The death of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is being cheered by Univision’s sputtering millennial-focused English-language spinoff, Fusion.
“How Antonin Scalia’s death could save the planet” is the title of a segment on the network’s website that exemplifies just how low Fusion is willing to go when it comes to trafficking in denigrating, over-the-top propaganda.
In the segment, Fusion Vice President of Programming Fernando “Nando” Rodríguez-Vila and Producer Zac Lee Rigg make the case that Scalia’s death “may have saved the planet” because the late Supreme Court Justice can no longer weigh in on pending litigation that could block the Obama administration from implementing new EPA regulations designed to drastically reduce carbon emissions.
In Fusion’s world, the fate of the planet rests not only on Scalia’s death, but also defeating any Republican candidate for President of the United States.
FERNANDO “NANDO” RODRIGUEZ-VILA, FUSION: The death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is a tragedy, but it may have saved the planet…Scalia’s death means that the United States still has a fighting chance to meet its commitments that would allow the Paris Climate Accord to stand. The only thing that can stop it now is if a Republican wins the election in November. Then the planet is really screwed.
Even though the benefits of the Paris Accord remain rather questionable and hazy, Fusion’s Nando Vila is “all in” in believing that it apocalyptically amounts to nothing less than “saving the planet.”
Naysayers on the subject are nowhere to be found in Fusion’s world. Specifically, opponents of the President’s Clean Power Plan contend that though the EPA claims the objective of its directives are to mitigate climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions, the agency can’t point to any real or meaningful climate impacts.
Moreover, also unreported and what makes matters worse is that most of the costs for the Obama administration plan would fall disproportionately on already vulnerable minority communities who are being asked to prop up support for this effort.
Low-income households, minority groups and the elderly are expected to suffer more because of the energy burden (i.e. they spend a larger share of their income on energy costs). Apart from the obvious negative impacts that would result from forcing the reduction of coal-fired electric generators and shrinking the nation’s electric grid, a study by the Black Chamber of Commerce estimated that poverty rates for Black and Hispanic families would rise by 23 percent and 26 percent, respectively, under the proposed rule.
It’s worth noting that Nando Vila and Zac Lee Rig have a history of thoroughly one-sided, left-directed reporting. If it isn’t about being in favor of erasing all student debt or opening all borders, they’re either bashing Donald Trump or praising Bernie Sanders.
Below are relevant portions of the referenced February 29, 2016 segment on Fusion:
NANDO VILA, FUSION: The death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is a tragedy, but it may have saved the planet. Let’s back up a minute. Climate change is going to turn the world into an unlivable hellscape that will probably result in the death of mankind as we know it. Our best hope for survival has been the historic climate accords in Paris.
…
NANDO VILA, FUSION: Basically the Supreme Court said, “Not so fast, Barack. I know that this is the central part of your plan to save the planet, but these big energy companies say that it hurts them, so we’re going to side with them for now.
…
NANDO VILA, FUSION: So there you have it. Scalia’s death means that the United States still has a fighting chance to meet its commitments that would allow the Paris Climate Accord to stand. The only thing that can stop it now is if a Republican wins the election in November. Then the planet is really screwed.
