CNN anchor Jake Tapper squared off with first daughter Ivanka Trump this morning on Twitter. They sparred over climate change after she made a statement about carbon emissions early Tuesday.
She announced, “FACT: Greenhouse gases generated by the U.S. will slide 9.2% this year, tumbling to the lowest level in at least three decades. @EPA.” Less than 30 minutes later, Tapper hit back.
He answered the tweet and claimed, “This is largely because of the pandemic and the economic catastrophe it wrought. The biggest drop in emissions this year came from the transportation sector, where emissions fell 14 percent, dragged down by a steep drop in air travel and automobile trips.”
Ms. Trump quickly countered his claim. “US CO2 emissions in 2019 were the lowest they have been since 1992. Per capita emissions were lower in 2019 than they’ve been at any time since at least 1950.”
US CO2 emissions in 2019 were the lowest they have been since 1992. Per capita emissions were lower in 2019 than they’ve been at any time since at least 1950. https://t.co/iXebSmyXRR
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) November 24, 2020
Again he tried to claim it had nothing to do with any Trump administration policy on cutting carbon emissions. “Ah so now we’re talking about last year? Ok cool yes that’s true. So why was that?“
Then quoted an article from Inside Climate News titled. ‘U.S. Emissions Dropped in 2019: Here’s Why in 6 Charts.’ That declared, “‘The story of the emissions decline has largely been one of market forces—rather than policies—that have made utilities close coal plants in favor of cheaper natural gas and renewable energy.'”
Ah so now we’re talking about last year? Ok cool yes that’s true. So why was that?
“The story of the emissions decline has largely been one of market forces—rather than policies—that have made utilities close coal plants in favor of cheaper natural gas and renewable energy.” https://t.co/dIO44Ldtwc
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 24, 2020
RedState told:
Tapper didn’t seem to realize that not only had he basically proved her point but he also undercut the left’s own arguments for a Green New Deal at the same time. Ms. Trump didn’t respond, but others stepped in to give him a helpful heads up:
As a number of Twitter users soon piled on. They dogged him for accidentally endorsing free-market solutions in the midst of his attempts to “own” the argument. While it appears he decided to quit pressing the issue. Does Tapper make a valid point?
President Elect Joe Biden also chimed in on the environment and what has been happening on the West Coast as of late.
From his home state of Delaware back in September Biden grimly predicted that “hellish” fires, floods, hurricanes, and superstorms would level and destroy America’s suburbs if “climate arsonist” President Donald Trump got re-elected.
As he declared, “Donald Trump’s climate denial may not have caused these fires and record floods and record hurricanes, but if he gets a second term, these hellish events will continue to become more common, more devastating and more deadly,”
Then claimed, “Wildfires are burning the suburbs in the West! Floods are wiping out suburban neighborhoods in the Midwest! Hurricanes are imperiling suburban life along our coast!”
Plus he questioned, “If we have four more years of Trump’s climate denial, how many suburbs will be burned in wildfires?” How many suburban neighborhoods will have been flooded out? How many suburbs will have been blown away in superstorms? If you give a climate arsonist four more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised if we have more of America ablaze?”
And argued, “We need a president who respects science. [A president] who understands that the damage from climate change is already here.”
While the president took a different stance. “When trees fall down, after a short period of time … about 18 months, they become really dry. They become really like a matchstick … and they just explode,” Trump told reporters.
“Also leaves, if you have years of leaves, dried leaves on the ground, it just sets it up. It’s really a fuel for a fire. So they have to do something about it.”
But California Gov. Gavin Newsom checked in telling, “The hots are getting hotter. The drys are getting drier. Something has happened to the plumbing of the world … and we submit the science is self evident that climate change is real. Please respect the difference of opinion out there.”
Does Biden make a valid argument?
