to justify pulling the US out of the Paris agreement — and the reality,” Dana Varinsky, Dave Mosher and Ariel Schwartz, Business Insider

“Paris Climate Deal’s Demise Means Bannon Wins—And The Planet Loses,” Lachlan Markay and Asawin Suebsaeng, Daily Beast

“Bill Nye hits Trump: ‘You can’t build a border wall against CO2 emissions,'” Brandon Carter, The Hill

“The entire Trump presidency, in 1 mind-blowingly stupid announcement,” Paul Waldman, The Week

“Donald Trump has now pissed off the damn Weather Channel,” Clayton Purdom, A.V. Club

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Don’t Say ‘Climate Change’ in Florida

Florida officials have a strategy for fighting climate change: don’t talk about it. Employees at the state’s Department of Environmental Protection were warned not to used the terms “climate change” or “global warming” after Republican Governor Rick Scott took office in 2011. That won’t stop the warming world’s rising seas from swallowing Miami, but mum’s the word until Mr. Scott leaves office.

Paul Ryan, Republican Intellectual

Congressman Paul Ryan (R, WI-1) is running for reelection, and he’s rolled out his Big Ideas:

In the realm Higher Mathematics, he’s figured out how to cut taxes but keep popular tax deductions and government benefits. The method seems to involve lots of sleight-of-hand and wishful thinking. Maybe there’s a secret formula in Atlas Shrugged.

In Climate Science, Mr. Ryan has determined that humans have not contributed to Global Warming, despite decades of research that indicate otherwise with a 97% consensus. This isn’t just a tree-hugger matter; the Pentagon says Climate Change is a threat to National Security.

Related:

“How Paul Ryan Convinced Washington of His Genius,” Alec MacGillis, The New Republic

“Like Newt Gingrich? You’ll Love Paul Ryan.” NotionsCapital.com

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King Canute to Visit Virginia Beach?

Following the lead of the North Carolina Senate, the Commonwealth of Virginia has decided to legislate against the inevitable rise of the sea level along the coastal Atlantic shore. Sounds like King Canute is moving from Hatteras to Virginia Beach.

More:

“Virginia Lawmaker Says ‘Sea Level Rise’ Is A ‘Left Wing Term,’ Excises It From State Report On Coastal Flooding,” Rebecca Leber, Think Progress

“Sink or Swim,” The Colbert Report

“Sea level rise 101,” John Bruno, SeaMonster

“Understanding Sea Level Rise: Why a linear extrapolation is the least reasonable predictor of future changes,” Southern Fried Science

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King Canute Backs North Carolina Shore Bill

North Carolina’s Coastal Resources Commission, using current scientific data, estimated a 39-inch rise in sea level by the year 2100.  Developers of beach houses, marinas, and seaside resorts don’t want to hear about it, so a bill has been introduced in the state legislature making scientific estimates of changes in sea level illegal.

Just like legendary King Canute, North Carolina’s politicians want to order the sea to stop rising. Maybe Canute was really a  Tarheel Republican climate change denialist.

More:

“Climate Change: North Carolinians Hope to Stop It in Its Tracks,” Bill Chameides, Huffington Post

“NC Considers Making Sea Level Rise Illegal,” Scott Huler, Scientific American blog

Read Knight Science Journalism Tracker post here.

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Image (“King Canute Tours North Carolina Shoreline”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Rick Perry Picks a Running Mate

Texas Governor Rick Perry used the occasion of the Republican Presidential Debate & Quiz Show to announce his running mate:

“The idea that we would put Americans’ economy at . . . jeopardy based on scientific theory that’s not settled yet, to me, is just nonsense I mean . . . and I tell somebody, I said, just because you have a group of scientists that have stood up and said here is the fact, Galileo got outvoted for a spell.”

— Rick Perry, via ABC News.

This is a controversial position for a Tea Party Republican in these sceptical times. It might even be taken to mean that Mr. Perry actually believes that the Earth revolves around the Sun, when anyone can plainly can see it’s the other way ’round. The Perry campaign has not responded to questions about those provocative implications.