There is nothing like a good, old-fashioned global panic to get people moving on an important issue like climate change.
Wait, what is it you say? The concern that has officials taking drastic steps right now is about the Wuhan pneumonia, not global warming? Okay, fine.
It might not be fair to make light of a mysterious illness that has hopscotched from China across oceans — and this one must be taken seriously — but the freak-out should be in context.
During 2018-19 there were about 34,200 deaths from flu in the United States. At the moment, fewer than 60 people in the U.S. have been found with the new coronavirus. Like the flu, Covid-19 has the highest mortality rate among the old and critically ill; otherwise, it has been described as mild, unlike flu.
These figures are from the Centers for Disease Control, so they ought to be trustworthy. On the other hand, the Trumpers continue to push for deep cuts to the C.D.C.’s budget and have fired the entire leadership of the government’s pandemic response team. Why, you ask? Because the permanent epidemic command linking the White House and the Department of Homeland Security was established by the Obama administration.
To be sure, the White House is even-handed about its assault on science, cutting funding and reassigning staff involved in research and planning for all sorts of things. Its recently released budget plan slashes climate-related programs. Among the agencies that would take a hit are the State Department, Army Corps of Engineers, the federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Energy, Department of the Interior, and NASA.
According to Scientific American, the word “climate” did not appear anywhere in the 138-page main budget document. Among the programs specifically targeted was Energy Star, which rates the relative power use of consumer items such as appliances. It is up to Congress whether or not to go along with the cuts.
But, hey, flip out as much as you want about coronavirus, just leave a little in the tank for the big problems.