Every burned town is tragic. But Newsom needs to lead with science, not sentiment.
Newsom should start with the science
At a time when California is facing an “existential threat” from climate change, Gov. Gavin Newsom needs to lead with science and not emotion. That’s why he should focus his efforts on a new $4 billion program to reduce future greenhouse gas emissions, which is currently stalled. Newsom should immediately sign onto a climate bill that is supported by the vast majority of Californians. And California should stop wasting tax dollars on ineffective, often destructive and ineffective climate programs.
A report from the Pew Research Center in Washington found that the California economy would lose about $30 billion more in annual output and about 2.5 million jobs than if we stopped burning fossil fuels. That report comes on the heels of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s most recent report, which concluded that we must act to avoid more than a 4 degree Celsius (7.2 degree Fahrenheit) rise in global temperatures, and that the climate crisis is likely to put at risk many of our most vulnerable communities. Even the Trump administration is now acknowledging that climate change is the most pressing international issue at the moment.
We should take advantage of the Trump administration’s recent announcement that it is abandoning its attempt to slash funding for United Nations programs on climate change. The Trump administration is currently proposing cutting U.N. funding for climate programs by an average of about 10 percent every year for the next two years — a proposal that would essentially stop the flow of resources for climate policy and research that has been funded by U.S. taxpayers. So far, that proposal hasn’t gained traction in Congress.
The Trump administration’s retreat doesn’t mean that the U.N. doesn’t matter anymore. There are many powerful forces behind the Trump administration’s retreat, including his political base, which has shown little interest in climate issues, especially when it comes to spending taxpayer money. Even among Republicans, only 16 percent of registered voters support the Trump administration’s proposal to cut U.N. spending on “climate change, science, technology, and innovation.”
Even more damaging to California is that the Trump administration is abandoning the National Climate