"Burgum echoed 1990s-era shills for Big Carbon by declaring that 'CO2 was never a pollutant,' because 'plants need CO2 to survive and grow. They thrive with more CO2.'..."
"Hmmmm, yes," Master Yoda say. "Ask how much plants on Venus like atmosphere of 96% carbon dioxide at 900°. Dense it is! Like Burgum brains!....mmmm, yes!"
Research has found the limits to CO2 benefits to plant growth -- as one would expect "unlimited" anything has boundaries. By plant species it is possible to know when beneficial limits are exceeded and that appears to be happening here on earth already.
Thank you for your well-written article. I am aghast over the Trump regime's attack upon the Earth's environment in every way. If I had my way I would send them all to Mars TODAY to see how long they would last outside of Mother Earth.
We need to elect competent earth warriors to replace the G4 (Gregarious Gaggle of Grotesque Grifters) now in power. There is still time, but only if we take action now.
I like your G4 acronym! Agree with you completely. In a prior life, long long time ago I helped write EIR/EISs in CA. I am very familiar with the struggle and political challeges.
I would like to see Sec. of Energy Wright forced to live near a coal mine, or a power plant that burns coal, preferably downwind from the plant. This is a guy who has no clue what the consequences of burning even the cleanest coal are. Maybe make him sit through a long presentation with lots of graphic pictures of deceased coal miners and their Black Lungs. These guys don't care, they are paid to not care, etc. etc. Also I would like to see Dementia Donnie join his lackey for all of the above.
"In congressional testimony this week, Wright, the Energy Secretary, insisted the coal use was permanent and inevitable: 'I’m pretty confident coal will lead the world in global electricity production when I die,' he said."
Well, there's only one way to know whether your prediction will turn out to have been accurate, Mr. Secretary, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who's anxious to know. So, let's make it this Friday, the 24th, shall we? I'd much prefer, "within the next half hour," but I'm not without compassion, even for snakes like you, so I'll give you 48 hours to get your affairs in order (and, if you're so inclined, to find a bridge you like).
Thank you for your attention to this matter... and for your willingness to take one for Team Trump.
Funny, at first I thought your lead sentence, "On Earth Day — and every day — the carbon-pilled nihilist in the White House is rampaging against the environment" used the term, "pillaging" instead of rampaging. Maybe PILLAGING is the most apt term ? Just googled, and found: "Vikings in history and popular culture are known as strong and dangerous, bloodthirsty killers, raiders, pillagers - pirates of land and sea." That sounds like our president....
Pillaging is an excellent term for what Trump is doing to the environment, the economy, and the country itself. It is as if the Vandals have been reinvented and are descending upon us.
It hurts to read this piece. Unrelenting revenge and retribution are called for. Our day will come and we have to make it really painful enough that these folks never come out from under their rocks again.
Let's all take a deep breath here. Trump—in all of his inglorious incompetence—has done more for the environment in the last few days than every other US administration over the last 15 years. Trump has made gas and oil prices exorbitantly high, and that guarantees we'll be using less around the world. That single fact is the best thing Trump has ever done in the fight against global warming—and he did it accidentally.
Oil and LNG prices are expected to remain high for years due to Trump's gross incompetence. Of course this gives a great boost to alternative, less destructive energy sources.
Yes, yes, and yes. If Trump doesn't like it for any "reason," (among those reasons is going against his oil and gas buddies or any one of his ingrained biases [black people and women, etc.]); my post below is abbreviated from another document but is about why Trump cannot even think in terms of the rule of law, of good for all, e.g., the environment, or anything that goes against his immediate feelings and nefarious "needs" or that might raise questions in other people's consciences.
DONALD TRUMP's distorted ultra-personalist viewpoint, or why he interprets every issue from a "me versus them" point of view.
In a rule-of-law-based political order, when someone breaks a law, they call down the series of institutionalized activities that are already set to keep order and to counteract the continuation of law-breaking, e.g., the police, the courts, outcomes of punishments, etc., and like so many television series, the orchestrations of the law are set to maintain order and peace for all, and are commonly based on centuries of thoughtful people working through all the ins and outs of now-formal jurisprudence. Also, under the best of conditions, THE SAME LAW APPLIES TO ALL, though there are always legitimate and illegitimate mitigating factors with individual persons and situations, e.g., a person's past record, intent, and all sorts of reasonable (or not) considerations that are worked out before final judgment is made by judge and/or jury and when the "in-this-case" outcomes are established.
Under a rule-of-law based system, the hierarchy of significance does not start with one's personal feelings. Rather, first up is (1) the affordance of well-considered concrete applications of the rule of law, as just and fair, for whomever is involved, and only then, and if at all (2) the afforded happiness or unhappiness of this or that individual person involved, or whatever political view is or is not served.
The point with Trump's interpretation of his relationship to the courts, is that he reverses the order of significance, focusing completely on (himself and the above #2) and so on WHO is involved and their political views on either side, rather than on WHAT the crime is and the guilt or not-guilt of the person accused.
It is as if Trump cannot even see, much less think of as significant, the operations of the rule of law #1 at all. He acts as if he thinks everything is merely political (#2 significance) and his arguments are all aimed at those who work in the courts, judges, etc., who (under Trump's tribal view) MUST BE serving their own political views rather than Trump's and nothing more; and so anyone with a different political view becomes Trump's "enemy" and a court proceeding that is about the crime and about serving factors of fairness and justice (regardless of political views) MUST REALLY BE "out to get" Trump on political grounds alone. Court proceedings, then, for Trump, are mere political tools of the hateful and lowlife opposition. And under that set of interpretations, in Trump's view, Trump is always right and cannot be otherwise.
Whether Trump's interpretation is deliberate or a function of a degenerate mental situation is not the point—the point is he keeps want to "turn the order of significance on its head." For Trump, the situation is a battle of wills and of brute power and nothing about adherence to the rule of law, much less about the U.S. Constitution. Under Trump's viewpoint, his and others' "oaths of office" are already interpreted as oaths to his own political power and can be no other.
Addendum: Under the rule of law, SOMEONE is always going to be unhappy with the verdict and outcome. It's built in but is not a significant factor in legitimate rulings. If it were only about Trump's feelings, or anyone's, we have a recipe for chaos. The whole idea of "without fear or favor" has great meaning here. This also is why Trump always pushes for loyalty--to him and not to the rule of law.
"But that story of environmental progress is now threatened with a profound reversal because of the malignant ignoramus in the White House, who views himself as a consigliere to Big Carbon and other extractive industries. "
'Threatened' is hardly the word for it. Moves toward clean water and air have been reversed, and their effects will be longstanding and quite possibly irreversable. Scientists have been warning us that there is a tipping point from which we will not recover. What Trump and his maladministration is doing is bringing that point closer at an alarming rate.
I clicked 'like' but I just wanted to 'agree' because only idiots 'like' what drump is doing to the US and the world.
"Burgum echoed 1990s-era shills for Big Carbon by declaring that 'CO2 was never a pollutant,' because 'plants need CO2 to survive and grow. They thrive with more CO2.'..."
"Hmmmm, yes," Master Yoda say. "Ask how much plants on Venus like atmosphere of 96% carbon dioxide at 900°. Dense it is! Like Burgum brains!....mmmm, yes!"
Research has found the limits to CO2 benefits to plant growth -- as one would expect "unlimited" anything has boundaries. By plant species it is possible to know when beneficial limits are exceeded and that appears to be happening here on earth already.
Thank you for your well-written article. I am aghast over the Trump regime's attack upon the Earth's environment in every way. If I had my way I would send them all to Mars TODAY to see how long they would last outside of Mother Earth.
We need to elect competent earth warriors to replace the G4 (Gregarious Gaggle of Grotesque Grifters) now in power. There is still time, but only if we take action now.
I like your G4 acronym! Agree with you completely. In a prior life, long long time ago I helped write EIR/EISs in CA. I am very familiar with the struggle and political challeges.
I would like to see Sec. of Energy Wright forced to live near a coal mine, or a power plant that burns coal, preferably downwind from the plant. This is a guy who has no clue what the consequences of burning even the cleanest coal are. Maybe make him sit through a long presentation with lots of graphic pictures of deceased coal miners and their Black Lungs. These guys don't care, they are paid to not care, etc. etc. Also I would like to see Dementia Donnie join his lackey for all of the above.
Just what is "clean coal"?
Exactly!
Treason most foul
Thanks for this wonderful article.
Thought I read that the deal to open Boundary Waters to Chilean mining company has been approved. Heart break.
Doesn’t the US have legislation that keeps US natural resources in US ownership?
Remember, in the name of profit, all things are possible....
Legislation? This administration don't need no stinkin' legislation! Whatever Trump wants is the law.
"In congressional testimony this week, Wright, the Energy Secretary, insisted the coal use was permanent and inevitable: 'I’m pretty confident coal will lead the world in global electricity production when I die,' he said."
Well, there's only one way to know whether your prediction will turn out to have been accurate, Mr. Secretary, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who's anxious to know. So, let's make it this Friday, the 24th, shall we? I'd much prefer, "within the next half hour," but I'm not without compassion, even for snakes like you, so I'll give you 48 hours to get your affairs in order (and, if you're so inclined, to find a bridge you like).
Thank you for your attention to this matter... and for your willingness to take one for Team Trump.
Funny, at first I thought your lead sentence, "On Earth Day — and every day — the carbon-pilled nihilist in the White House is rampaging against the environment" used the term, "pillaging" instead of rampaging. Maybe PILLAGING is the most apt term ? Just googled, and found: "Vikings in history and popular culture are known as strong and dangerous, bloodthirsty killers, raiders, pillagers - pirates of land and sea." That sounds like our president....
Pillaging is an excellent term for what Trump is doing to the environment, the economy, and the country itself. It is as if the Vandals have been reinvented and are descending upon us.
Dump Trump, pick up Democrats.
It hurts to read this piece. Unrelenting revenge and retribution are called for. Our day will come and we have to make it really painful enough that these folks never come out from under their rocks again.
Let's all take a deep breath here. Trump—in all of his inglorious incompetence—has done more for the environment in the last few days than every other US administration over the last 15 years. Trump has made gas and oil prices exorbitantly high, and that guarantees we'll be using less around the world. That single fact is the best thing Trump has ever done in the fight against global warming—and he did it accidentally.
Oil and LNG prices are expected to remain high for years due to Trump's gross incompetence. Of course this gives a great boost to alternative, less destructive energy sources.
Yes, yes, and yes. If Trump doesn't like it for any "reason," (among those reasons is going against his oil and gas buddies or any one of his ingrained biases [black people and women, etc.]); my post below is abbreviated from another document but is about why Trump cannot even think in terms of the rule of law, of good for all, e.g., the environment, or anything that goes against his immediate feelings and nefarious "needs" or that might raise questions in other people's consciences.
DONALD TRUMP's distorted ultra-personalist viewpoint, or why he interprets every issue from a "me versus them" point of view.
In a rule-of-law-based political order, when someone breaks a law, they call down the series of institutionalized activities that are already set to keep order and to counteract the continuation of law-breaking, e.g., the police, the courts, outcomes of punishments, etc., and like so many television series, the orchestrations of the law are set to maintain order and peace for all, and are commonly based on centuries of thoughtful people working through all the ins and outs of now-formal jurisprudence. Also, under the best of conditions, THE SAME LAW APPLIES TO ALL, though there are always legitimate and illegitimate mitigating factors with individual persons and situations, e.g., a person's past record, intent, and all sorts of reasonable (or not) considerations that are worked out before final judgment is made by judge and/or jury and when the "in-this-case" outcomes are established.
Under a rule-of-law based system, the hierarchy of significance does not start with one's personal feelings. Rather, first up is (1) the affordance of well-considered concrete applications of the rule of law, as just and fair, for whomever is involved, and only then, and if at all (2) the afforded happiness or unhappiness of this or that individual person involved, or whatever political view is or is not served.
The point with Trump's interpretation of his relationship to the courts, is that he reverses the order of significance, focusing completely on (himself and the above #2) and so on WHO is involved and their political views on either side, rather than on WHAT the crime is and the guilt or not-guilt of the person accused.
It is as if Trump cannot even see, much less think of as significant, the operations of the rule of law #1 at all. He acts as if he thinks everything is merely political (#2 significance) and his arguments are all aimed at those who work in the courts, judges, etc., who (under Trump's tribal view) MUST BE serving their own political views rather than Trump's and nothing more; and so anyone with a different political view becomes Trump's "enemy" and a court proceeding that is about the crime and about serving factors of fairness and justice (regardless of political views) MUST REALLY BE "out to get" Trump on political grounds alone. Court proceedings, then, for Trump, are mere political tools of the hateful and lowlife opposition. And under that set of interpretations, in Trump's view, Trump is always right and cannot be otherwise.
Whether Trump's interpretation is deliberate or a function of a degenerate mental situation is not the point—the point is he keeps want to "turn the order of significance on its head." For Trump, the situation is a battle of wills and of brute power and nothing about adherence to the rule of law, much less about the U.S. Constitution. Under Trump's viewpoint, his and others' "oaths of office" are already interpreted as oaths to his own political power and can be no other.
Addendum: Under the rule of law, SOMEONE is always going to be unhappy with the verdict and outcome. It's built in but is not a significant factor in legitimate rulings. If it were only about Trump's feelings, or anyone's, we have a recipe for chaos. The whole idea of "without fear or favor" has great meaning here. This also is why Trump always pushes for loyalty--to him and not to the rule of law.
"But that story of environmental progress is now threatened with a profound reversal because of the malignant ignoramus in the White House, who views himself as a consigliere to Big Carbon and other extractive industries. "
'Threatened' is hardly the word for it. Moves toward clean water and air have been reversed, and their effects will be longstanding and quite possibly irreversable. Scientists have been warning us that there is a tipping point from which we will not recover. What Trump and his maladministration is doing is bringing that point closer at an alarming rate.
PS-I will take Wright's bet, if he is a betting man, any amount, to be paid upon his death if even 20% of electric generation is coal fired.
The 🍊 Die-nasty has already won. Crypto and drones, and the
"peace crap" grifting. Billions.
MAGAts have no ears or eyes.
love the die nasty !
Brace for the Plastic-Price Hikes
— The war in Iran could raise the consumer costs of car parts, toys, clothing, and more.
By Beth Gardiner
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/2026/04/brace-plastic-price-hikes/686891/?utm_campaign=weekly-planet&utm_content=20260422&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&lctg=6050e5561fc16d137f8c539b — The ATLANTIC 🔹
More money for U.S. oil/ plastics, but still increased prices all-round
- Will Susie even get ONE doll for Christmas?