While The World Freaks About Trump’s Climate Idiocy, Remember That The Paris Accord Was Nearly Meaningless

Donald Trump is a pathetic dope of a man-child feeding into the sociopathy and anti-intellectualism that allowed him to insult his way to the Presidency. Let’s just get that out of the way. …But while the media and the world flips out over Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement, you should remind yourself that the agreement was nearly meaningless – And the reason it was nearly meaningless had everything to do with the United States.

When the Paris Agreement was first announced, NASA scientist James Hansen – who is often considered the most respected climate scientist in the world – said it was “a fraud really, a fake,” and “there is no action, just promises.” Here’s an abbreviated list of people who support the Paris Climate Agreement – Rex Tillerson (former CEO of ExxonMobil), Tim Cook (CEO of Apple), all but two countries of the planet earth, Leonardo DeCaprio, most other human beings who don’t listen to Alex Jones, and also Lloyd Blankfein (head of Goldman Sachs). In fact, Lloyd Blankfein – the man who I’d say is at least 28% responsible for the 2008 financial collapse that caused an estimated 10,000 suicides and millions to lose their homes – has been on Twitter since 2011 but chose yesterday to put out his first tweet. He used it to lambaste Trump for pulling out of the climate agreement. Now, here’s a very abbreviated list of people I try never to agree with on anything ever – Rex Tillerson (former CEO of ExxonMobil), Tim Cook (CEO of Apple), and Lloyd Blankfein (head of Goldman Sachs) – the man who I’d say is at least 28% responsible for the 2008 financial collapse that caused 10,000 suicides and millions to lose their homes.

What’s my point? My point is that we are living in a time in which the planet is collapsing around us. (I won’t list all the ways we know this right now, but most have to do with cancer, polluted water, and penguins.) The Paris Climate Accord was so fucking weak that even REX TILLERSON supports it. Of course Trump did not pull out because he thought it was weak. He pulled out because he’s a moron who doesn’t believe in climate change and probably just really wanted to piss off Al Gore. Anyway, the reason the Paris Agreement is so weak is largely because of the United States (and remember it was negotiated at a time when Obama was president, so this has nothing to do with Democrats versus Republicans). Best-selling author Naomi Klein did a great job of laying out just how the United States made sure this agreement was borderline useless. She says, “It was oil companies like the one Tillerson worked at for 41 years whose relentless lobbying helped ensure that the commitments made in Paris lack any meaningful enforcement mechanisms.”

Klein goes on to talk about the brave people-powered movements that are making gains in the climate fight. She then calls for other countries and peoples to put economic sanctions on the U.S. or really any country or corporation that puts the livable future of the planet at risk. And since countries are now basically corporations, the change will have to come from the people. The Paris Agreement wasn’t going to change our path. It was always going to have to come from the people. We have a moral obligation to stand up.

Keep Fighting,

Lee Camp

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