Scientists mock Trump's tweet on wildfires as 'comedically ill-informed' and 'unmitigated crap'

[turbinetree]

Trump's climate denial is "a crime against the planet" warns climatologist.

JOE ROMM AUG 6, 2018, 12:45 PM

Two years ago, an actual headline from CBS in Sacramento was, “Donald Trump Tells California ‘There Is No Drought’ As Drought Continues.”

And now, on Sunday evening, Trump’s denial of reality in California continued, as he attempted to blame the ever-worsening wildfires in the state on everything but climate change.

“California wildfires are being magnified & made so much worse by the bad environmental laws which aren’t allowing massive amount of readily available water to be properly utilized,” the President tweeted. “It is being diverted into the Pacific Ocean. Must also tree clear to stop fire spreading!”

The tweet came just hours after the Trump administration declared the California wildfires a major disaster.

Experts, however, immediately mocked Trump’s explanation — and his refusal to acknowledge that climate change is a major driver in worsening wildfires.

https://thinkprogress.org/scientists-mock-trumps-comedically-ill-informed-wildfires-tweet-df7798d526d3/

-snip-

California climate and water expert Peter Gleick tweeted that Trump’s explanation was “gobbledygook bullshit” and “unmitigated crap.”

[lame54]

1. Glad to see he's...

Keeping Gobbledygook alive

[flibbitygiblets]

3. Making America gobbledygook again

[packman]

2. See- I knew it all along

It's those damn trees that are causing all those fires - If we would only cut them all down we'd have no more wildfires

Logicalicalltuda 101

[Saboburns]

4. Trees are colluding with Gravity

Gravity makes snow melt and rain flow down hill into rivers then get washed out to oceans.

But the Librul media won't tell you that.

[ouija]

5. TRUMP: Melting Ice Caps

Due to restrictive regulations on coal burning power plants. Big coal CEO’s would self-regulate emissions more effectively if they were not bound by job killing Federal regulations.

[Marie Marie]

17. Am I wrong here...

Didn't Reagan once say that trees cause pollution? If so, what is it with Republicans and trees?

[Hekate]

19. "When you've seen one redwood, you've seen them all," said Saint Ronnie to the tree-huggers. nt

[Metro135]

18. This is actually right in line with Republican thinking

Reagan once said that trees cause pollution.

[Marie Marie]

20. Yes he did say that. According to wikipedia:

"Trees cause pollution" is a gloriously stupid concept foisted upon the public in 1981 by U.S. President Ronald Reagan. The full quote of his statement was, "Trees cause more pollution than automobiles do."[1]

Reagan was falsely referencing the photochemical reaction that causes ground level ozone pollution (GLOP), also known as photochemical smog.[2] Smog is created when automobile and power plant emissions are broken down into ozone and other chemicals by strong sunlight. These reactions are amplified by the presence of various volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.[3] During hot weather many tree species release volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere, notably terpenesWikipedia's W.svg and isoprenes (pine pitch is a terpene). Other VOCs that contribute to GLOP include gasoline, kerosene, paint, paint thinner and other industrial solvents.

Reagan's statement was disingenuous because volatile organic compounds produced by trees do not cause pollution any more than the sun causes pollution. Reagan might as well have said, "the sun causes more pollution than automobiles do." Photochemical ozone pollution is created when automobile and power plant pollution is broken down by strong sunlight in the presence of any number of volatile organic compounds.

[IronLionZion]

6. Maybe Hillary started the wildfires as part of pizzagate

they'll hold lots of hearings to investigate the connection between wildfires and pizzagate because of wood fired pizza.

[Scurrilous]

7. K&R

[Rhiannon12866]

8. Doesn't that describe pretty much anything he ever has to say??

[Initech]

9. Ugh he is such a fucking moron!

[DrDan]

10. I wonder when he might blame PBO.

[mwooldri]

15. Yup! It's Obama's fault that rivers flow toward the oceans!

insert sarcasm tag here...

Mind on a serious note our damming up of rivers has meant that some rivers don't make it as far as the sea any more - Colorado River being one that comes to mind.

[Rhiannon12866]

21. Stephen Colbert actually said that tonight!

[C Moon]

11. This could be Trump calling out his Pro-Trump-anti-American terror cells (MAGAs)

to begin arson in California. Then they can push this lie even further.
The GOPutin really want California in their back pocket.
They've been creating lies every election: they attempted to blame the drought on the Democratic Party. That one died when we had enough rainfall to quench most of the drought.

[ouija]

12. TRUMP: Further Laments

Black guys cause of racism in America.

[central scrutinizer]

13. He pardoned the Hammonds

Two Oregon arsonists who were the supposed rationale behind the Bundys taking over the Malheur Wildlife Refuge.

[colorado_ufo]

14. Donald Trump: World's Greatest Authority.

On, like, everything. You name it - he has the solution. Trade, diplomacy, the economy, the environment, wild fires, drought, currency issues,Brexit, treaties, atomic energy, Smokey the Bear, schools and education, defense spending, the best chocolate cake - ever, golf, the Internet (and definitely, Tweeting), professional basketball, house paint, gun control, marketing, endangered species, immigration, loans, proper royal etiquette, constitutional law, beauty pageants, taming foreign dictators, parenting (well, maybe not that), cheese, how to generate the biggest crowds in the history of Earth, space force and space aliens, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Dude even knows the answer to the age-old question, "What do women want?"

The answer may have just been pulled out his a__, but never mind that: He just knows!

[camelfan]

16. This is all our own fault!

All of our projections are skewed because they fail to take into account the reality that the earth is flat.