President Donald Trump used the latest forecasts across the country to reject the notion of climate change due to frigid temperatures expected through the New Year.
“In the East, it could be the COLDEST New Year’s Eve on record,” the president tweeted Thursday night. “Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against.”
Indeed, both high and low temperature records have been tied or broken in recent days, according to the Weather Channel. Augusta, Maine (3 degrees Fahrenheit), Syracuse, New York (8 degrees), Boston (12 degrees), New York City’s John F. Kennedy Airport (19 degrees), and Baltimore (24 degrees) all saw their temperature high records tied or broken Thursday.
In the East, it could be the COLDEST New Year’s Eve on record. Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against. Bundle up!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 29, 2017
But a comprehensive U.S. report released back in November concluded the evidence for global warming is the strongest it’s ever been, with scientists saying that it’s “extremely likely” — meaning with 95 to 100% certainty — that global warming is man-made, primarily from the rampant burning of coal, oil and natural gas that releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Trump appeared to use the recent weather forecast to justify the country’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord, a landmark global agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. One hundred ninety-six countries have signed on to the agreement, meaning the U.S. would be the only sovereign nation in the world to not be onboard with the pact should the U.S. leave in 2020 as promised.
As indicated in his Thursday tweet, Trump feels that the Paris agreement places an unfair financial burden on the U.S.
“The agreement is a massive redistribution of United States’ wealth to other countries,” Trump said in June when he announced the United States’ intention to withdraw from the accord. “It’s to give their country an economic edge over the United States. That’s not going to happen while I’m president. I’m sorry.”