One need not look far in search of denial. The new president of the United States, Donald Trump, has asked the Environmental Protection Agency to delete all information about climate change in its website.
He has also told EPA employees to cut contact with the press and refrain from posting on social media.
In defiance of the Trump order, Badlands National Park in South Dakota posted three consecutive messages on its Twitter account, all offering information about climate change.
Acidity of the ocean has increased 30 percent since the industrial revolution, one tweet said. The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is higher than it has ever been in the past 650,000 years, said another.
The third tweet said the pre-industrial concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was 280 parts per million. As of last month, it was 404.93.
The defiant tweets have since been deleted.
What we know however is that climate change is one of the areas Mr. Trump is attempting to be bold and controversial.
Unlike all other issues where he is bold and controversial, however, climate change is the most far-reaching. Whatever the US does—or more accurately, does not do—on the issue will affect not only its citizens but succeeding generations the world over.
Mr. Trump is on record as characterizing climate change as a hoax. He has denied that it is man-made, a result of centuries of irresponsible industrial activity in pursuit of economic growth.
Of course, previous generations could not have known what we know now—which is why it is now we are seeing global efforts to curb global warming and pursue alternative means to produce energy.
Mr. Trump has announced an America-First policy during his inauguration, and this will likely govern his resistance to US participation in the Paris Agreement.
Our own President Rodrigo Duterte does not take well to said agreement, either. He pointed out that the Philippines was a low carbon emitter—why should we limit our emissions now when we need power, more than ever?
Succeeding generations, they will have to bear the brunt of this resistance. If the world were warmed sufficiently, stronger, more erratic and more frequent weather patterns will take place leaving the most vulnerable sectors unable to protect themselves or rebuild after a tragedy.
Science makes no false representations. One only has to look at the data. The laziness and obstinacy of top decision makers may have irreversible consequences.
