sustainabil.bsky.social
William S. Becker
@sustainabil.bsky.social
10 followers 1 following 38 posts
Journalist and author writing about environmental protection, climate change, democracy, ethics, and whatever else comes to mind.
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
sustainabil.bsky.social
William S. Becker @sustainabil.bsky.social · 22h
The international magazine Meer just published my piece about applying the polluter-pays principle. If you're interested, you'll find it at www.meer.com/en/98735-cli....
Climate clouds keep gathering
All we need is the courage to break the carbon cartel’s grip
www.meer.com
sustainabil.bsky.social
William S. Becker @sustainabil.bsky.social · 1d
The military, governors, and voters are the last lines of defense against Donald Trump's authoritarianism. When he bullies them, they should just say no. I discuss this at the-real-biocene.net/f/memo-to-am...
Memo to America: Just Say No
By William S. Becker
the-real-biocene.net
1 1
sustainabil.bsky.social
William S. Becker @sustainabil.bsky.social · 2d
Presidents set the tone of the national conversation. Our current president encourages anger and hate. I discuss this on The Hill at thehill.com/opinion/camp...
thehill.com
sustainabil.bsky.social
William S. Becker @sustainabil.bsky.social · 10d
Global warming was once a science debate. Then it was an environmental concern for the future. Now it's a quality-of-life issue affecting our safety, health, household incomes, and cost of living. By ignoring it, Trump is breaking his promises to voters. See The Hill at thehill.com/opinion/ener...
thehill.com
1
sustainabil.bsky.social
William S. Becker @sustainabil.bsky.social · 15d
Donald Trump is proving that the Constitution has loopholes and flaws. It is too difficult to amend, and it leaves too much to the discretion of political leaders. The Hill has posted my suggestions at thehill.com/opinion/camp...
The Constitution is failing us — so let’s fix it
It’s time to breathe life back into the document and strengthen it. It is not carved in stone.
thehill.com
sustainabil.bsky.social
William S. Becker @sustainabil.bsky.social · 18d
The Donald Trump Tochotchke, Doodad, and Bric-a-Brac Company has issued a "stunning new collectible": A $2 bill "honoring his leadership and vision for America." Order one today and place it next to the Trump Bobblehead, which commemorates his mental confusion. Next up: The Trump Wooden Nickel.
sustainabil.bsky.social
William S. Becker @sustainabil.bsky.social · 23d
The Kirk assassination is a moment in which all Americans should reject violence against those with whom we disagree. Instead, Donald Trump and others in his circle are using the tragedy to declare war on the Left. I've posted my thoughts at the-real-biocene.net/f/thoughts-o...
Thoughts on the Kirk Assassination
By William S. Becker
the-real-biocene.net
1
sustainabil.bsky.social
William S. Becker @sustainabil.bsky.social · 23d
Republicans argue that the government should not pick winners. Donald Trump is picking fossil fuels and suppressing their competition. Wind and solar power are the cheapest ways to generate electricity. Trump's deal with Big Oil forces families to pay more for energy. See thehill.com/opinion/ener...
thehill.com
2
sustainabil.bsky.social
William S. Becker @sustainabil.bsky.social · 26d
In the wake of the Charlie Kirk assassination, The Economist has published an analysis of left- and right-wing violence in the U.S. It's at bit.ly/3VKTy22

Extremists on both sides have committed murders. But data show that 76% of them in the last decade were committed by those on the hard right.
Is “radical-left” violence really on the rise in America?
The killing of Charlie Kirk is part of a grim pattern of political violence. This is what the data show
www.economist.com
sustainabil.bsky.social
William S. Becker @sustainabil.bsky.social · Sep 8
Donald Trump wants the Nobel Peace Prize so badly that he's "talked" foreign leaders into nominating him. Should he receive it? Not unless the Nobel committee wants to destroy the honor's credibility forever. The international magazine Meer has published my argument at www.meer.com/en/97222-don...
sustainabil.bsky.social
William S. Becker @sustainabil.bsky.social · Sep 8
Shifting away from fossil fuels does not threaten America's lifestyles or quality of life. Clean energy can do the job. The real threat is unmitigated climate change. We've waited so long that the energy transition is urgent. The Hill has published my explanation at
thehill.com/opinion/ener...
thehill.com
2
sustainabil.bsky.social
William S. Becker @sustainabil.bsky.social · Aug 30
Sunlight and wind are now the most cost-effective ways to meet our growing electric demand. Donald Trump and fossil fuels are fighting back with misinformation. CarbonBrief just published myths and facts at rb.gy/lf3i27, including the falsehood that solar and wind take up too much land. See below.
3
sustainabil.bsky.social
William S. Becker @sustainabil.bsky.social · Aug 25
Q. What do opinion columnists and late-night comedians have in common?

A. We'll never run out of material during the Trump administration.

The Hill has posted my observations at thehill.com/opinion/camp....
thehill.com
sustainabil.bsky.social
William S. Becker @sustainabil.bsky.social · Aug 18
Military leaders are obligated to refuse unlawful orders. That includes Trump's unwarranted deployment of regular military forces against U.S. citizens. It threatens to provoke violence rather than prevent it. See The Hill at thehill.com/opinion/nati... (AP Photo: National Guard at Ken State 1970)
1
sustainabil.bsky.social
William S. Becker @sustainabil.bsky.social · Aug 12
If an organization chooses to adopt DEI and/or ESG policies, what's the harm? By punishing those policies, President Trump is taking away the freedom of businesses and universities to adopt the policies they think best. It's all part of America's free marketplace of ideas. See rebrand.ly/r0ngprl.
thehill.com
sustainabil.bsky.social
William S. Becker @sustainabil.bsky.social · Aug 8
The U.S. Department of Energy is now the Department of Alternative Facts. DOE says climate change isn't anything to worry about. Now it plans to rewrite government science to support Trump's view that climate change is a hoax. This won't prevent weather disasters. We'll just be unprepared for them.
sustainabil.bsky.social
William S. Becker @sustainabil.bsky.social · Jul 28
Donald Trump is damaging our children. His bullying, racism, and lying set horrible examples. His failure to address global warming causes children to fear their futures. His repeal of environmental regulations exposes children to dangerous pollution. See my thoughts at thehill.com/opinion/whit...
thehill.com
1 2 4
sustainabil.bsky.social
William S. Becker @sustainabil.bsky.social · Jun 16
Trickle-down economics has never worked in regard to wealth, but it definitely will work in regard to the costs of climate change. As governments and businesses pay for climate damages, they'll pass the costs down to households. See my essay in The Hill today at thehill.com/opinion/ener...
thehill.com
sustainabil.bsky.social
William S. Becker @sustainabil.bsky.social · Jun 2
The moral test for any society is how it treats its most vulnerable people. Trump's Big Beautiful Bill badly fails the test. The Hill posted my thoughts this morning at thehill.com/opinion/cong...
thehill.com
sustainabil.bsky.social
William S. Becker @sustainabil.bsky.social · May 12
Donald Trump is correct that states and localities should do more about weather disasters, but he's wrong to abolish FEMA. In fact, he should restore other programs he has scrapped, but are vital to state and local mitigation. The Hill published my recommendations this morning at: //rb.gy/a1x5w4.
Trump wants to make natural disaster victims a state problem
Trump has a point: States and localities should do more to prevent weather disasters. However, the federal government should not do less. Climate change is an all-hands-on-deck threat.
rb.gy
sustainabil.bsky.social
William S. Becker @sustainabil.bsky.social · May 9
Those who care about the fate of the Earth lost an important ally when Pope Francis died last month. Fortunately, Pope Leo XIV plans to carry on Francis's commitment. Leo has urged his flock to remember Francis's words.

I quoted some of them in this article yesterday: www.meer.com/en/92224-pop...
Pope Francis and a planet in peril: a word to the wise
The Pontiff's encyclicals and letters underscore the ethical responsibility to protect our common home, a message as vital today as decades ago
www.meer.com
1
sustainabil.bsky.social
William S. Becker @sustainabil.bsky.social · May 5
Trump is dragging America into a time of exceptional strangeness, when up is down, black is white, and nothing is really as he says it is. The Hill has published my take on this at ://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/5280302-trump-not-great/
Trump isn’t making America great —he’s making it unrecognizable
It is a strange time in America.
thehill.com
sustainabil.bsky.social
William S. Becker @sustainabil.bsky.social · Apr 28
President Trump is killing efforts to mitigate the climate crisis while undoing the people's ability to cope with the resulting weather disasters. He's promoting more fossil fuels and removing limits on air pollution, while cutting health programs. It's a cruel agenda. See rebrand.ly/99cae9
sustainabil.bsky.social
William S. Becker @sustainabil.bsky.social · Apr 24
DOGE should look at belt-tightening in the Executive Office of the President. Donald Trump's golf outings have cost taxpayers more than $26 million so far. Now, while thousands of feds are jobless, Trump wants a $90 million military parade to celebrate his birthday. DOGE should tank the idea.
sustainabil.bsky.social
William S. Becker @sustainabil.bsky.social · Apr 24
Donald Trump should stop accommodating Vladimir Putin and selling out Ukraine. Any concession of territory or security is a victory for the man who invaded that country and committed terrible atrocities against its cities and people. He should not be rewarded, even a little.
1