We need to avoid using “dog whistle” terminology to oversimplify issues. Phrases like “deregulation” and “free enterprise” get folks salivating about job growth, higher wages and increased cash flow. Our president’s explanation for bowing out of the Paris Accord: to lift regulations off our oil and coal companies.
In the real world, economic health is not so simple. Do the jobs in fossil fuel industries somehow contribute more to the economy than jobs in renewable energy industries? As unprecedented storms and wildfires devastate whole states, shouldn’t the economic equation of climate change factor in the loss of jobs, buildings and infrastructure?