New York Magazine has published a grim article by David Wallace-Wells on the worst scenarios of climate change. It is hard to assess which of these scenarios are most likely, but any one of them is terrifying. Rather than accepting any as inevitable, the right way to think about the essay is as a context for a discussion of what steps to avoid climate change need to be taken now. It is similar to discussions about the horrors of nuclear war: none of the worst scenarios spun out in the the 1960s of a possible nuclear war were ever highly likely, but they stimulated better methods to assure that such a war never occur. Denying the consequences without prudent steps to avoid them is an exercise in faith, not responsible policy.
Chris Uhlmann writes for the Australian Broadcasting Company and he has written an essay on the G-20 meeting and the American role in world affairs under the Trump Administration. Like others, Uhlmann believes that the US will seek a diminished role and he wonders what countries might fill the vacuum. It is a nettlesome question, not just for Americans, but for the world as a whole. The Obama Administration similarly sought a lesser role in the world, as Obama believed that the Iraq and Afghanistan wars sapped American willingness and capability to maintain a vigorous role. But Trump’s withdrawal is based on a different set of considerations and Uhlmann worries that under those circumstances, the world might regret the American decision.
Metrocosm has published a fascinating video on immigration into the US over time. The visual presentation is stunning.
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