An important international conference on climate change

From today’s Washington Post:

President Trump’s top White House adviser on energy and climate stood before the crowd of some 200 people on Monday and tried to burnish the image of coal, the fossil fuel that powered the industrial revolution — and is now a major culprit behind the climate crisis world leaders are meeting here to address.

“We strongly believe that no country should have to sacrifice economic prosperity or energy security in pursuit of environmental sustainability,” said Wells Griffith, Trump’s adviser.

Mocking laughter echoed through the conference room.

New poll shows that the majority of Americans agree with last month's government report on climate change

As Politico reports:

A new poll shows most voters side with elements of the federal government that sounded the alarm last month in a dire report on climate change rather than with the head of that government — and the nation’s leading climate-change denier — President Donald Trump.

According to the latest POLITICO/Morning Consult poll, two-thirds of voters say they are very or somewhat concerned about the report. A 58 percent majority agrees with the scientific consensus — and disagrees with Trump — that climate change is being caused by human activity.

If you recall, the president had this to say about the report’s conclusion:

“One of the problems that a lot of people like myself, we have very high levels of intelligence but we’re not necessarily such believers,” Trump said in the interview, adding, “As to whether or not it’s man-made and whether or not the effects that you’re talking about are there, I don’t see it.”

I guess there are not enough Americans that have the high level of intelligence that our president has.

West Virginia University holds major national conference on climate change

Earlier this month, WVU played host to the 2018 National Energy Conference. Topics included “the latest developments in climate change issues, climate change communication, controlling methane emissions, putting a price on carbon, and solar energy opportunities and obstacles.”

Covering the conference for Forbes was Ken Silverstein. His article’s focus was:

How To Teach Climate Science In Coal Country And To Non-Believers

In the article, Silverstein quotes MIT and WVU grad Emily Calandrelli, who is the host of "Xploration Outer Space":

“As we go through life, we have new experiences. Our brain rejects those views that do not perfectly align, she adds. “It means you can’t convince someone they are wrong using facts and evidence.”

How does the psychology comport with those who have grown up to appreciate the fruits that coal, oil and natural gas have brought? The Space Gal, who grew up in West Virginia and who was educated at MIT, says that the history of coal is really a “love story” — one that has also been cleverly marketed by trade organizations that recruit local icons to tout its value.

Coal is thus part of West Virginians’ pride and identity and when coal is attacked, the individual also feels defensive. As a result, only 60% of West Virginians think climate change is real — the lowest in the nation, albeit it is still most people there. But West Virginians are patriotic and will see “green” as the new “red, white and blue,” understanding that dirty air endangers the purities that they cherish.

It's an interesting article.

Note: our local Ogden papers, which cover most major WVU conferences, did not report on this one which garnered national media attention. Possible reasons? They didn’t agree with the subject matter, no one works at Ogden on Saturdays, or most likely, WVU President E. Gordon Gee didn’t give a major address.