Ep. 58: ISO a Brighter Side
Hey FRs,
We had a "fun" show with Ed Larson last week, and by fun I mean a well-earned, expletive-strewn rant-fest. It was great.
If you haven't listened already, please do:
Travis and Ed went looking for the bright-side of geopolitics, but it was rather elusive.
I suppose that's not at all surprising considering the world these days, but you have to keep trying, right? People and communities have a long history of finding a spark hidden in all the shit. It's exhausting, yes, but aside from helping to keep us sane, finding and keeping some kind of spark is also a powerful form of resistance. Whenever I feel like saying f*** the spark, I think about a performance I saw in Brooklyn featuring Palestinian musicians and remix artists. At the end of an emotional show a Dabke group came out and brought the f***ing house down (if you don't know much about Dabke, this is a good place to start).
Maybe those of us not so schooled in digging our way through shit should think of this time as a some kind of training period so we don't get too soft, but whatever spark it is that's been keeping you from crawling under the nearest rock, hold on to it!
Seena's Corner:
The White House Effect: How America Almost Led on Climate (Then Didn't)
We didn't get to cover this recently, so I'm putting it here in the newsletter! Trump didn't send anyone to Brazil's 2025 climate summit. Shocking.
But here's what'll feel like an ayahuasca trip: America almost led the world on climate change.
The Summer of 1988
The Mississippi's drying up. The West's on fire. NASA scientist Dr. James Hansen drops a bombshell in Congress:
"The greenhouse effect has been detected, and it is changing our climate now."
George H.W. Bush, Big Oil millionaire, actually campaigns on fixing it with the yuk "em up of the decade: "Those who think we're powerless to do anything about the greenhouse effect forgot about the White House effect!"
The science was simple:
- Pre-industrial CO₂: 280 ppm
- 1988: 350 ppm
- Today: Over 420 ppm (highest in 3 million years)
For one shining moment, American leadership looked possible.
Then Came Exxon
Behind the scenes, fossil fuel companies started writing checks. Not to deny climate change, that would be far too obvious and make for a bad episode of *Columbo* (favorite show). They went subtle: "The science isn't settled." "More study needed." AND CIGARETTES ARE NOT SO BAD.
By 1992's Rio Summit, Bush showed up and declared: "The American way of life is not up for negotiation."
The U.S. went from potential climate leader to the world's biggest roadblock.
The cost? Global CO₂ emissions have more than doubled since then. Climate disasters now cost the U.S. $150 billion annually. The ten hottest years on record have all happened since 2010.
The Geopolitical Gut Punch
When the U.S. hesitated, everyone else did too. China, India all thought, "If America won't sacrifice, why should we?"
But here's the kicker: While we continued to play denialism, China seized the opening.
They're now:
- Dominating renewables manufacturing (80%+ of solar panels)
- Building green infrastructure across the Global South
- Positioning themselves as the "responsible" great power
It's a masterclass in soft power. The thing we’ve talked about so much on the show– how the US is abdicating all leadership in this area.
The Tragic Irony
Bush promised the "White House Effect" would fight the greenhouse effect.
Instead, the White House became the symbol of delay. From Clinton not ratifying the Kyoto agreement to Trump calling climate change “the greatest con job ever,” politicians have done nothing but sit on their hands, which are also on top of a big pile of money, sitting on a landfill. THANKS OBAMA.
This is another example of the US continually losing it’s place in the world. The multipolar world isn't coming, it's already here. Second place never felt this awful!
Meanwhile in Ohio: What Travis is Reading ––
Allan Smith
While J.D. Vance is now a former Senator from Ohio, Travis' home state also has a new Republican Senator who was just elected last year and might be as bad as J.D. –– Sen. Bernie Moreno is another creature of MAGA world and is originally from Colombia, which he feels somehow qualifies him to give President Trump policy advice about the South American country... The problem? Moreno recently prepared a one-page Colombia policy document for Trump that featured an AI-created image of their current leftist President in orange prison garb, which did NOT go over well with Colombian dignitaries! As always seems to be the case with MAGA world, while you can anger foreign presidents with made-up images, you can't seem to make this real news up.
On the Next TFR...
FP Zappy is back, baby, slinging some well-rested opinions your way. Best look out.
As Always
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