Guest Ron White impression by David Middleton

Vox is always good for a laugh…

The right-wing populist wave is a threat to the climate
The Amazon rainforest fires reveal a lot about this political movement.
By Zack Beaucham Aug 22, 2019

The Amazon rainforest is on fire — and the consensus is that Brazil’s far-right populist leader, Jair Bolsonaro, is to blame.

Bolsonaro, who took office in January…

Zack

“Bolsonaro, who took office in January… is to blame”?

“The Amazon rainforest is on fire”?

As of August 16, 2019, an analysis of NASA satellite data indicated that total fire activity across the Amazon basin this year has been close to the average in comparison to the past 15 years. (The Amazon spreads across Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and parts of other countries.) Though activity appears to be above average in the states of Amazonas and Rondônia, it has so far appeared below average in Mato Grosso and Pará, according to estimates from the Global Fire Emissions Database, a research project that compiles and analyzes NASA data. (Note that while the chart label says 2016, the 2019 data is listed on all of the plots as a green line. Roll your cursor over the green 2019 block below the plot to isolate the 2019 numbers.)

NASA

Back to Zack…

Right-wing populism versus the climate
Bolsonaro has been dubbed the “Trump of the Tropics,” a far-right firebrand who shares the American president’s hostility to democracy… 

Zack

MBrAGA!

Zack, please explain how Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro came to be presidents of their respective nations? Here’s a hint:

Multiple Choice: The Constitution of these United States of America established…

1. a direct democracy.
2. a constitutional (representative) republic.
3. an anarcho-syndicalist commune.

Back to Zack…

The American and Brazilian leaders are particularly aggressive on the issue, but they’re hardly alone among Western right-wingers. A February report from the German Adelphi Institute, an environmental think tank, found that 18 out of the 21 largest European far-right parties are either generally indifferent to climate action or outright oppose it.

Zack

As if I needed another reason to vote for conservative and/or libertarian political candidates.

Back to Zack…

By contrast, the centrist and left parties in these countries were, prior to the populist wave of the past few years, doing a markedly better job on addressing climate change — not perfect or sufficient, mind you, but comparatively much better than what the far-right parties want.

Zack

Zack baby… Do you just think this might be part of the reason for “the populist wave of the past few years”?

Multiple Choice: The populist wave of the past few years consisted of…

1. Military overthrows of democratically elected governments.
2. Corporate buyouts of democratically elected governments.
3. Voters firing liberals in democratic elections.

Back to Zack…

Right-wing populism today centers on a particular kind of chauvinistic nationalism — an “America First” style obsession…

Zack

Zackie boy, it’s called “winning.”

Back to Zack…

This brand of populism poses a particular challenge for the effort against climate change. It’s a global issue that no one country can solve on its own; it requires collective action, negotiated through some forum like the Paris Climate Agreement.

[…]

This is a crucial time; a recent UN report claims we have 11 years to prevent “irreversible damage” from climate change.

Zack

Zack boy, did you even read the link to the “recent UN report”? I clicked on it because I figured you either didn’t read it or couldn’t understand the words.

Only 11 Years Left to Prevent Irreversible Damage from Climate Change, Speakers Warn during General Assembly High-Level Meeting
Ambition, Urgency Needed to Address Global Emergency, Secretary-General Says

Just over a decade is all that remains to stop irreversible damage from climate change, world leaders heard today as the General Assembly opened a high‑level meeting on the relationship between the phenomenon and sustainable development.

The meeting — held pursuant to General Assembly resolution 72/219 (2017) — will run through 29 March with a focus on protection of the global climate for present and future generations, in the context of the economic, social and environmental dimensions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

“We are the last generation that can prevent irreparable damage to our planet,” General Assembly President María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés (Ecuador) warned the gathering in her opening remarks, stressing that 11 years are all that remain to avert catastrophe.  Highlighting the meeting’s theme, Ms. Espinosa called for an intergenerational approach to climate change.  “Climate justice is intergenerational justice,” she said, calling on States to act collectively and responsibly.

[…]

UN Babble

A bunch of socialist politicians babbling is not a “report”.

Back to Zack…

Right-wing populists are often framed as a threat to Western democracy — and they certainly are that. But the stakes are even bigger than they appear at first glance: It’s not just the survival of Western democracy that’s at stake, but the planet itself.

Vox

Zack, you are too-fracking funny! Your confirmation that “right-wing populists are often framed as a threat to Western democracy,” is another article you wrote for Vox.

Regarding the planet…

The most serious threats to liberty and prosperity are people like Zack, who clearly think that democracy, liberty and prosperity are threats to democracy, the climate and the planet.