Peter Dykstra: Running in place
(Credit: Greenpeace Polska)

Peter Dykstra: Running in place

At a time when we should be forging ahead, we're stuck in place on climate.

We've seen a run of hopeful signs that the world – even the United States – may be waking up to the desperate need to act on climate change. But we've also seen an apparent surge in discouraging words and deeds – particularly from U.S. leadership.


This one step forward, two steps back cycle is keeping the world from its best shot at preventing climate change from becoming the Black Plague of the 21st Century.

I wrote a few weeks ago about a particularly dim observance from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who told the Arctic Council that a melting Arctic was really an opportunity to open up new shipping lanes. He might as well have added that sea level rise means a shorter drive to the beach from Kansas City.

Since then, Secretary Pompeo has delivered an encore, suggesting that populations impacted by climate-driven floods, drought or pestilence "move to different places."

This is not original thought. Even in the 1980's, the late Sam Kinison preached this, urging starving people to "move to where the food is." Kinison was a screaming standup comic whose whole act was pretending he was nuts, not America's leading diplomat and fourth in line of succession to the presidency.

Theoretically, Secretary Pompeo was inspired by Jefferson, Madison, and Kissinger, while Kinison was inspired by Henny Youngman and Don Rickles. Here's hoping our president can tell the difference, even with Kissinger.

It's not just our Secretary of State: While coal's fortunes are generally on the decline, the EPA is now run by a former coal lobbyist, and the Interior Department is now run by a former oil lobbyist.

And not to be outdone, Assistant Energy Secretary Mark Menezes recently suggested re-branding fossil fuels to highlight growing natural gas exports as "freedom gas." Asked about this, his boss, Secretary Rick Perry agreed.

Would you like some Freedom Fries® with that?

The steps forward

But let's not dwell on Cabinet-level idiocy. For all the foolishness, there have been major steps forward—mostly abroad. Spain, Sweden, the UK, and a host of other nations have committed to carbon-neutral deadlines that they might actually keep.

Climate change, long an orphan in presidential politics, may finally be forced onto the agenda in 2020. The differences between the incumbent president and any one of the Dems' schoolbus full of candidates is stark.

But the Democratic National Committee is rejecting calls for one of its 12 planned primary-season debates to focus on climate.

Across the aisle, climate denial's stranglehold on the Republican Party may be indestructible in deep red states, but it's increasingly fragile elsewhere. When GOP messaging guru Frank Luntz sounds the alarm, writing with all-caps alacrity that "Climate Change is a GOP VULNERABILITY and a GOP OPPORTUNITY," much of the party tends to listen.

Wall Street's interest in clean energy and its interest in coal are in the process of passing each other in opposite directions.

The bottom line? There are glimmers of hope. Silver linings in a toxic cloud.

But climate activists and policymakers face a huge uphill fight.

Solar panels installed on a rolling hill.

China ramps up solar and wind power as clean energy output shatters global records

China installed enough solar and wind power between January and May to match the total electricity use of countries like Indonesia or Turkey, even as its clean energy industry faces deep financial strain.

Amy Hawkins reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
a cruise ship with an iceberg in the background.

Melting ice and microplastics signal deepening disruption in Antarctica’s climate system

A team of international scientists circumnavigating Antarctica has documented widespread environmental decline, including microplastics in ice and seawater, receding glaciers, and falling ocean salinity.

Soledad Domínguez reports for Mongabay.

Keep reading...Show less
Food waste & agricultural inefficiencies.

New technologies promise to transform farming, but most haven’t delivered yet

Scientists and entrepreneurs are racing to reinvent agriculture to feed a booming population and fight climate change, but their high-tech solutions keep falling short.

Elizabeth Kolbert reports for The New Yorker.

Keep reading...Show less
Farmworkers in a field on a hot day.

New rules to protect U.S. workers from extreme heat face political delays

As dangerous heat grips much of the country, a Biden-era plan to shield outdoor workers from heat illness is stalling under the Trump administration.

Sky Chadde reports for Investigate Midwest.

Keep reading...Show less
Graphic image of white freight truck being charged.

California struggles to electrify trucks as Trump administration blocks state rules

California’s push to cut truck pollution and electrify freight fleets faces legal and political setbacks under President Trump, threatening public health in polluted regions like the San Joaquin Valley.

Benton Graham reports for Grist.

Keep reading...Show less
Rare earth mining toxic pollution
Credit: 1photo/BigStock Photo ID: 18776198

The hidden cost of powering your phone might be someone else’s cancer

As the world races to secure rare earth elements for tech and defense, residents of Baotou, China bear the brunt of toxic pollution and displacement.

Amy Hawkins reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
Small creek with water running over rocks.

Toxic mine runoff cleanup revives West Virginia waterways and extracts rare earth elements

Once-lifeless streams across West Virginia are being revived by community-led efforts to treat coal mine pollution, which is now also yielding valuable rare earth metals.

Mira Rojanasakul reports for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
From our Newsroom
Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.