head of iceland’s conservation association: trump is a ... › files › 2017-06 ›...

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Head Of Iceland’sConservationAssociation: TrumpIs A ‘Sociopath’

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Head Of Iceland’s Conservation Association: Tru... https://grapevine.is/news/2017/06/02/head-of-icel...

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Words byElías Þórsson (https://grapevine.is/author/elias/)

Á

Published June 2, 2017

rni Finsson, the head of the Iceland NatureConservation Association has called Donald Trump a“sociopath”, in response to the President pulling the USout of the Paris Agreement.

“Well, maybe other words are better at describing him,”Árni said in response to his comment to Mbl.is. “He isan irresponsible narcissist, doesn’t believe in science,listens to ultra nationalists like Steve Bannon andbehaves like a child.”

Árni claims that it is almost like Trump has travelled tothe present straight from the sixties. That the sciencearound climate change is undeniable, and that hisdecision on the Paris Agreement represents a clear andpresent danger to Iceland—especially the fisheriesaround the country.

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“The souring of the oceans around the country has beenfaster and more dramatic than we previously expected.As we have seen with the Arctic, we were completelytaken off guard in regards to how fast the Greenlandglacier has melted. We don’t know how serious thingswill get, but this is a dangerous situation for us,” Árnisaid.

The isolated states of America

Despite Trump’s decision, Árni claims that the responsefrom the rest of the world has been reassuring. The EU,China and India have all stepped forth and vowed tokeep to and fulfil the Paris Agreement and reduceemissions.

“This is a very different situation than when GeorgeBush pulled the US out of the Kyoto Protocol in 2001.There is a lot more solidarity among the nations of theworld, and the consensus on the issue is overwhelming.”

Insufficient Iceland


3 of 20 06/04/2017 06:05 PM

Árni is not just critical of Trump but also of the Icelandicgovernment, which he feels has failed to lived up to itsduties.

“Reports have shown that emissions have in fact notgone down, but downright increased,” he said. “Unlesswe act now and fast, we will fail to meet the goals set bythe Paris Agreement and very probably the governmentwill need to buy emissions quotas from other countriesin the future.”

Around 40% of emissions in Iceland come from heavyindustry—such as aluminium smelters—with thefisheries industry, agriculture and transportation makingup the rest. According to Árni, should the country hopeto meet its international obligations, it will need toenact a dramatic change to its habits—especially inregards to transportation.

“It is vital that we invest in public transportation, butmore importantly we need to stop using gas and diesel


4 of 20 06/04/2017 06:05 PM

cars, and switch to greener options such as electricityand methane vehicles.”

Don’t give up on the US

Trump might be a man-child sociopath, but Árni doesnot believe that Iceland should pull away from the US;rather it should be critical and form ties to the smalleractors within the country. Several states have pledgedto fight climate change and large corporations areincreasingly changing their habits to reduce emissions.

“Iceland is not a big country, but we can set an exampleand we can be critical. We know that Trump lost thepopular vote, so we can care for the American people,even though we don’t care for Trump.”

So please dear Americans (or should I say Republicans),maybe you don’t care if Trump destroys your healthcaresystem, denies innocent people entry into your country,and floods the swamp with similarly out-of-touch filthyrich cronies, but how you treat the environment isn’t


5 of 20 06/04/2017 06:05 PM

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○ donald trump (https://grapevine.is/tag/donald-trump/) ○ environmentalism (https://grapevine.is/tag/environmentalism/)

just your problem, it’s also ours. Your emission levels arethe second highest in the world—and by far the highestper capita—so as it is with so much else, when the UStakes a shit, the rest of the world has to eat it.

Please don’t make us eat shit.

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○ Iceland Nature Conservation Association (https://grapevine.is/tag/iceland-nature-conservation-association/)

○ Trump (https://grapevine.is/tag/trump/)

1 Comment

Karen Pease · Forritari at Isavia ohf.

1) Generally it's proper practice to link to source articles.

2) Surely the proper translation is "acidification", not "souring", of the oceans.

Like · Reply · Jun 2, 2017 1:17pm

The Reykjavík Grapevine

I don't know how to link to an article we made. Please help.

Like · Reply · 2 · Jun 2, 2017 9:52pm

The Reykjavík Grapevine

In regards to your second comment, consult Google

Like · Reply · 2 · Jun 2, 2017 9:54pm

Karen Pease · Forritari at Isavia ohf.

The Reykjavík Grapevine "Well, maybe other words are better at describing him,” Árni said in response

article on Mbl then?

Like · Reply · Jun 3, 2017 11:15am

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