Our nation has a reality-denying president in Donald Trump. Among other things that are objectively true, yet not to his tiny mind, he believes global warming is a hoax.
The last thing Salem needs is Trumpian City officials who refuse to accept the scientific consensus that global warming is happening, humans are the primary cause, and the world needs to take steps to reduce carbon emissions.
(See "Let's not let horrors of Trumpism infect Salem politics.")
So when I watched part of the May 6 City Council work session on a Salem Strategic Plan, it was seriously disturbing to see Councilor Brad Nanke and Mayor Chuck Bennett exhibit clear signs of global warming denialism.
Here's a 2-minute clip I made from the CCTV video of the work session. Nanke doesn't want to "stick a climate change name on it," because of supposed pushback from a big chunk of the community. Then Bennett reassures Nanke, "I understand your sensitivity on this, I really do."
Hey, Earth to Nanke/Bennett: the scientific truth about climate change doesn't have anything to do with how people in Salem feel about global warming. It is real; it is happening; humans are causing it; we need to do something about it.
There was more for science-lovers like me to be outraged about at the City Council work session.
My wife, Laurel, and me holding our signs at the Salem Science March
But before talking about that, here's three minutes of testimony from Linda Wallmark, representing the Salem chapter of 350.org, that warmed my climate-change-accepting heart.
Wallmark spoke about the need for the City of Salem to adopt a Climate Action Plan, just as the cities of Portland, Eugene, Corvallis, Hillsboro, and Ashland have.
She clearly said that she was representing the local 350.org chapter in calling for this. The woman who followed Wallmark echoed her call for a Salem Climate Action plan.
Yet later in the meeting there was this interchange about a Salem Climate Action Plan between Councilor Tom Andersen, a supporter of it, and an annoyingly dismissive Mayor Bennett.
Andersen: Okay I take that back, sure ... but that's what we pulled out of that and I'm not sure that there wasn't this stuff that should have been pulled out before, and if so I say that I'm remiss in not doing that because I think this thing is a concern to a number of people in the community.
Bennett: Well both of them were here today. Do you see? Don't let it get down to did two people show up or ten. Our stuff arose out of a community survey of the entire community. It was open to a major public discussion. We are taking up an issue brought up by two people today.
Hey, I like snark. Just look at the name of this blog.
But snark should be truthful. When someone just makes crap up, that's not snarky. At the worst it's lying; at the best it's Trumpian "alternative facts." (Admittedly there isn't much difference between the two.)
I can assure Mayor Bennett that a very large number of people in Salem care deeply about City officials working to combat global warming through a Climate Action Plan.
Saying "both of them were here today" is an insult to everybody in this town who respects science, embraces the scientific consensus about global warming, and wants to have our planet remain a habitable place for future generations to enjoy.
Someone sent me the compendium below of remarks made by people at previous Strategic Plan community meetings. If Mayor Bennett had taken the time to read the reports prepared by the consultants hired by the City, he would have known that there's widespread support for a Climate Action Plan.
Hopefully Bennett and the other members of the City Council will have this confirmed by the people who attend a June 1 Strategic Plan open house:
Written Comments from the Strategic Planning Open House on January 31, 2017 Extracted from "Jan 31 Stakeholder Charrette + Community Open House and Neighborhood Association Chairs Work Session Summary," February 28, 2017, BDS Urban Planning & Design. There were also lots of oral comments at the meeting calling for climate action by the City of Salem.
- I feel very strongly that climate change is a very important driver of visioning for our city. Transportation, parks, bike and pedestrian ways, walkable neighborhoods are all part of this. Growth for growth’s sake is not the way to go.
- Development needs to consider climate change.
- Some of the other major cities of Oregon have studied and adopted climate action plans aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emission in the sectors of transportation, business, daily living, energy usage and plans to deal with upcoming human-caused climate change impacts like more flooding, more fired, more drought. Our eyes are on our grandchildren's lives and also on making Salem livable … My request is that one goal we have is to update the Environmental Action Plan and set goals that will bring the greenhouse gas emissions below 350 parts (?) per million by the year 2050.
- Climate change must be the lens thru which we examine and plan for City Central service. Plan and commit resources to a Climate Change Action plan.
- Re-energize Salem energy Strategy, Environmental action plan.
- Climate Change action plan.
- Development needs to consider climate change.
- Investment in solar & solar roadways.
- Climate Change action plan.
- A focus on climate change can establish priorities for infrastructure, land, water and energy use. It’s urgent. Time for Salem to deal with it.
- Bike facilities, Electric transport, solar plant, sustainability, permaculture.
- Climate change must be the lens thru which we examine and plan for city public works Plan, commit resources to a Climate Change Action Plan. Thank you.
- Climate Change action plan.
- Development needs to consider climate change.
- Climate Change Plan- Plan and commit resources.
- Sustainable City- carbon neutral.
- Economy and environment are intertwined. You can’t have a healthy, vibrant economy without a healthy environment. We need to plan for adapting to climate change soon!
- We need a Climate Action Plan.
- Salem needs a Climate Action Plan so that we have the right kind of development.
- A focus on climate change will tie together Land Use Transportation, Economic Development and Development of a city that works for people.
- Environment and climate issues need drive. Public transport is critical! Land is finite, urban sprawl not route to go; spending finite land on cars is shortsighted
- Supporting movement to solar energy.
- Toward a carbon neutral city.
- Climate Action Plan is needed.
- Planning & plan to adapt and mitigate effects of climate change.
Grampa Mayor and Nanke both scoff when climate change/pollution issue is "only" presented by two people at a city council meeting, meanwhile when only ONE of their buddy-buddys nebulously claim his Fisher-Price Trump Tower Junior is going to "create jobs" the city can't cut the $750,000 handout check fast enough.
Posted by: salemander | May 12, 2017 at 04:47 AM