Jun 29, 2022
The Climate Crisis in Politics.
Promise about the environment
I had in mind to do this story a week ago, after the announcement of Gustavo Petro’s victory; however, I preferred to wait a bit for the waters to calm down to avoid being taken as a resentful libertarian, since the reader will know that I stick out as little as possible to talk about politics, although sadly, this topic touches me closely.
Before continuing, and I clarify it so that the reader does not leave with a wrong idea. This story does not encompass extremist criticism from the right, much less from the left; it simply plans to cover the risk of climate change being a political issue, since it can practically be taken for granted that climate change has become the best propaganda of many politicians, especially those on the left.
Last Sunday, June 19, Gustavo Petro was announced as the elected president of Colombia, a politician who has spoken about the need to exercise measures that mitigate the environmental impact of the nation (Colombia). Coming from a politician who will govern a country, this sounds very “nice”; however, I would like to explain what has been the great problem that climate change has had as a political issue, not only in Gustavo Petro’s proposals, but also in the rulers of other countries.
What is the climatic change?
Surprisingly, “Climate Change” is a term widely used today, although not everyone knows its real meaning, because although it is correct to associate it with Global Warming, the latter only includes the increase in temperature, while Climate Change encompasses also its consequences; such as droughts, increased rainfall, extinction of species, greater frequency with which “natural phenomena” occur, etc.
Can natural phenomena disappear?
As we have already seen, it is impossible to talk about climate change without including today’s natural phenomena, and of course, this is not an issue that is overlooked in politics; however, the natural phenomena do not exist, this is not something that is pulling me out of my sleeve, these were the words of my Geology professor, who is a specialist in natural disasters: Natural disasters occur because we human beings are the ones who invade the nature; if a city is built near a river, it has a high risk of flooding; a country located between tectonic plates will not be absent from earthquakes; a territory in the Caribbean area will not be absent from hurricanes either, among many more terrible examples that may occur to the reader.
Of course, it sounds terrible, but unfortunately, the only way to find ourselves exempt from “natural phenomena” is to leave nature, which you can’t even do in outer space, where you are exposed to the presence of solar storms, to give an example.
And speaking of the sun…
Is it normal for the planet to heat up?
Global warming is undoubtedly a serious and real problem, almost hand in hand with the scarcity of water and the excessive waste of plastic. The study of paleoclimate indicates that it is now the planet’s turn to heat up; Let’s remember that we are in an “Interglacial” period, in fact, the reader can see in the image (above) that we are living in one of the coldest eras on the planet, and studies suggest that it will continue like this. Astrophysicist Henrik Svensmark points to the presence of cosmic rays, which upon contact with the ionosphere end up generating clouds, which are responsible for “cooling” the planet.
If you feel lost in what you read, take a look at the following image taken from the Svensmark document:
The Sun’s Role in Climate Change”.
In the same report, Svensmark explains that predicting the future of solar activity is very difficult, although he does emphasize that we are in one of the stages with the least solar activity (one of the hottest).
You are probably wondering at this point: “If clouds reflect heat, why don’t they generate more clouds and solve global warming?” The answer is that generating clouds will cool the planet until it ends up causing an ice age, and enough with a little research on the quaternary period to realize that an ice age is much worse than global warming.
Of course, nothing we have said exempts us from the fact that human beings not are responsible for climate change, or that we should stop worrying about problems such as the overproduction of plastic, the waste of water or the contamination of the soil; It is necessary to carry out an extensive individual study on the crisis, far beyond the simple contribution of the now obsolete educational system, since today, rather than seeking solutions to the crisis, what is sought are interests.
The government will end climate change?
To conclude, the economist Juan Ramón Rallo, pointed out in one of his videos entitled “Mentiras fiscales” (Fiscal Lies) that Ricardo Bonilla, a member of the team of economic advisers of Gustavo Petro, mentioned in an interview that the organized project “until now was campaigning”, and now comes the real project that is waiting to be concluded. Affirming, indirectly, that the ideas generated during the campaign were only “lies”.
As the interview dealt with tax collection, this does not say anything directly about climate change, although it does give reason to the experts who expressed their opinion against the propaganda exerted by Gustavo Petro’s campaign.
In order not to deviate from the subject, according to what was stated on the “EL TIEMPO” news website, experts on the environmental issue have pointed out the difficulties present in their government program:
However, experts such as the Prime Minister of the Environment of Colombia, Manuel Rodríguez Becerra, who is recognized for his knowledge of environmental issues in the country, has assured that said project, although it contains an ambitious and adequate plan for the current crisis, does not detail Where would the funds come from to develop the proposals? “Stopping deforestation could cost billions,” says the expert. (Translated text from Spanish)
Climate change and politics is a more sensitive issue than it seems, although many of those 11 million Colombians did not vote for Gustavo Petro specifically because of his projects aimed at combating the climate crisis, it must be recognized that environmental propaganda was present and, for more harm than good, it ended up being of great influence.
References by sections:
What is the climatic change?
Kennedy, C., & Lindsey, R. (2018, 10 abril). ¿Cuál es la diferencia entre el calentamiento global y el cambio climático? | NOAA Climate.gov. Climate.Gov. https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/%C2%BFcu%C3%A1l-es-la-diferencia-entre-el-calentamiento-global-y-el-cambio-clim%C3%A1tico
Is it normal for the planet to heat up?
Svensmark, H. (2019). Force Majeure. The Sun’s Role in Climate Change, The Global Warming Policy Foundation GWPF Report, 33.
It is planned to end Climate Change?
Juan Ramón Rallo. (2022, 22 junio). Petro inaugura su presidencia mintiendo sobre impuestos [Vídeo]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DtTF5wOxn4
Medioambiente, R. (2022, 30 mayo). Medioambiente y cambio climático: esto proponen Petro y Hernández. El Tiempo. https://www.eltiempo.com/elecciones-2022/petro-y-hernandez-esto-proponen-en-medioambiente-y-cambio-climatico-676354
