by Bill Quigley
PHOTO/Skender/Flickr /Mother Nature Network
Given the way people are transforming the earth into a place where the human species cannot survive, it is only right and just that we honor achievement in the race to extinction.
Without further ado, here are the top eight Extinction Awards of 2018.
2018 Extinction Global Person of the Year Award: Donald J. Trump
One person did more in 2018 to advance the extinction of the human race than any other. While space makes it impossible to list all the ways he acted to damage the earth, a look at just a few of the highlights from 2018 gives a clear snapshot. In 2018, he made it easier for coal plants to pollute, made it easier for industry to engage in hazardous air pollution, announced the US will be pulling out of a twenty year old nuclear weapons treaty, started to rollback vehicle mileage standards, opened up oil and gas drilling on millions of acres of protected public lands, vigorously opposed the rights of children in the US to challenge the federal government for its role in global warming, and is making it easier for oil and gas companies to drill in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge. The world cannot forget that in 2017 he displayed his dedication to extinction when he boldly withdrew the US from the Paris climate agreement.
2018 Extinction Award for Country: United States
Worldwide, the United States produces the most oil, consumes the most oil, consumes the most natural gas, produces the most solid waste, and eats the most meat per capita (264 pounds per person). The US is second in the world in fuel emissions, second in carbon dioxide emissions, and third in consumption of coal. The US has over 6500 nuclear weapons putting it a close second to Russia which has 6550 and is planning to build many more. The US has over 850 vehicles per 1000 people, far and away number one in the world. Three out of every four new vehicles sold in the US are gas guzzling trucks or SUVs. The fact that the US is led by the Extinction Global Person of the Year suggests it is well positioned to hold onto the leading role in next year’s awards as well.
2018 Extinction Award for Country, Runner Up: China
In recent years, China has been surging in the extinction sweepstakes. China now produces the most carbon dioxide emissions, has the most fossil fuel emissions, consumes the most coal, and leads the world in mismanaging plastic waste. China is second in the world in solid waste, second in oil consumption, and third in use of natural gas. Three of China’s biggest cities are among the ten most polluted in the world. But China has some work to do to catch up with the US in key areas. It has only 280 nuclear weapons, about 5 percent of what the US possesses. Its population owns 104 vehicles per 1000 people, only about 12 percent of the US rate. Given all the country has achieved lately, the US dare not stay too comfortable.
CounterPunch for more