Environment

Greta Thunberg slams Biden, claims he isn’t treating ‘climate crisis like a crisis’

Published

3 years ago

March 8, 2021

Screen Shot 2021 03 08 at 1.47.31 PM scaled

Greta Thunberg, the world-famous Swedish teen environmental activist, said President Joe Biden is not going far enough to “treat the climate crisis like a crisis,” accusing him of being “not nearly enough in line with the science” on the issue.

During an MSNBC interview Sunday night to discuss Biden, whom she endorsed in the 2020 presidential election, on how his administration is handling climate change thus far, Thunberg was asked by host Mehdi Hasan how she would grade the commander-in-chief on climate issues.

“Well, you shouldn’t take that from me, I’m just a teenager, so I’m not—I don’t have the mandate to sort of give grades like that. My opinions on this doesn’t matter,” the 18-year-old activist said.

MORE ON CLIMATE: AOC says Biden’s climate plan sounds similar to her ‘Green New Deal’

“You should rather look at the science and whether his policies are in line with the Paris agreements and to stay below 1.5 or even 2 degrees Celsius, and then you can clearly see that, no, it’s not nearly enough in line with the science. That’s not me saying, that’s just black and white, looking at the facts,” she continued.

Pointing out that Biden has rejoined the Paris Climate Accord, set up a climate office, appointed a climate czar, and began to reverse some of former President Donald Trump’s environmental policies, Hasan asked her what she would suggest Biden do that he already isn’t.

“I understand that it’s difficult and to be honest I would not want to be in a politician’s position right now—I can’t imagine how hard it must be,” Thunberg replied.

“But I would just like him to basically just treat the climate crisis like a crisis. They have said themselves that this is an existential threat,” she continued, saying that Biden isn’t handling it as such.

“They are just treating the climate crisis as it was a political topic, among other topics and, yeah, treat it as a crisis, that’s the No. 1 step,” she added.

Pressed by Hasan to name some things she would suggest to the president if he could wave a “presidential magic wand” in the form of an executive order, Thunberg said “nothing,” arguing that such a means would be “undemocratic”.

She, however, shifted gears to argue that what is important is getting people involved so that people can increase public pressure on elected leaders regarding the issue.

“So what we need now is to raise awareness and to create public opinion to treat the crisis like a crisis. Because if people are not aware of the crisis that we face, of course they won’t put pressure on the elected leaders. So I would just tell him to, to tell the situation as it is,” she said.

Thunberg also said world leaders who complain that they can’t do anything to change environmental policy due to a lack of support need to build support for what they want to accomplish.

“Well, how can you expect support and pressure from voters if you are not treating the crisis like a crisis. Since the climate crisis doesn’t exist, how can we expect people to want climate action,” she said.

The activist also said to MSNBC she found it “hilarious” when world leaders such as Trump criticize her.

“You need to be able to laugh at these things, because it is hilarious!” she said. “To see such powerful people go after you, it really shows that you are having an impact. They wouldn’t do it if you weren’t a threat to them, so that you should take as a compliment.”

Back in December 2019, the same month that Thunberg was announced as TIME’s Person of the Year, Trump tweeted that the teenage activist had an “anger management problem” and suggested: “Chill, Greta, Chill!”

You can follow Douglas Braff on Twitter @Douglas_P_Braff.

Economy

TX farmers fight to block USDA from using race in distributing farm aid

Published

1 week ago

April 9, 2024

Sara Carter Staff

“When natural disasters strike, they don’t discriminate based on race and sex. Neither should the Department of Agriculture.” That’s the message from a group of farmers written in a court filing made public Monday.

Just The News reports on a group of white farmers in Texas who are asking a federal judge to block the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from using race, gender or other “socially disadvantaged” traits to determine who gets disaster and pandemic farm aid and how much, arguing the agency’s current administration of eight emergency funding programs is unconstitutionally discriminatory.

According to Just the News, the USDA’s program appears to be rooted in an executive order that President Joe Biden signed. The lawsuit names the USDA and Biden Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. The farmers bringing the action include Rusty Strickland, Alan and Amy West and Bryan Baker, all of Texas.

The farmers, represented by the nonprofit legal firm called the Southeastern Legal Foundation, asked a judge to issue an emergency injunction from the U.S. District Court in Amarillo, Texas, to stop any additional awards from being made on the basis of race and gender or other liberal standards.

“Enjoining USDA from using race, sex, or progressive factoring when administering the programs is warranted because Plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the merits of their claims that: (1) the programs, as currently administered, are unconstitutional; (2) USDA lacks statutory authority to run the programs in their current form; and (3) USDA failed to adequately explain changes in calculating payments when implementing progressive factoring,” the motion stated.

The farmers said the Biden administration has taken roughly $25 billion in disaster and pandemic aid approved by Congress for farmers in eight programs and devised a system to make awards based on race, gender or other “socially disadvantaged” traits. Such decision-making violates the Constitution’s Fifth Amendment and the Administrative Procedures Act.

“The Constitution promises equal treatment to all Americans regardless of their race or sex,” the court filing also reads. “It also promises the separation of powers. USDA broke both promises through the disaster and pandemic relief programs challenged here.”

The farmers said they can prove that “USDA gives more money to some farmers based on” race, gender or other factors never approved by Congress.

“USDA does this by first defining farmers who are black/African-American, American Indian, Alaskan native, Hispanic, Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, or a woman as ‘socially disadvantaged,’” the court filing said. “Then, it provides farmers who qualify as socially disadvantaged more money for the same loss than those it deems non-underserved, along with other preferential treatment”

Just the News explains the request for an injunction relies in part of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision last year banning racial preferences in college admissions. It even quoted from the high court’s declaration that “eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it.”.

“Disasters don’t discriminate and neither should USDA. In fact, the Constitution prohibits it,” the lawyers said in a statement. “That is why our brave clients – a group of Texas farmers that includes three white men who received significantly less money in disaster relief funds from USDA than if they had been of a different race or sex – filed this case and are asking the court to stop USDA’s blatant discrimination.”