Climate change: A textbook definition of evil

Yesterday the US and China reached a deal on climate change, with China agreeing to shift further to renewables and to peak its emissions by 2030, and the US agreeing to a 28% cut on its 2005 emissions (16% from 1990) by 2025. While it could be more ambitious, it breaks the major impasse in global climate change talks and gives the world a real chance of bringing emissions under control.

So naturally, the US republicans are planning to sabotage it:

Republicans in the US Congress reacted strongly against the deal on Wednesday. The party already held a majority in the House of Representatives, and the midterm elections last week also delivered them control of the Senate, where the Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, said Obama would not be in the White House long enough to see the plan through.

“This unrealistic plan, that the president would dump on his successor, would ensure higher utility rates and far fewer jobs,” he said.

In his first meeting with the incoming Republican majority, McConnell, who represents the coal state of Kentucky, said he was “distressed” at the deal, adding that the diplomatic breakthrough would have no effect on his disdain for international climate negotiations.

“As I read the agreement it requires the Chinese to do nothing at all for 16 years while these carbon emissions regulations are creating havoc in my state and around the country,” he said.

Because crash-converting your economy to renewables and radically changing your emissions track is "doing nothing". FFS.

But then, he's just a paid lackey for a fossil fuel industry which has no future unless it can destroy the planet. That's what our choice is now: us, or the coal industry. And people like McConnell are willing to see the planet burn and tens of millions die for the temporary profit of a tiny few. If that's not a textbook definition of evil, I'm not sure what is.