EPA Chief Scott Pruitt Calls for Withdrawal from Paris Climate Agreement

[Frodo]

It was quite clever for the negotiators to insist on the three-year withdrawal/one-year waiting period clause:

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WashPo

[Dr. Arch]

Elections have consequences.

[ApatheticAustrian]

SCOOP: White House hardliners, moderates set for showdown on whether Trump should pull out of Paris climate deal

White House showdown on Paris deal set for next week
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/paris-climate-pact-trump-white-house-237234

[100% pro-life no matter what]

Pruitt is one of the best appointees of this administration.  He is also very socially conservative, so I would love to see him run for higher office one day!

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Honestly I don't see anything wrong with pulling out here. We shouldn't settle for "America Third".

[Hindsight was 2020]

I f**king hate these idiots

[America Needs R'hllor]

One of the most dangerous people in the administration, who endangers humanity itself. If America withdraws from this agreement, it promotes the destruction of coastal cities all over the world. As simple as that.

[ProudModerate2]

I still don't understand how the orange-haired clown and his joke of an administration, can think that they know more than 97% of the world's scientist, who actually have degrees in and who have studied the environment their entire lives.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

I still don't understand how the orange-haired clown and his joke of an administration, can think that they know more than 97% of the world's scientist, who actually have degrees in and who have studied the environment their entire lives.

There's no reason we should settle for America Third climate agreements that allow China to sit on its laurels until 2030.

[ProudModerate2]

I still don't understand how the orange-haired clown and his joke of an administration, can think that they know more than 97% of the world's scientist, who actually have degrees in and who have studied the environment their entire lives.

There's no reason we should settle for America Third climate agreements that allow China to sit on its laurels until 2030.

That still doesn't explain the denial from these clown's that it is people that a dramatically changing/damaging the environment, and altering our planet in a very negative way.
Instead, they just play stupid or have ignorant conclusions to today's (and tomorrow's) environmental problems.
We need to act now, if we are concerned about Earth ... our only home.

Instead, it's all about satisfying our short-term need's and desires now, and worrying about the drastic problems that are 100% sure to happen, later.
Would be similar to a man who cannot overcome the overpowering desire to have immediate sex, so he has unprotected sex with a very dirty prostitute who he knows has HIV and Hepatitis C, and decides to worry about the debilitating consequences later.
Just stupid !

[ProgressiveCanadian]

Scott Pruitt is as dark a human being as they come.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

I still don't understand how the orange-haired clown and his joke of an administration, can think that they know more than 97% of the world's scientist, who actually have degrees in and who have studied the environment their entire lives.

There's no reason we should settle for America Third climate agreements that allow China to sit on its laurels until 2030.

That still doesn't explain the denial from these clown's that it is people that a dramatically changing/damaging the environment, and altering our planet in a very negative way.
Instead, they just play stupid or have ignorant conclusions to today's (and tomorrow's) environmental problems.
We need to act now, if we are concerned about Earth ... our only home.

Instead, it's all about satisfying our short-term need's and desires now, and worrying about the drastic problems that are 100% sure to happen, later.
Would be similar to a man who cannot overcome the overpowering desire to have immediate sex, so he has unprotected sex with a very dirty prostitute who he knows has HIV and Hepatitis C, and decides to worry about the debilitating consequences later.
Just stupid !

Fair points. But it doesn't mean we shouldn't pull out of this bad agreement.

[Shadows]

I am sorry but this was a fantastic agreement for USA & a totally average commitment (even Sanders criticized this as inadequate). USA has 4-5% of Global Population but 16% + of the total emission of the world (& at a far higher level than almost every major country bar Canada). China's emission per capita is not even half of the USA when they have 1/6th odd of the world's population. India's per capita emission is little more than 1/9th of USA. Germany & Japan have a little more than half of USA's per capita emission. Other than that C02 also accumulates in the air which means all the previous emissions from the Western World has historically accumulated in the atmosphere & will cause problems.

If you look at pledges, EU has much more ambitious pledges - They plan to cut emissions by close to 40% from 1990 odd levels while USA pledges to cut emissions by only 26-28% from 2005 levels which would turn out to be even lower compared to 1990's levels - Effectively less than half of EU when EU is already emitting MUCH MUCH less per capita (around 1/2 of USA). Anything less than that, would mean every country will walk out of the deal.

Shocked at the level of ignorance of people. China for one is investing massively into solar & is totally transforming their economy & is targeting atleast 30% renewables by 2030, India 40%, Germany targets 45%, France 32%. EU as a whole atleast 27% & has committed to revise it upwards. USA has a target of a paltry 20% of renewables by 2030.

[Shadows]

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) plans to introduce legislation later this month outlining how the United States can completely wean itself off fossil fuels by 2050. The legislation calls for half of all electricity in the U.S. to be generated by renewable sources, such as solar and wind power, by 2030. The bill also proposes ways to transition fossil fuel workers, such as coal miners, into new careers.

Three states ― California, Massachusetts and New York ― already have plans in place to practically end the use of fossil fuels within the next few decades. Two years ago, Hawaii passed a law to completely convert its electricity sector to renewable energy by 2045. Roughly 25 cities across the country have made similar commitments, as well as almost 90 big companies, including Bank of America, Google and Walmart.

Source - Huffington Post

Merkley is introducing 100 by 50 Act which will target 50% of the energy by renewables by 2030 &
fully by 2050, somewhat similar to what CA, NY & many other states have proposed

[Ebowed]

Paris is the best deal the fossil fuel loving Trump administration could realistically hope for.  We're past the point of pretending that climate change is debatable.  It's already happening and the question is whether we mitigate and adapt or just lie for political reasons.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

The most hilarious thing (well, darkly hilarious anyway) is that although most climate change deniers claim they are only denying the 'anthropogneic' part and accept the fact that the climate is changing, the administration are even banning it's bureaucrats from even considering the effect of future climate change - which makes no sense from their POv.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

The most hilarious thing (well, darkly hilarious anyway) is that although most climate change deniers claim they are only denying the 'anthropogneic' part and accept the fact that the climate is changing, the administration are even banning it's bureaucrats from even considering the effect of future climate change - which makes no sense from their POv.

There are 3 contradictory views

1. Climate change isn't happening
2. Climate change is happening, but it's not anthropogenic
3. Anthropogenic climate change is happening, but it's not worth doing anything about

[Person Man]

The most hilarious thing (well, darkly hilarious anyway) is that although most climate change deniers claim they are only denying the 'anthropogneic' part and accept the fact that the climate is changing, the administration are even banning it's bureaucrats from even considering the effect of future climate change - which makes no sense from their POv.

There are 3 contradictory views

1. Climate change isn't happening
2. Climate change is happening, but it's not anthropogenic
3. Anthropogenic climate change is happening, but it's not worth doing anything about

The third at least is honest and at least holds open the idea that we should be funding maybe not alternative energy sources but better energy sources and maybe we should start to storm proof infrastructure.

[Mr. Reactionary]

I'm a biologist and chemist who isn't the biggest fan of the EPA but god I can't stand Pruitt.

cuz hes a lawyer. You know how we are.

[Xing]

Pruitt is trash.