Monday Open Thread [5.19.14]

Filed in National by on May 19, 2014

Corporations are planning for Global Warming. Why can’t Republicans?

Though major international corporations tend to be amoral machines for collecting revenue without regard to fairness or human life, they do have one thing going for them: when there’s money on the line, they don’t waste time fucking around. […] Failing to plan for global warming due to some weird anti-science bias could potentially cost them billions of dollars. Therefore they will plan. (This will not stop them from making ample political donations to the Republican party, sadly.)

A new report from the Carbon Disclosure Project shows that this dynamic is already well underway. Corporate planning for the effects of global warming is in fact accelerating at a rapid clip—just like global warming itself! The report polled big public companies about how climate change is affecting them, and across the board, found that most companies are busily filling metaphorical sandbags for the coming flood:

45% of risks were described by companies as current or predicted to fall within the next 1-5 years in 2013, up from 26% in 2011

50% of the risks disclosed were described as more likely than not to virtually certain in 2013, up from 34% in 2011

68% of the disclosed physical risks [would directly impact a company’s operations] in 2013, up from 51% in 2011

The general takeaway here is that 1) Global warming is real, 2) Corporations are increasingly making concrete plans for it, because they understand the concept of science, and because they have trillions of dollars at stake, and 3) Can someone please explain this to the business-lionizing Republicans who continue to cast doubts on whether global warming is real?

More good Obamacare news:

Preliminary data from a survey of acute care hospitals in Arkansas suggests a dramatic decline in the number of uninsured patients hospitals are seeing since the enactment of the private option, Surgeon General Joe Thompson and Bo Ryall, president of the Arkansas Hospital Association, testified before a legislative subcommittee today. […]

Here are the three key statewide findings, comparing the first quarter of 2014 against the first quarter of 2013 […]:

* The total number of emergency department visits declined by 2 percent.

* Of those who did visit the emergency department, the number of uninsured patients was reduced by 24 percent.

* For people who required hospitalization, the number of uninsured patients was reduced by 30 percent.

This is what happens when you offer an affordable option for health coverage to a lot of lower-income people: they stop using the ER as their primary doctor. When they used the ER uncovered by insurance, the hospital passed those costs onto everyone else by raising the price of medical care. Thus, this is a key element of lowering medical costs.

NATIONAL–HILLARY CLINTON FAVORABILITY–Reuters/Ipsos: Hillary Clinton has a 57% positive favorability rating, while 43% have a negative view. Nearly one-quarter of Republicans said they had a favorable view of Clinton.

PENNSYLVANIA–GOVERNOR–DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY–Harper Polling: Tom Wolf (D) 50, Allyson Schwartz (D) 15, Rob McCord (D) 15 and Katie McGinty (D) 5. 16% of respondents answered that they were “not sure” who they would vote for.

KENTUCKY–SENATE–Survey USA: Alison Lundergan Grimes (D) 43, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R) 42

KENTUCKY–SENATE–REPUBLICAN PRIMARY–Survey USA: McConnell 55, Matt Bevin 35.

IOWA–SENATE–REPUBLICAN PRIMARY–Loras College: Joni Ernst (R) 31, Mark Jacobs (R) 19, Sam Clovis (R) 10, Matt Whitaker (R) 7 and Scott Schaben (R) 2 with another 29% still undecided.

GEORGIA–SENATE–REPUBLICAN PRIMARY–Insider Advantage: David Perdue (R) 27, Jack Kingston (R) 19, Karen Handel (R) 17, Phil Gingrey (R) 10 and Paul Broun (R) 9.

GEORGIA–SENATE–REPUBLICAN PRIMARY–GAPundit: Kingston 20.5, Handel 20.1, Perdue, 20.1, Gingrey 12.1, Undecided 11.7, Broun 11

NEBRASKA–SENATE–Rasmussen Reports: Ben Sasse (R) 51, David Domina (D) 34

OREGON–SENATE–REPUBLICAN PRIMARY–Public Opinion Strategies (R): Monica Wehby (R) 41, Jason Conger (R) 24

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  1. cassandra m says:

    re: Climate Change — this thing that will drive the “non-believers’ into action? Insurance companies are starting to deny claims that they think are due to climate change and are even suing governments to recover claims paid due to inadequate preparation for the damage potential of climate change.

    Once GOP-lead governments get that insurance companies are not going to cover them so they can pretend climate change isn’t real, how long will it take until they can change their tune on whether they “believe” in climate change or not?