Trump blasted by social media for not understanding climate change
An blast of ice-cold wind and snow is slamming the Midwest. Some forecasts show parts of Illinois and Minnesota could reach a wind chill of -60 degrees Fahrenheit — as cold as Antarctica. And businesses and schools are shutting down as the weather poses a hazard to human life.
And President Donald Trump decided to use this moment to deny climate change:
In the beautiful Midwest, windchill temperatures are reaching minus 60 degrees, the coldest ever recorded. In comin… https://t.co/FnaCaBA5Nz— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1548728929
Once again, Trump is confusing weather with climate — the temperature outside in a given place at a given time says nothing about global temperature trends. In fact, cold snaps like this are predicted to get more common as the planet gets warmer, because the energy loss from melting Arctic sea ice disrupts the "polar vortex" that traps cold air at the North Pole, allowing freezing winds to migrate to lower latitudes. None of this, however, seems to be reaching the same man who once called global warming a hoax by the Chinese.
Social media was quick to leap on Trump's latest show of ignorance:
@realDonaldTrump Weather is not the same as cl-- actually, no, we're not going to waste our breath on an anti-scien… https://t.co/UOG9PHvbjz— Party Of Reason and Progress (PORP) (@Party Of Reason and Progress (PORP)) 1548729115
@realDonaldTrump Stop asking Betsy DeVos to explain climate change to you.— Kristina Wong ❄️ (@Kristina Wong ❄️) 1548728994
@realDonaldTrump It wasn’t even that long ago when Trump claimed that climate change didn’t exist because it was co… https://t.co/NupHqWzy6e— Eugene Gu, MD (@Eugene Gu, MD) 1548729195
