HOW DO I HATE THEE? LET ME COUNT THE WAYS | 10 WAYS TO STICK IT TO TRUMP FOR EXITING THE PARIS AGREEMENT

I’m reading this book right now that my sister-in-law recommended to me called ‘A Return To Love‘, in it the author talks about how love is the only true reality, that every negative feeling is caused by fear, and that fear is a hallucination. I try, with all the goodness in my heart, to not let the bubbles of anger boil up in me, nor the serpent tongue I work hard to silence not spit four letter words of fire in every language I’ve chosen to learn, at the very sight and sound of the tiny handed horror, the alleged ‘president’ of those Divided States. 

Donald Trump is the embodiment of ignorance and hate. He represents for me every single thing that has gone wrong with this world, encouraging a society that is as far away from its intended existence as it ever has been or could be. With the actions, or lack there of, of Trump and many who came before him, this world has become a rather loveless place; full of war, hunger, environmental breakdown, prejudice, oppression, and violence because we have grown to care more about ourselves than we do of humanity, care more about power and money and economy than we do of the survival of all living things. Choosing ignorance over the fact that none of what they/we are hungry for will matter if the caverns in which we hoard our horrid hunt is destroyed and along with it, all living things.

Today I saw an announcement that Donald Trump has pulled out of the Paris Agreement, this from the ‘leader’ of the world’s second largest greenhouse gas emitter, claiming the treaty will ‘harm‘ American jobs. An announcement which only confirms his lack of empathy and wholehearted selfishness amongst other evil things. This agreement isn’t about a single country’s economy or or loss of jobs, this agreement is about making minimal efforts towards saving all living things.  Which is why every country in the entire world has signed the agreement, apart from Syria (because, you know, we’ve waged a heinous war on them and they’ve got daily survival to think about), Nicaragua (because they rightly felt the deal did not do enough to protect the climate), and now, The United States of America (because, Trump). 

Despite the imperfections of the Paris Agreement, this signals a rather damaging and serious thing. Since 1990, global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) have increased by almost 50%. These emissions are caused by fossil fuels produced by the oil, coal and gas industries which power our cars, stoves and lights, and heat or cool our homes. They are also caused by methane, which is 70 times more damaging per ton to the earth’s atmosphere than CO2, and is formed in the burps and bottom ends of animals (mainly beef) used to produce meat and dairy on a factory level.

It is our responsibility, as members of the species which caused global warming, to partake, pay attention, and unite with an empathetic sense of equality and utmost urgency, before we’re all, as Prince EA so poignantly puts it are “equally extinct”. 

I’ve definitely listed these actions in other roundups, so I apologise if you’ve seen some of these before, but as they say, friendly repetition enhances retention and insights action, and thus, for myself and others, I must share these steps as often as possible. 

ONE. CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES, PROVE HE HAS NO POWER

Much to my own dismay, social media rants do eff all to instigate change (apart from instigating losing friends and alienating people). Pick up your phone and call your representatives. It doesn’t matter if you’re American or not, make it abundantly clear that you do not support people like Trump and expect your community and country to take proper action. If you’re American, follow the instructions on THIS WEBSITE, they tell you exactly how to do it and why. There is a group of 30 mayors, three governors and more than 80 university presidents and more than 100 businesses pledging to meet the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions targets under the Paris Climate Agreement, to show Trump they could care less what he does (or doesn’t), they’re committed as citizens of the world to meet the goals presented.   

TWO. IF YOU’RE IN THE UK, DON’T BLOODY VOTE FOR TERESA MAY

Unless you want to keep your own bigoted bullshitter in office, give someone who might instigate radical change a chance. Corbyn is the only running member who I feel can do that. But if you’re not sure, educate yourself and don’t be a selfish stinker about it. Just because you’ve always voted for a certain party, doesn’t mean you always should. Ask yourself instead what humanity needs, not what you personally need, especially if you are own your home, have a secure job and can afford to put your children in private school. There’s a great chart here that gives you a little outline on May vs Corbyn’s beliefs HERE. You can google specific bills or policies if you’re not sure your own stance on them or want to see other running member’s stances. 

THREE. PAY VOLUNTARY CARBON TAX

Nothing says ‘I care about climate change’ more than throwing your money at correcting your own actions. The idea of carbon tax is the ‘polluter pays principle‘ which was incorporated into international law at the 1992 Rio Summit, but not really put into effect. It’s like the tax on cigarettes, those who smoke pay a high tax which in turn has caused people to consume less and covered the associated costs caused by the negative side effects on people and society. I’ve chosen to pay a voluntary carbon tax, I’ve done a quick video about why I pay mine below.