April 22nd was Earth Day. As expected, social media were flooded with messages to save the earth. Most demanded that we fight climate change.
The White House released a briefing statement titled “Presidential Message on Earth day.” Surprisingly, it didn’t mention climate change, fracking, oil, or any of the other keywords related to climate change and popular in social media.
Did President Trump avoid these issues, or did he get his priorities right?
I think he got them right. His message was a good one, and it gives clarity in a world full of fearmongering and panic.
The country’s security depends on natural resources, especially energy—because it drives everything else. A mistake on energy policy can have dire consequences.
“Environmental protection and economic prosperity go hand in hand,” the message said. “… our Nation is experiencing historic economic and job growth, our air and water quality ranks among the highest in the world.”
The message was accurate to the point. America enjoys some of the best air and water quality on the planet.
But what about climate change and the recent scare of fracking? Shouldn’t it have been addressed?
Climate Change
Many in Congress have condemned the President for his failure to declare climate change a national emergency.
The nearly perfect party-line split in a vote on Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez’s (D-NY) Green New Deal revealed how polarized not just the Senate but the nation as a whole is on climate change.
Any policy climate change should rest not on unproven, vague predictions, but on empirically verified data.
President Trump could have taken the easy path, going along with the mainstream media and climate alarmists. Instead, he subscribed to the inputs of climate realists.
Contrary to common claims, there is no scientific consensus for climate doomsday, and for good reason. Satellite temperature measurements (the most reliable because free from locational bias) reveal no significant warming in the past two decades. Even staunch climate alarmists acknowledge this.
Data show that polar bears are in no danger of climate change—instead, their numbers are growing. There has been a decrease, not increase, in the frequency of hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. Agricultural production worldwide is the highest ever, and farmers now have the technology and infrastructure to even survive drought better than ever. Sea levels cause no problems to the value of prime, beachfront real estate.
In my capacity as a climate researcher, and as someone who has worked with top climate scientists at some of the best universities for climate research, I believe the President has done the right thing by not addressing the over-hyped issue of climate change, an area of study that is still in its scientific infancy.
Natural Gas
Former President Barack Obama was an open advocate of the natural gas boom that is currently benefitting American energy consumers. Despite strong opposition from anti-fracking lobbies, both Obama and Trump have backed natural gas extraction and use. They understood that it was the key to unlocking the energy supremacy of United States.
Anti-fracking lobbies have long been using propaganda as a tool to oppose fracking in the U.S. and elsewhere. But in 2018 we learned that some anti-fracking groups were beneficiaries of Russian funding. Not surprising, granted the importance of natural gas exports to Russia’s economy.
There has been no scientifically proven danger from the process of fracking, despite contrary reports.
These are two among the many reasons why I appreciate the President’s message. It is free from scaremongering and debunked climate theories. It puts the nation first, addressing the needs of the people, while making sure that the environment is protected.
Vijay Jayaraj (M.Sc., Environmental Science, University of East Anglia, England), Contributor for the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation, lives in India.
