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Gulf Today
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
The Texas floods were made worse by climate denialism
Michael R. Bloomberg, Tribune News Service The tragic news out of central Texas has been heartbreaking, but it's also been maddening — because so many lives could have been saved if elected officials had done their jobs. They owe the families who lost loved ones — the death toll from the Fourth of July floods is now at more than 100 — more than thoughts and prayers. They owe them a sincere commitment to righting their deadly wrong, by tackling the problem they've turned their backs on for too long: climate change. The scientific evidence is clear that the more frequent extreme weather we are experiencing is being driven by climate change — and that it's only going to get worse. As the director of the Texas Center for Extreme Weather at Texas A&M University put it, the storms and flooding in central Texas are 'exactly what the future is going to hold.' And yet so many elected officials are pretending otherwise. The latest episode of horrific flooding isn't just about a natural disaster in one state. It's also about a political failure that's been happening in states across the country, and most of all in Washington. The refusal to recognize that climate change carries a death penalty is sending innocent people, including far too many children, to early graves. Nearly a year ago, Hurricane Helene caused devastating flooding in western North Carolina that killed more than 100 people. A few months later, wildfires in California killed 30 people and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses. This month, the death and destruction of climate change came to Texas. Where will be next? No place is safe. Not every life can be spared from climate change, unfortunately, but many more could be saved if elected officials stopped pretending that they're powerless to do anything about it. The fact is: Climate change is a manageable problem with practical solutions. Those solutions will not only save lives, but they will also improve our health, reduce our energy bills and create more jobs. The longer these officials pretend otherwise, the more the public will suffer, and the more people will die. And yet what are those in power in Washington doing? Worse than nothing: They are actively thwarting efforts to address climate change and help communities cope with its harms. The Trump administration has erased the words 'climate change' — and critical climate data and information — from government websites, as if the problem could be wished away. It is attempting to roll back the Environmental Protection Agency's obligation to fight climate change. And it has put lives at risk by canceling grants to local communities to help them prepare for the effects of climate change — and by cutting essential positions at the National Weather Service that help communities prepare and respond to disasters, leaving the weather service's offices in the areas around the flooding short-staffed. Last week, the administration even proposed eliminating a research office that plays a critical role in forecasting extreme weather. And that's not the end of it. On the same day the Texas floods killed dozens of people, the president signed a budget bill that, in addition to piling on $3 trillion to the national debt, gutted the nation's efforts to promote renewable energy sources. The new budget repeals tax credits for clean energy production, electric vehicles and clean manufacturing while also eliminating the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which Congress created to help increase private-sector investment in clean energy. As a result, many fewer such projects will be built, killing jobs in communities across the country and driving up energy costs. All of this will make it harder for the US to drive down the greenhouse-gas emissions that are helping to supercharge deadly storms, while increasing the human toll and financial costs of extreme weather — and making it harder for states and localities to recover from it. Local and state governments do not have the resources to dig out from disasters on their own, which is why Texas Governor Greg Abbott has requested support and financial assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Yet the administration has been busy gutting the agency, which has lost some 20% of its full-time staff since the start of the year. Making matters worse, the administration has proposed getting rid of FEMA altogether, which would be a disaster in itself. In short: The federal government is attempting to get out of the business of helping communities prepare for and respond to climate-fueled weather disasters just as they're becoming more deadly and destructive. It won't work. As the flooding in Texas painfully demonstrates, Washington cannot escape its duty to confront climate change. Trying to do so will only lead to higher body counts and heavier financial burdens on communities. To Abbott's credit, he has stood up for the state's clean energy industry and helped kill several bills that would have put an anti-free-market cap on clean energy production and subjected wind and solar power projects to additional red tape. We need more of our elected representatives to recognize that climate change should not be a partisan issue — and that it requires urgent cooperation from members of both parties, as well as both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue.
Straits Times
27-06-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
London climate week receives boost as Trump policies weigh on New York event
FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales walks with former Mayor of New York, Michael R. Bloomberg during the \"Leading with Impact\" event, as part of London Climate Action Week, at Bloomberg headquarters in London, Britain, June 24, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso/Pool/File Photo LONDON - London's climate week attracted record attendance, bolstered by the cloud hanging over its sister event in New York in September as the U.S. government turns its back on efforts to stop global warming and tightens entry requirements. The annual London Climate Action Week (LCAW), which ends on Sunday, more than doubled in size compared to the 2024 edition, hosting 700-plus events and more than 45,000 attendees. That was helped by the UK's more robust stance on climate action and support for visitors from developing countries, two dozen business, political and civil society sources told Reuters. "We have gone much bigger on LCAW this year - we are hosting several events and putting considerably more effort (in) than in the past. If we do send someone to New York, it will almost certainly just be an American citizen member of our team," said Alexis McGivern, Head of Stakeholder Engagement at Oxford Net Zero. Under President Donald Trump, the United States has left a global deal to lower climate-damaging carbon emissions, cut development aid, rowed back on environmental standards and moved to slash support for green technologies. By contrast, the British government was present across multiple events during LCAW, with energy secretary Ed Miliband saying he wanted Britain to be a "clean energy superpower" and to "get off the roller coaster of fossil fuel markets". 'YOU CAN TALK FRANKLY' Given the U.S. pushback, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, a U.N. Indigenous Peoples representative and climate change expert, said London offered more freedom to discuss climate change, diversity and human rights. "You can talk frankly with the government of the UK or any government here in London without being afraid of how you get treated, or targeted," she said. Philanthropists and private investors, too, are able to speak more openly without being targeted politically, or risking damaging business interests, she said. "This year the New York Climate Week is going to be very challenging," she said. "Not only to indigenous peoples, but even to governments. There are so many barriers that are making people say, let's act now in London." Among steps taken in London was a push by governments for indigenous peoples' land rights to be better protected and a plan to encourage companies to buy more carbon credits. Chief among the concerns about New York, particularly for civil society representatives, was whether they could even get in. TRAVEL BANS This month, the U.S. banned travellers from countries including Afghanistan, Congo Republic and Somalia - many exposed to rising extreme weather events and in need of the most help - and may yet add more. Ibrahim, whose home country Chad is also on the list, said she would travel using her diplomatic passport but was uncertain if she would be allowed in - a concern flagged by half a dozen other LCAW attendees. Helen Clarkson, CEO of Climate Group, which runs New York Climate Week, said she understood it would be harder for participants from certain countries to attend but that many businesses, governments and civil society were planning to come and were "super up for New York." " is shaping up similar to other years," she said. "This is a critical moment before COP." COP30 will take place in Brazil in November. REUTERS Find out more about climate change and how it could affect you on the ST microsite here.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
London Museum gifted thousands of Roman artefacts
London Museum has received £20m and more than 14,000 Roman artefacts from a US charitable organisation. The gift from Bloomberg Philanthropies is the largest private donation and largest archive of archaeological material given to the museum to date. The artefacts were discovered during construction of Bloomberg's European headquarters in the City of London between 2012 and 2014. The museum plans to put them on public display when it opens its new premises in Smithfield next year. Sharon Ament, director of the London Museum, described the artefacts collection as "a momentous gift that ties the past to the future and which will be a lasting legacy for London". Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses the charitable donations of global financial news organisation Bloomberg and its founder former New York mayor and business leader, Michael R. Bloomberg. On this donation Mr Bloomberg said: "These remarkable artefacts offer a unique window into the past, connecting us directly to the voices of its ancient inhabitants. "As someone who considers London my second home, I'm honoured that our company will be able to help bring these stories to life while strengthening the City's future." Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan said: "Bloomberg has been a huge cultural champion for London, and this is a great example of public and private sectors working together to help realise bold plans for our capital's future." In September, Sir Sadiq and the City of London Corporation announced they would commit £25m to the museum on top of their previous contributions. Known as home to a temple to the Roman god Mithras, discoveries on the Bloomberg site include Britain's largest, earliest and most significant collection of Roman writing tablets. They reveal the earliest surviving voices of Roman Londoners, including the first written reference to London. The temple and around 600 of the artefacts have been on public display at the London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE since 2017. Following closure of its London Wall site, London Museum is scheduled to re-open at its new home in Smithfield in 2026. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to London Museum receives additional £50m for new home Glittery pigeon poo splat logo divides opinion Secrets of the past uncovered at Victorian market London Museum
