Analysis: The ironic effort to wave away climate change in favor of “clean air”
“We have a responsibility to our climate,” Manchin said. “I haven’t met a Democrat or Republican that wants to drink dirty water or breathe dirty air. I haven’t met one yet. So they all want a better climate, but we want a balance between the environment and the climate. We think there’s a balance to be had.”Before we parse that sentiment, remember why Manchin plays such an important role in discussions about climate change.
. So he is both empowered and motivated to slow any policy efforts aimed at constraining the use of coal, one of the key contributors to climate change.And yet his presentation of “climate” as an issue is to focus on air and water quality. In other words, to suggest that he supports addressing the “climate” in the sense that he supports limiting air and water pollution.
We’ve seen this ploy before. In fact, we saw it a few hours before Manchin’s Fox Business interview on the same network. On Wednesday morning, former president Donald Trump said much the same thing.After referring to the “climate hoax,” Trump said that “this climate situation is killing our country.”
“I know it’s politically not correct because people don’t understand it, and they don’t,” he continued. “But I understand it — with the best air, the best water, the best everything else and not destroying our businesses.”This is not the first time Trump has talked about climate change like this, nor was his progression to talking about pollution in the oceans the first time he has raised that subject.
on which Trump had offered bizarre or incorrect assessments of climate change. That included various previous efforts to wave away climate change as being adequately addressed by efforts to reduce air and water pollution.Generally speaking, of course, those issues are very different from climate change. Trump and Manchin grew up at a time when air and water pollution were far worse and when things such as littering were a primary focus of environmental activism.