Climate Change and the US: A messy History

Looking at climate change and the impact a country like US has had on it in tackling this matter can be a surprising matter to the people who have less knowledge of the history of Climate Change Action. It's sad to see the US, which claims to be the leader of the free world, has struggled to make a concrete commitment to fight climate change. 

The most astonishing fact is that many of the big oil companies knew about climate change in the 70s itself. However, similar to the tobacco industries, they initially covered this up, and later intentionally spread doubt on the scientific research to create confusion within the public. This confusion continued for many years and people were unable to understand the intentional masking of the truth. Only in recent times has this fact reached the layman through documentaries like "Merchants of Doubt" and various content creators in YouTube. Slowly there is a greater consensus among the public but the spread of misinformation is still there.

Another aspect of this is the political aspect. Initially, the republicans were in favor of good environmental policies. But, the oil companies gave more funding and built better ties with them, leading to the republican nominees to question climate change and to promote oil and gas industries in the name of economy. 

There are many examples which demonstrate the above but the following are a few specific examples of this. Bill Clinton had ratified the Kyoto Protocol, but George Bush pulled out of it. In the 2008 elections, many republican candidates believed climate change to be a serious issue. After 4 years, most of the same people had switched their stance on climate change being there or not, or if it is there then is it caused by humans or not. President Obama, had ratified the Paris Agreement, but Donald Trump pulled out of it. 

All of these decisions have a impact on the fight against climate change and also lead to many countries loosing their trust of the United States. Many other countries get away with creating an excuse that one of the most prominent and rich country is not taking this issue seriously so we should not take it seriously as well, and we should give importance to economy and growth regardless of the environmental concerns. Another aspect of this negligence is the slow shift of power towards China as the dominant international leader and influencer. They are serious about climate change, their economy is strong, and in many international organizations they have established a strong footing. This is giving China a bigger leverage as well as influence. 

All of this shows that in US the topic of climate change is highly polarized, much more so than in other countries. The sooner this matter becomes a bipartisan issue and a combined effort is put in place by both the parties to tackle this matter, the better it will be for the US and the planet at large. We need to realize that this is a global issue. The actions or inaction of US with regard to climate change will impact every single being on this planet in every possible aspect. Let us all become aware, demand better of our leaders and not let them spread misinformation because remember its the fate of humanity which is at stake. 

Readers may go to the following article for further reading. How G.O.P. Leaders Came to View Climate Change as Fake Science