The Problem With Climate Realism

“the Council on Foreign Relations’s new “Climate Realism Initiative.” Its statement of purpose attempts to make climate action palatable to MAGA world by securitizing it, framing climate change as a foreign threat to Fortress America.”

“This attempt is doomed to failure.”

“CRI’s launch document does not call for the U.S. to reduce its own emissions.”

“sets up climate change as a problem that foreign countries are imposing on Americans.”

“The initiatives proposed in the Climate Realism launch are the initiatives of giving up.”

“The Climate Realism Initiative pitches itself as “bipartisan.” But where is the MAGA coalition that supports this? Even simple spending on adaptation and resilience seems unlikely to find much of a political home given the Trump administration’s drastic cuts in weather and disaster forecasting.”

“CRI seems to want to engage instead in a fantasy conversation where anti-Chinese nationalism can unite Americans to fight climate change — an all-form, no-content negative sum realpolitik that does little to address the real, compelling, and deeply political questions that the climate crisis poses.”