Climate Denial is the Triumph of the Powell Memo

As climate change rapidly spirals out of control, big business is preparing for the inevitable.

According to a new study from the environmental organization CDP, at least 1,300 corporations, including Goldman Sachs, Disney, and Microsoft, either have an internal carbon pricing plan or are about to put one in place.

The thinking here is simple.

At some point or another (and hopefully sooner rather than later) we, as a civilization, are going to have to institute a carbon tax on all fossil fuel emissions.

It's the most practical way to stop climate change, and it's only way to recoup the costs of all the damage Big Oil, Big Coal, and Big Gas have done and continue to do to our planet.

Giant corporations like Microsoft know this, and so they want to be as prepared as possible for the day when they too have to start paying for their emissions or the increased cost of energy produced by fossil fuels.

This should be a wake-up call to everyone about just how real the crisis we're facing really is.

These corporations are conservative and self-interested by nature, and they wouldn't be adding extra costs to their budgets unless they thought they had to.

Factoring in the cost of another tax is literally the last thing they want to do, but in the long run having a functioning society is better for their bottom line than a society devastated by climate change, so they're sucking it up and going forward with their carbon pricing plans.

Welcome to the future.

Accepting the reality of climate change and the financial, social, and political challenges it presents is something every single company, every single government, and every single agency is going to have do in the coming years and decades.

Corporations like Goldman Sachs, Disney, and Microsoft are getting a head start on this with their internal carbon pricing plans.

So is the Pentagon's with its warnings that climate change represents a grave threat to national security, and so is the insurance industry with its urgent reminders that extreme weather events could bankrupt many providers.

Basically anyone with any reason to worry about the future -- financial, political, you name it -- accepts the reality of climate change and the necessity of doing something about it.

And then there's the Republican Party.

The so-called Grand Old Party, the party of Lincoln, is the only major political party in the developed world that denies man-made climate change.

Despite all the evidence, despite the fact that the past 16 months have been the hottest on record, despite the fact that we're now seeing 1000-year weather events on monthly basis -- despite all this, the Republican Party still refuses to accept reality.

Sure, there a few outliers like Lindsey Graham who say they acknowledge the existence of climate change, but they're far and few between.

As a whole, the Republican Party remains a den of denialism.

So why is that?

Why, when even the Pentagon acknowledges climate change, do Republicans deny it?

The answer, of course, is money.

The fossil fuel industry donates overwhelmingly to Republicans, and in exchange for this flood of campaign money, Republicans do its bidding. It's that simple.

This isn't just the corruption of politics; it's the perversion of politics.

At a time when the human race is facing the greatest threat in the history of civilization, a threat that could end all life as we know it, one of the two most powerful political parties in the most powerful country on earth pretends like that threat doesn't even exist.

If the purpose of politics is to discuss the most important issues of our day and find a way to solve them, then we are failing miserably.

It's time to get money out of politics once and for all.

After all, the future of the planet is at stake.

Comments

cccccttttt 6 years 27 weeks ago
#1

Excellent editorial until the line "lets get the money out of politics".

Instead of that excursion into fantasy, try

"lets get more money into Progressive politics".

ct

Hephaestus's picture
Hephaestus 6 years 27 weeks ago
#2

There are no corporate progressives... sadly!

You want / support fascism?

Hephaestus's picture
Hephaestus 6 years 27 weeks ago
#3

Obviously these corps don't see themselves as part of the problem then!!!

Really?

So, is one to conclude they are quite prepared to screw the planet?

Then excuse their bean-counter greed by simply coughing up some cash and just carry on business as usual?

Jeez!

stecoop01's picture
stecoop01 6 years 27 weeks ago
#4

I have the perfect solution to climate change. It's so good, so effective, absolutely no one will remember we were ever threatened by our own climate. The solution? Total Global Thermonuclear Warfare! It's far quicker and more humane than what Mother Nature has planned for us. And Donald "Duck" Trump is just the man to make it happen. He's totally quackers.

Hephaestus's picture
Hephaestus 6 years 27 weeks ago
#5

Let's go! Vote Trump then y'all!

He will press the button and inavertently destroy himself because he believes that he's indestructible

The power of belief is incredible

Kend's picture
Kend 6 years 27 weeks ago
#6

We have had a carbon tax for decades. Do you think the price you pay at the pump goes all to the oil company. All adding one more way to impose a carbon tax is going to do is give more money to the sitting party to reward their buddies more.

BoxCar's picture
BoxCar 6 years 27 weeks ago
#7

Might want to read the other side of the coin as there is plenty of science there too

http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/globalwarming.html

Max Planck Institute of Solar Research found a disconnect between Solar activity and Earth's avg surface temp w/a Tipping Point in 1980 wherein Earth's PermaFrost had melted to release CO2 & Methane (10X worse) in qtlys beyond what we can stop so it turns out GHG just might offset the cooling effect of a less active sun, keep a balance So its a blessing in disguise, like a warm blanket thrown over US in coming winter

humanitys team's picture
humanitys team 6 years 27 weeks ago
#8

BoxCar ..."So it's a blessing in disguise " .My friend do you know what you are saying here that humans can do what ever they want with Earth our life giver and Mother Nature that sustains us .This is part of the problem a complete denial and refusal to be responsible for the here and now .

The first guiding principle of an advanced civilization is unity .Acknowledgement of the Oneness and the sacredness of all life . From this understanding all political ,educational ,social and ecological descisions are made .So no way would they continue with their environmental suicide dismantling and ruining our planet's ecosystem and continue to say we are not and point the finger at something else .

We are not living alone here buddy there are 7 billion of us everything we do on this planet we do together .Are humans not on the same team ? Every thought which ignores our oneness,every idea which seperate said us ,every action which announces that we are not united. The "other team " is not real it's only part of our imagined reality for we have created it so .Time to take responsibility for our collective evolutionary path ,our collective future depends upon this .To carry on as buisness as usual doing what we have been doing using more resources in the last 40 years than 40 000 . This we call progress it's progress to our own demise !

Do not believe everything you read just observe what you see around you and ask there has got to be another way .

arky12's picture
arky12 6 years 27 weeks ago
#9

I was extremely upset to hear that the DEA is over reaching yet again with their push to place Kratom, a godsend for many struggling with "legal" addiction to opoids, a huge problem in this country. They of course cite their concern over increased use of it but then they neglect to mention the increased opiod addictions as the possible reasons. I searched the DEA website and found this section of the 1970 Controlled Substances Act. Seems the US AG can change the schedule of drugs and even remove them:

Title 21 United States Code (USC) Controlled Substances ActSUBCHAPTER I — CONTROL AND ENFORCEMENTPart B — Authority to Control; Standards and Schedules§811. Authority and criteria for classification of substances(a) Rules and regulations of Attorney General; hearing

The Attorney General shall apply the provisions of this subchapter to the controlled substances listed in the schedules established by section 812 of this title and to any other drug or other substance added to such schedules under this subchapter. Except as provided in subsections (d) and (e) of this section, the Attorney General may by rule—

(1) add to such a schedule or transfer between such schedules any drug or other substance if he—

(A) finds that such drug or other substance has a potential for abuse, and

(B) makes with respect to such drug or other substance the findings prescribed by subsection (b) of section 812 of this title for the schedule in which such drug is to be placed; or

(2) remove any drug or other substance from the schedules if he finds that the drug or other substance does not meet the requirements for inclusion in any schedule.

Rules of the Attorney General under this subsection shall be made on the record after opportunity for a hearing pursuant to the rulemaking procedures prescribed by subchapter II of chapter 5 of title 5. Proceedings for the issuance, amendment, or repeal of such rules may be initiated by the Attorney General (1) on his own motion, (2) at the request of the Secretary, or (3) on the petition of any interested party.

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