Famed physicist Stephen Hawking says President Trump’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate accord will have a devastating effect on the planet.
Mr. Hawking, 75, told the BBC in an interview published Sunday that he worries Mr. Trump’s climate action will be enough to push our vulnerable planet “over the brink.”
“We are close to the tipping point where global warming becomes irreversible,” he said. “Trump’s action could push the Earth over the brink, to become like Venus, with a temperature of 250 degrees, and raining sulfuric acid.”
Venus’ atmosphere is 96 percent carbon dioxide (Earth’s is currently 0.04 percent), and with surface temperature averaging about 460 degrees Celsius, Venus is also the hottest planet in the solar system, even hotter than Mercury, which is closer to the Sun. By contrast, the hottest days on Earth’s deserts reach about 50 degrees Celsius.
Mr. Hawking said the president’s controversial decision to pull out of the Paris accord, which is aimed at cutting global emissions and limiting temperature increases, will cause “avoidable environmental damage to our beautiful planet, endangering the natural world, for us and our children.”
“Climate change is one of the great dangers we face, and it’s one we can prevent if we act now,” he said.
Mr. Trump announced his decision to formally withdraw from the accord last month, calling it a bad deal for Americans.
Mr. Hawking said he’s skeptical that we’ll ever be able to resolve our problems here on Earth.
“I fear evolution has inbuilt greed and aggression to the human genome,” he said. “There is no sign of conflict lessening, and the development of militarized technology and weapons of mass destruction could make that disastrous. The best hope for the survival of the human race might be independent colonies in space.”
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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