It’s been great to see the frosty response to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on his quick visit to New Zealand this week. The oil baron will leave without any doubt that Kiwi’s like most of the world don’t accept the Trump administration’s climate change denial and huge leap backwards into potential climate chaos.
Yesterday, Stuff reported:
Yeah! The Trump administration’s record… That’s a good one.
Not only did the former head of oil giant ExxonMobil, a company responsible for disasters like the Exxon Valdez, make excuses for why the US pulled out of the Paris Agreement, he also tried to justify Trump changing policy that will undoubtedly increase harmful CO2 emissions.
What a load of waffle! I mean what exactly does Tillerson think will happen when the United States expands its oil production? Things like Trump allowing seismic testing and drilling for oil in the Atlantic Ocean is only going to result in more greenhouse gas emissions.
Not only will such environmentally irresponsible drilling be potentially disastrous, it will also mean more money for people like Rex bloody Tillerson that will be used to fund various Republican groups to try to keep Trump in power. Political corruption in other words.
Make no mistake, the Trump administration is working for the oil industry because it basically is the oil industry. The only value they see in New Zealand is our military strategic location and the potential to gain access to our resources for cents on the dollar.
On Tuesday, the NZ Herald reported:
Obviously Barack Obama’s environmental legacy shouldn’t give Trump and his oily cronies a free pass to now increase oil production and pollution. That’s about the dumbest excuse for increasing CO2 emissions I’ve heard so far.
So for putting future generations at risk, multiple crimes against nature and being in charge of a company that actively funded climate change deniers for 27 years, Rex Tillerson wins this week’s Asshole Award. Let's hope the US listens to the world and votes these bastards out.
Yesterday, Stuff reported:
US Secretary of State defends Trump on trade, climate change
Tillerson got a hostile reception from the locals, a reminder of our disagreements on issues like climate change from Prime Minister Bill English, and had to defend the US presence commitment to the region in the wake of isolationist policies enacted by the Trump administration.
But Tillerson's message for Kiwis was clear - the US is not retreating. On climate change, and trade, Tillerson defended the Trump administration's record.
Yeah! The Trump administration’s record… That’s a good one.
Not only did the former head of oil giant ExxonMobil, a company responsible for disasters like the Exxon Valdez, make excuses for why the US pulled out of the Paris Agreement, he also tried to justify Trump changing policy that will undoubtedly increase harmful CO2 emissions.
"I don't think anyone should interpret the US has stepped away from these issues, or is seeking to isolate itself. Indeed one of the reasons I'm in the region, one of the reasons Vice President [Mike] Pence has already been in the region, [defence secretary Jim] Mattis has been in the region, is to reaffirm to everyone that the US views this region in the world as extremely important to our national security interests and our own economic and prosperity interests. And I think you can expect ...to see an elevated level of engagement to that which you saw in the past eight years.
What a load of waffle! I mean what exactly does Tillerson think will happen when the United States expands its oil production? Things like Trump allowing seismic testing and drilling for oil in the Atlantic Ocean is only going to result in more greenhouse gas emissions.
Not only will such environmentally irresponsible drilling be potentially disastrous, it will also mean more money for people like Rex bloody Tillerson that will be used to fund various Republican groups to try to keep Trump in power. Political corruption in other words.
Make no mistake, the Trump administration is working for the oil industry because it basically is the oil industry. The only value they see in New Zealand is our military strategic location and the potential to gain access to our resources for cents on the dollar.
On Tuesday, the NZ Herald reported:
Fact or fiction: Tillerson on the United States' 'unparalleled' climate change record
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson defended his country's record on climate change during a whistle-stop visit to Wellington today.
At a press conference following bilateral talks, Tillerson was challenged on the US decision to withdraw from the Paris accord on climate change.
What he said:
"The United States has an extraordinary record of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, possibly unparalleled by anyone else.
"Our greenhouse gas emissions are at levels that were last seen in the 1990s.
Obviously Barack Obama’s environmental legacy shouldn’t give Trump and his oily cronies a free pass to now increase oil production and pollution. That’s about the dumbest excuse for increasing CO2 emissions I’ve heard so far.
So for putting future generations at risk, multiple crimes against nature and being in charge of a company that actively funded climate change deniers for 27 years, Rex Tillerson wins this week’s Asshole Award. Let's hope the US listens to the world and votes these bastards out.
