As countries enhance their military strength, political power, economies and technology, they become more ambitious and selfish. The trade war started by US President Donald Trump is an example of just such a selfish and foolish attitude. This selfishness appears to be rooted in a poor understanding of globalisation, which has resulted in continuing ignorance of international problems, especially the deterioration of nature triggered by global warming.

The many experts paying attention to this global problem have already identified climate change as a serious potential global crisis. For example, there will be a significant rise in sea levels in just a few decades, enough to make Venice inhabitable. While representatives of countries like China and the United States have negotiated goals that every country must work towards to slow the pace of global warming, it is rare to find countries actually working together to solve problems that yield little to no direct benefits. They are more likely to engage in war.

The US played an active role in both world wars but has worked with few countries actively after the cold war. Its cooperation on the environment with Canada is the exception and benefits the US. Obviously, recent US presidents have prioritised their own country’s interests over the good of the world. If this selfish attitude does not change, nature will continue to suffer from the disease called “humanity”.

So now US President Donald Trump, who claims to know everything about anything, has solved the issue of climate change. He says, “I don't know if it’s man-made”, although we all know it is, and implies it could “change back again”. The president also believes that scientists have a “political agenda”, so he would have to meet them to decide if they are being truthful about their findings on climate change.