Trump Expresses Doubt Again About Climate Change

Donald Trump, the President of the United States, once again expressed doubt about the role of humans in climate change in a tweet, stating that the East Coast of the U.S., which is experiencing snow and cold, could benefit from "global warming." Northern and Eastern cities in the U.S. have been struggling with severe cold recently. The National Weather Service has reported that the city of International Falls in Minnesota has reached a record low of minus 37 degrees Celsius, breaking its previous record of minus 32 degrees set in 1924. The city of Hibbing, also in Minnesota, has broken its 1964 record with a temperature of minus 28 degrees Celsius. Last week, snowfall around Lake Ontario in New York State exceeded one and a half meters, and in Erie, Pennsylvania, over one meter and 60 centimeters of snow fell. Trump's remarks come as scientists have repeatedly pointed out that the severe cold in parts of North America during winter is due to the disruption of the "jet stream" in the Arctic region, which is itself a result of global warming and the disruption of the Earth's climate balance. The "jet stream" refers to relatively strong winds concentrated in a narrow tunnel in the atmosphere around the Arctic, which scientists say has shifted its path due to global warming, directing the severe cold from the pole into southern regions—an occurrence that was rare before global warming. Referring to this year's cold and freezing temperatures, Trump tweeted: "The East (U.S.) may have the record for the coldest New Year's Eve. Maybe we can use that good old global warming for our country and not other countries; we were supposed to spend billions of dollars fighting global warming. Dress warmly!" These statements by Trump come at a time when climate scientists have repeatedly noted that the U.S. President ignores the difference between weather and climate change. While daily or weekly temperatures relate to short-term weather changes, climate change pertains to long-term weather patterns. Trump has often expressed doubt about climate change, previously calling it a "Chinese hoax" intended to harm American industry. In another tweet in 2015, he wrote, "The weather outside is really cold; we can use some of that global warming to heat things up." In 2017, the President announced his intention to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, which was signed by 195 countries in November 2017. When announcing the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, Trump also stated that the United States would stop its contributions to the "Green Climate Fund." This fund was established by the United Nations in 2013, with industrialized countries voluntarily contributing to help reduce greenhouse gases in poorer countries. Last month, the United Nations announced that 2017 would likely be recognized as the warmest year on record. While most scientists worldwide consider human activity to be a significant factor in climate change and have warned about global warming, a group continues to deny it. For instance, John Inhofe, who chaired the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works from 2015 to 2017, stated, "Human-caused global warming is the biggest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people." Following Inhofe, John Barrasso became the chair of this Senate committee. This Republican senator was one of 22 senators who wrote to Trump requesting the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement. Barrasso has also stated in opposition to climate change that "the climate is always changing, and the role of human activity is unknown." Beyond the political scene, climate change has become a dispute among several large companies and believers in this phenomenon. A study conducted by two Harvard University researchers in 2017 claimed that ExxonMobil, despite being aware of climate change, created doubt about global warming in its advertisements and promotional materials. However, ExxonMobil denied this claim, stating, "This research was funded, and those who wrote and published it had been working against Exxon for five years." The Rockefeller Foundation funded this research.