One of the things that baffles me about the GOP insistence pretending that global warming isn’t a thing and fighting efforts to fix it is that, you know, they can’t go live on some globe that isn’t warming. So when I read things like “Environmentally-concious organizations are upset that the deal would preclude Governor Jay Inslee from using executive authority to set new pollution standards, and have been calling for a no vote” I have to wonder how much of a deal Republicans think they’re getting.
I mean, if you represent farmers in Eastern Washington, why would you want to go back to your constituents and say something like “congrats, it’s going to be hotter and drier, but, also the state will have less and less water to help irrigate, and it’ll keep getting worse over time.” Or if you represent somewhere that’s on fire right now, being able to say “man in 50 to 100 years, we’ll look back and wish it was this wet and cool.”
Maybe 50-100 years is part of the key. Obviously there are differences between long term and short term incentives for these sorts of issues. But when it’s the health of the entire planet where everyone lives, you might think that GOP legislators, their campaign donors, and their constituents might find their way to a self-interested position.
