On ‘Radio Times’: How climate change became more abstract to voters

On Friday’s Radio Times, host Marty Moss-Coane discussed Trump’s decision, as well as the views that American voters and politicians have towards the increasing global temperature.

President Trump campaigned on pulling out of the Paris Agreement and on Thursday he fulfilled this promise. Many of Trump’s supporters championed the move, claiming it will improve America’s employment rates and rid the U.S. of restrictions on energy production and consumption. Trump’s statement on the withdrawal also included ambitions to make America the “most environmentally friendly country on Earth.” Despite this, Trump and his team have refused to answer if Trump believes in climate change, something he has called a hoax in the past.

On Friday’s Radio Times, host Marty Moss-Coane discussed Trump’s decision, as well as the views that American voters and politicians have towards the increasing global temperature.  One of Marty’s guests, Princeton University professor of geosciences and international affairs, Michael Oppenheiner, posited that climate change has become more of an abstract concept in recent years, which limits voters’ sense of urgency.

“It used to be in your face,” Oppenheimer said, “I’m old enough to remember when the air was dirty where I lived in New York City. You could taste it. You could feel it. I lived in Chicago for a while. It would lodge in the back of your throat and you’d have a sour taste from the coal burning in every apartment building. Yeah, that got people active.”

Marty was also joined by Eric Orts, professor of legal studies and business ethics at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. He discussed the nature of the Paris Agreement and what pulling out of the deal would entail.