
Disheartened EPA Officials Are Leaving in Droves - pdog
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/22/climate/epa-buyouts-pruitt.html
======
DanCarvajal
I work in D.C. and you run into these stories all the time and I can't help
but wonder "How does you leaving makes things better?"

~~~
abawany
When one can't help by being on the inside, it is sometimes better to go
outside so that one can better use this one life that one gets.

Also, continuing to work there and complying with their new-speak policy while
waiting for the axe to fall (3200 cuts planned at the EPA according to the
NYT) might be seen as endorsing this adminstration's policy.

~~~
DanCarvajal
Guess the term "public servant" doesn't apply anymore if one's politics are
that important to their job.

------
torpfactory
I think that climate change is probably he most likely possible cause of human
civilization collapse, with accidental nuclear war in a close second place.
It’s a shame that the current administration obviously doesn’t see things this
way.

~~~
craftyguy
They're old, they'll be dead before any serious consequences for climate
change are realized. The whole system rewards politicians for short term gains
that may have terrible long term results because humans generally suck at
making sacrifices for long term benefits that ttey themselves won't realize
vs. taking the instant gratification route. Maybe the next species that
replaces us will be marginally better than we are, assuming we don't
annihilate them all when we kill ourselves.

~~~
mrpopo
Not to diminish the threat, but I think the impact of climate change on human
civilization is often overrated. Countries most affected will include India,
Bangladesh, Indonesia... none of them in the modern global powers. What I
expect 50-100 years from now is:

In most affected countries, mass precarity, mass migrations, hardening of
borders, end of the relative post-WW2 world peace.

In Europe/USA, flooded areas will be evacuated/relocated. Living conditions
will worsen as a result of the end of globalization.

In Russia/Greenland/Canada, warming temperatures will create more temperate
areas. This will create new economic hubs, and the economic growth paradigm
will prevail. Business will continue, and conditions will worsen for another
100 years.

After that, a sizeable portion of Earth will be unfit for humans, and human
population will have decreased a great deal. But no end of the human race
visible for now.

~~~
torpfactory
I think that (and I don't mean to argue that you think this these are OK) "a
sizeable portion of Earth will be unfit for humans, and human population will
have decreased a great deal" is a pretty terrible outcome. Those people will
be starving to death, dying in migration related conflicts, or choking to
death on wildfire smoke. Not pretty. You're right, it may not cause
civilizational collapse, but I find those other outcomes totally unacceptable
and we ought to be doing more about it right now.

------
kjrose
The best way to guarantee that an agency or business won’t have your ideas or
opinions affecting it is to leave.

I know being disheartened is difficult but you don’t enact change by going
home with your ball everytime you hit a bump.

------
titojankowski
excellent news, now I can hire them to our climate+tech startup
[http://airminers.org](http://airminers.org)

