Stephen Hawking responds to Donald Trump | BBC News Video | from the @solarpower movement 🌞
“Climate change is no longer some far-off problem; it is happening here, it is happening now.”
– Barack Obama, 44th President of the USA
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Professor Hawking vs. President Trump
The Trump Federal Administration
Unfortunately, the transition to clean sources of energy in the United States is not looking very promising due to the policy changes that have been made with the recent federal administration: such as the deletion of the Clean Power Plan proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the deletion of the federal Clean Air Act and the US’s recent withdrawal from the United Nation’s Paris Climate Agreement, which are still under binding agreement.
Stephen Hawking Makes a Statement
On his 75th birthday, professor Stephen Hawking (a theoretical physicist at Cambridge University, arguably the most famous scientist and one of the greatest minds of our times), spoke to BBC News in response to President Donald Trump's recent decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. He is clearly not a fan of President Trump.
Check out what Professor Hawking had to say below!
Mother Earth is not a commodity 🌎
It is time we finally stand up against the fossil fuel and petrochemical cartels. We cannot selfishly extract exhaustible resources forever in exchange for profits. Our existence is facing a major threat from climate change. It is real and it is already having severe consequences in many parts of the world, especially in third world countries that are extremely vulnerable to extreme weather.
Signs of a Collapse and how to Avoid it
The first three indicators of the collapse of societies (according to Jared Diamond in his book Collapse) are directly related to energy and water resources:
- Damage that people inadvertently inflict onto their environment
- Climate change
- Society’s response to its problems
“We are close to the tipping point where global warming becomes irreversible. Trump's action could push the Earth over the brink, to become like Venus, with a temperature of 250 degrees, and raining sulfuric acid.” - Professor Stephen Hawking
To ensure our long-term survival, smart and conscious people like you should break ties with corporations that finance the injustice of climate change. It seems imperative to educate and raise awareness on fossil-fuel induced pollution and the solutions provided by renewables like solar power generation, which provides more energy than we will ever need for electricity and water. We must keep our home planet clean and sustainable for our children. The fate of humanity may very well be in the hands of our generation. Now is the time to act.
There is Hope
Professor Hawking says that climate change is one of the biggest dangers we face, yet he adds that it is one that we can prevent if we act now. Fortunately, 12 US states have decided to uphold the Paris Climate Agreement despite the recent federal decisions and vowed to forge new international climate deals with the rest of the world. Thanks to favorable state policies, the green movement is still gaining momentum at the state level.
As the solar industry experiences less resistance from the stock market, money will increasingly flow from coal and natural gas to solar energy systems. The solar industry is still relatively small compared to coal and natural gas giants, but with increased efficiency and dropping cost of photovoltaic technology along with better utility rate designs, effective lobbying and public education, it is only a matter of time for solar energy to become mainstream despite the recent federal administrative changes.
@solarpower 🌞
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We should do it for the planet! That's it.
Truth from @lemouth! Thanks for sharing your thought. We all agree with you. We should keep Mother Earth clean! She is a beautiful organism that we are all apart of! It is time to WAKE UP! No more pollution, fewer oil spills and no fraccidents... more solar. Let there be light 🌞
We however need a lot of optimism... in particular with respect to the current status...
Agreed. Nothing is happening at Congress, besides trying not to shut down the federal government. Solar is gaining a lot more traction and popularity at the State level though. Many good solar policies are emerging and as other states start adopting similar policies, then it would be a good time to shift the conversation up on the hill.
Like you said we need to be optimistic and act on what we believe is right for the planet and our children and future generations. There is hope. 🌞
Go @solarpower!! We love your initiative. Keep it up!!!
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Stellar! Prof Hawking knows waht's up!! 👌
We can definitely learn a thing or two from Stephen Hawking. Way ahead of his time. His theories about dark matter and the origins of the universe has changed the way we perceive the world.
Unleash the power of the sun!!
the mighty 🌞!
There is hope... :-)
Yes there is and it's not too late to turn this ship around!
The sun is very bright!! We could use those rays
@sunpower speaks the truth!