- he doesn't believe in science
- the Paris accord is/was unfair to the USA
- coal mining and burning creates lots of jobs
At this point in time Elon Musk would be pulling his hair out, if he wasn't already too busy solving these exact problems, which were (and still are) created by ignorant politicians. Elon Musk is the exact opposite of Donald Trump. He invested everything in his companies, works long hours and always has long term goals like:
- colonizing Mars
- electrifying all transport on Earth
- making power generation as green as possible
None of these goals can be reached in less than 20 years, so you might already see why an old man isn't particularly suited to lead a country or even a small company. A 70 year old person doesn't have 20 year long plans anymore - (s)he thinks ahead 1-2 years at most, as sickness and death are always near.
That's all I had to say about leaders ... now let's look at simple citizens...
Today you cannot change anything in policy, as protests will never ever change the mind of someone like Trump, so you must wait until the next election to vote against anyone who resembles Trump, Hillary ... or any ignorant old guy/gal.
Today you can do what you can to reduce your own polluting activities and and take away pollution from the air, that's right, you can!
Smart heating and cooling for your house
Today you can get very efficient air conditioning systems, ~350% to be more exact, which for every 1000W of electricity consumed bring in or move out at least 3500W of thermal energy. They do this with heat pumps, which don't create thermal energy, they just move it from one end of the system to another. They cost about 700USD/room.
For comparison, burning gas, wood, pellets ...etc. for heat can only reach about 95% efficiency with a traditional heating system or up to 120% with a more recent one, as it captures additional energy from condensation from the outgoing hot air. This solution takes O2 from the air and also pollutes the air right outside your house/apartment.
Today you can install heat recovery ventilation systems, which cost about 1000USD/room. They recover about 90% of the heat from outgoing used air without mixing it with incoming fresh air.
Today you can install a smart AC management system, which shuts off the AC and ventilation in unoccupied rooms.
Today these three relatively cheap solutions can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 80%, depending on what technologies you were using before. Newer, modern buildings may already have these high tech solutions installed.
Switch to electric transport
The average american drives about 37 miles in a day, so in theory almost any electric car on the market will work for most people, as even the cheapest EVs can do at least 50 miles on a charge.
Today you can buy a Nissan Leaf, Chevy Bolt, BMW i3 ...etc. for around 35.000 USD. They have a 150-200 mile range. You can fully charge them at home at night and/or go to a public charging station for 30-50 minutes. Yes, electricity costs less than gas/diesel in almost any part of the world, but the point is that you're polluting 50% less, even if all the electricity you use comes from a coal power plant.
Today most cities have electric public transport (trolley, subway...etc.) and/or electric taxi cabs. These are the best options if you don't want to invest in a battery-electric car yourself.
Today you can organize and get local legislation passed in your city, which can ban fuel burning cars from the city center, near schools and parks ...etc.
Install solar panels or plant large trees for shade
Most houses in the USA can generate the electricity they need, just by having the roofs covered with solar panels.
Today you can browse the internet for a solar system supplier and get something personalized for your house and location, which will pay for itself in 10 or 20 years max.
Today if you live in a warm climate and don't want to invest in solar, you can simply plant tall trees around your house or otherwise cover you roof and walls with vegetation. There are a lot of solutions out there and they are really cheap. Plants use solar energy for photosynthesis, practically turning heat into energy and also creating a nice cool shade.
