Originally Posted at Free Market Shooter
Unfortunately the “Green New Deal” continues to stay in the news. When Majority Leader Mitch McConnell forced the bill to the Senate floor for a vote, Utah Senator Mike Lee used his 13 minutes on the Senate floor to spend more time discussing Reagan on a Velociraptor and Star Wars Tauntauns than making a coherent policy argument against the bill’s outlined policy.
Afterwards, AOC got all upset and issued her own “people are dying” whining tirade, blaming everyone (but herself) for all the CO2 she claims is causing any extreme weather in America. This all occurred, of course, right before the Senate voted on the deal, with the final tally going 57-0, with 43 Democrats (including Bernie Sanders) voting “present” instead putting themselves on record on where they stood on the GND initiative.
All the while, American politicians from both parties all but ignored far more prevalent emissions emanating from abroad – especially from the two biggest culprits, China and India:
Of course, Chinese, Indian and Southeast Asian pollution issues are hardly limited to CO2 emissions:
While Democrats have tried to pivot away from the Green New Deal, posturing with a dead-on-arrival bill to force President Trump back into the Paris climate agreement, all US politicians continue to turn a blind eye to China making a mockery of the toothless Paris accords:
The research, carried out by green campaigners CoalSwarm, suggests that 259 gigawatts of new capacity are under development in China.
The authors say this is the same capacity to produce electricity as the entire US coal fleet.
In this study, the researchers used satellite photos to examine every power plant that was subject to a suspension order. They found construction ongoing at many locations.
China has chosen to greatly expand coal power production (64.7% of Chinese electricity generation) while snubbing nuclear power (just 3.9% of Chinese electricity generation). And even the (fake) New York Times has been forced to admit that China is openly lying about its Paris accord compliance:
China, the world’s leading emitter of greenhouse gases from coal, has been burning up to 17 percent more coal a year than the government previously disclosed, according to newly released data. The finding could complicate the already difficult efforts to limit global warming.
Even for a country of China’s size, the scale of the correction is immense. The sharp upward revision in official figures means that China has released much more carbon dioxide — almost a billion more tons a year according to initial calculations — than previously estimated.
China’s low regard for reducing fossil fuel emissions continues in spite of opposition to the nation’s excessive smog within the country – instead of curtailing polluting activity, China has instead chosen to build massive air purifiers in the heart of its cities:
An experimental tower over 100 metres (328 feet) high in northern China – dubbed the world’s biggest air purifier by its operators – has brought a noticeable improvement in air quality, according to the scientist leading the project, as authorities seek ways to tackle the nation’s chronic smog problem.
In spite of claims it “can run” on solar energy, the project’s officials wouldn’t confirm or deny whether or not the tower uses coal power to run, which would be an irony unto itself. Amazingly enough, China is more than content to chastise US lawmakers from both parties (who are more than happy enough to take the bait in the push for carbon taxes), recently stating that the US isn’t doing enough to “pay its debts”:
China called on rich countries to “pay their debts” on climate change at global talks on Thursday, criticising developed countries for not doing enough to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide finance to help poor countries do the same.
And its not just within China – the Chinese are funding coal power plants across the world, outsourcing even more flouting of the Paris agreements to many of the other nations that are also signatories:
China financed more than a quarter of all coal plants announced outside the country last year according to a new report, putting its clean energy image at risk as Chinese institutions fund coal-fired projects in emerging markets.
Chinese institutions last year provided $36bn of financing for coal plants outside the country, 26 per cent of the 399 gigawatts of such plants planned or committed last year, according to a report published by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), a US-based non-profit.
Chinese bankers and project planners like coal-backed projects because they are cheap. While they are restricted by Chinese pollution and emissions targets at home, they are free to fund coal-backed projects abroad. “They see the long-term financial, environmental and health consequences of these projects as the responsibility of the other side,” said IEEFA’s Ms Brown.
Meanwhile, in spite of Trump’s insistence that he will save US coal power…
…coal power plants are in rapid decline in the US, as the shale revolution has given way to a rapid rise in natural gas-fired plants. This has also come at the expense of nuclear power – by far the largest source of carbon-free energy in the US, “expensive” nuclear plants are shuttering at a rapid pace:
So even though the US withdrew from the Paris accord while China stayed in and chastised Trump’s exit, the US has still done a better job of reducing its CO2 emissions than China has. Go figure.
Anyone with half a functioning brain knows that the Paris agreements are completely ineffectual – crafted by hypocritical elites that patrol the planet on private jets for the purpose of effecting massive energy taxation upon everyone on earth. It is hardly a surprise to see left-wing smooth brains jump on board, but the pathetic defense put forward by the GOP’s “best and brightest” leaves little hope that a credible defense against these policies can be put into effect by their opponents.
Unsurprisingly, MSNBC’s Chris Hayes (perhaps the most disingenuous person in mainstream media) hosted a “town hall in the Bronx” with AOC – which essentially amounted to an endorsement of her legislation. There was no challenge on the deal’s details, and obviously no mention of global emissions – just a “call to action” from a pathetic host who behaved as more of a puppet than a journalist who would challenge any policy proposal. And MSNBC’s audience? They just ate the whole thing up – more than willing to push heavy taxation to no effect on global pollution.
Sadly, if the GOP’s best defense against the Paris agreements and the Green New Deal completely ignores excessive foreign flouting of “emissions targets”…
…sooner or later, we will be in for some sort of massive worthless legislation that will accomplish nothing – except higher taxes and more useless regulations.
“…sooner or later, we will be in for some sort of massive worthless legislation that will accomplish nothing – except higher taxes and more useless regulations.”
Kinda their (elites) whole point………………………..
It’s like their climate bullshit has nothing to do with their stated goals. Odd.
When they say it is not about the money, it is about the money.
I’m an environmental scientist and all I can say is yuk if that picture of a smoggy city is in China. We’ve done a good job of cleaning up the air in North America.
I like that picture of the plant in China. There’s 2 blast furnaces and several batteries of coke ovens also. That number of blast furnaces in that picture represents 1/3rd of the number of blast furnaces left in America. I wish we had some of that smoke around here.
Our president ignores it too, unfortunately. Considering Trump could claim that he wants to reduce trade with China for environmental benefits due to the planet’s cost borne out through globalized shipping.
Just imagine the dims trying to justify Chinese prosperity over environmental health.
But he NEVER uses this information.