Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Wednesday 29 March 2017

European scientists, officials warn against U.S. climate plan

FRANK JORDANS estimated social cost of
Associated Press carbon, as the Trump ad-
BERLIN (AP) — Scientists, ministration has indicated,
officials and environmen- would increase profits from
tal campaigners in Europe burning oil, coal and gas in
said Tuesday that the Unit- the United States.
ed States would be dam- Allen said that could send a
aging its own interests if it signal to developing coun-
rolls back the previous ad- tries, such as Indonesia and
ministration’s efforts to curb Bangladesh, that fossil fuels
climate change. are a viable source of ener-
U.S. President Donald Trump gy in the coming decades.
is expected to sign an ex- “It will definitely chuck sand
ecutive order Tuesday that in the wheels of efforts
would rescind, suspend or to control global climate
review Obama-era regu- change,” he said.
lations, including those re- Germany, which plans to
stricting greenhouse gas get most of its energy from
emissions at coal-fired renewable sources by 2050,
power plants. said ambitious policies on
The regulations are a key In this Nov. 30, 2011 file photo photovoltaic modules and a windmill of a wind farm are pictured at climate change are in the
part of America’s contribu- the village of Feldheim near Berlin, Germany. United States’ very own in-
tion toward meeting global Associated Press terests.
Like us on goals agreed at an interna- you want to lead, then you (...) they might even wel- Germany’s environment
minister, Barbara Hendricks,
tional climate change sum-
can’t turn the clock back come this as a chance to
Facebook mit in Paris two years ago. and rely on a century-old take over climate leader- said promoting renew-
able energy and energy
Thomas Stocker, a climate technology. You’re missing ship,” he said.
scientist at the University the train,” he said. Allen, who co-authored a efficiency is already creat-
of Bern, Switzerland, said Stocker, a former co-chair recent report for the U.S. ing large numbers of jobs
Trump’s plan to halt de- of the U.N.’s scientific panel National Academies of Sci- around the world. “Who-
commissioning of old and on climate change, noted ences on measuring how ever tries to change into
polluting coal-fired power that the Obama adminis- much greenhouse gas reverse gear is only going
stations would hurt the Unit- tration had been a driving emissions cost society, said to harm themselves when
ed States in the long run. force behind securing the Trump’s plan could under- it comes to international
facebook.com/bondianoticia “If ‘America First’ means Paris agreement in 2015. mine a crucial mechanism competitiveness,” she said.
“They are giving up that by which the United States Sweelin Heuss, the chief
leadership position and I government wanted to executive of Greenpeace
suspect that it will be taken mitigate global warming. Germany, said Trump’s
up by other competitive Under U.S. regulations, au- plan is “bad news, but it’s
countries,” said Stocker, thorities calculate the “so- not the end of the Paris
adding that China was cial cost” of carbon emis- agreement.”
well-placed to do so. sions in order to compare She urged German Chan-
That view was echoed by it to the cost of complying cellor Angela Merkel to
Myles R. Allen, a climate with regulations aimed at speak out against the plan
scientist at the University of curbing greenhouse gas and emphasize Europe’s
Oxford. “If China saw the emissions. commitment to combating
U.S. as being short-sighted Drastically reducing the climate change.q