Fox News Sunday
Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace sat down for an interview with President-elect Donald Trump that aired yesterday and touched on some recent topics surrounding the Trump administration’s transition. One of those topics was climate change and Trump’s choice of EPA administrator, who appears poised to roll back fossil fuel pollution regulations.
Wallace noted that Trump’s New York Times staff during a recent sit-down that he was “open-minded” about climate change (despite a history of statements to the contrary), asking, “So, what about the environment?”
Trump responded, “I’m still open-minded. Nobody really knows. I’ve… look, I’m someone who gets it. And nobody really knows. It’s not something that hard and fast. Wallace did not dispute this claim, but assuming Trump is referring to climate change here (rather than environmental protection more broadly), the reality is in fact hard and fast.
The latest IPCC report, prepared by hundreds of climate scientists, summed up the state of the science well. It concluded first that “the warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and since the 1950s many of the changes observed are unprecedented for decades to millennia.” And the cause? The report assigned at least 95 percent statistical confidence that “human influence has been the primary driver of observed warming since the mid-20th century.”
President-elect Trump went on to claim that “other countries are eating our lunch” because unlicensed factories can be built faster.
Trump promised decisions on the landmark international Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the Keystone XL pipeline project (which the Obama administration rejected) “quite soon” when his term begins. “Now, Paris, I’m in college,” Trump said. “I’m saying this: I don’t want that deal to put us at a competitive disadvantage compared to other countries. As you know, there are different times and different time limits for that agreement. I do not want China or other countries that sign agreements to gain an advantage over us.”
In Paris, China pledged to stop the rapid growth of its emissions by 2030, even if economic growth continues. The International Energy Agency’s 2016 energy outlook first concluded that China’s coal consumption may have peaked a few years ago as the economy shifts from dirty industry to renewable energy and natural gas. Next year, China will launch a nationwide cap-and-trade system to regulate emissions from those dirty industries.
In addition to the Keystone XL Pipeline, Trump also brought up the Dakota Access Pipeline, which must look for a new route after the Army Corps of Engineers blocked a heavily protested trail near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. “Don’t make me answer the Dakota because maybe that will be fixed by the time I get there so I don’t have to create enemies on one side or the other. But I’ll tell you when I get to the office, if it’s not fixed, I’ll get it fixed very quickly,” Trump said.
When Wallace asked what that meant, Trump replied, “I’m not saying anything. I’m just saying something will happen, and it will happen soon. I think it’s very unfair. So it will start one way or another.