Trump is a symptom of a global phenomenon.
In 2024, when it’s obvious the world as we know it will end within this century unless everyone works together, the dominant political theme is nationalism.
In every country, around the world, candidates who embrace the idea of raising drawbridges, sticking our fingers in our ears, and going “na na na na” against the reality of global climate change are winning.
Even when the “democratic” side wins, it’s by accepting this premise. Keeping out climate refugees is the one issue that unites every party, even America’s Democrats.
Climate change is real, it’s global, we know what causes it. Throwing carbon into the air, burning things and blowing things up, is causing the world to overheat, tossing us all off like a virus. These impacts are greatest near the Equator, where droughts and floods are killing millions of people.
But a candidate who stands on this obvious truth is guaranteed to lose. Everywhere. I’m voting for Kamala Harris and the Democrats, but we’re not an anti-war party. We’re running away from internationalism, raising barriers to EVs and batteries that could help fight the climate crisis because we want to build them here, and might, maybe, 5-10 years from now, with huge government subsidies.
Buy them from China? My God, man, they’re Communist!
The Losing Side
Cooperation is vital if we’re to save this planet from collective suicide. I’m not seeing any. Arguments over democracy or autocracy are all well and good, but they’re still just different routes to nationalism. They’re how we’re going to fight against necessary cooperation. That fight is guaranteed to continue.
The voices of scientists, protestors, and even businessmen who know what’s coming and know what must be done to mitigate it are being drowned out by cries of “mine” and “ours.” The only guarantee is that such cries will fail to solve the underlying problem.
Until all of us, in every nation, unite to fight the disease of climate change, that disease will continue to rage.