Europe

Isn't part/most of this that Europe simply exported the carbon-intensive stuff abroad?

Partially true however it is also worth pointing out that industry in the EU produces significantly fewer emissions than the same industries outside the EU. The costs that come with that are largely why industry is outsourcing elsewhere, there is no coordinated effort by some shadow council to export the carbon-intensive industries abroad, just not fully thought out economic policy (producing in the EU causes costs for emissions, importing doesn't/is easier to fudge, the incentive created by this imbalance is easy to see).

Even when you account for offshore emissions the EU's carbon footprint has been going down since around 2010.

That doesn't negate the existence of neocolonialism and it's nowhere near enough to fix climate change, but the EU's population is roughly constant, both it and China are reducing their manufacturing emissions, and economic growth in the EU has been slow and services-based. Like where would a supposed increase in emissions even come from? There's nowhere to go but down.

I know good news feel unbelievable these days but this is one of them. Unfortunately this factually incorrect belief that emitting any less carbon is impossible without serious impact to QoL is why the european ecologist movements have lost a lot of steam in the past few years which is absolutely maddening because it's empirically incorrect.

Because neoliberals get weak in the knees when fascists look at them.

nah, they say "What's up, Dad?"

Agreed, as long as we are not actually buying almost a trillion worth of stuff from the US🥴

Putting counter tariffs up is maybe nice for the optics of a strong Europe, but I'm fine if we don't do it. Let them tax themselves🤷‍♂️

Just don't buy billions worth of fossil fuels from the US please!

I think this is a large component. I think the other is that the calculus on this from a trade perspective is that 15% is better than 50%, and there is a good chance Trump imposes 50% tariffs if no deal is achieved. This would be bad for everyone. In four years, Trump will be gone, and the tariffs will go away again. Of course this sets the precedent that future leaders of the U.S., China, and any other large trading blocks, could unilaterally impose tariffs, and the EU will just roll over. This is why temporary pain is often a better response than acquiescence. I think this is one of the failings of the EU as a governance model. It moves slowly and requires near total agreement. This limits negotiation options because at least one nation would oppose the short term pain scenario.

Current consumer/mobile computing is what got the world into this sorry state in the first place.

The world is RIPE for takeover by whoever can develop a better way.

... and you have to keep reminding him not to eat the checker pieces

He's more of a tic-tac-toe player.

What if having Trump as president is 5D chess?

France also has nukes and submarines able to deliver second strikes.

I don't think that's much of a factor in geopolitics outside of the implementation of hard power. The problem with nuclear weapons is that there's only so much brinkmanship you can participate in before your threats start to lose leverage.

It's basically the equivalent of someone trying to achieve a goal by threatening to kill themselves. The ends just don't logically justify the means.

European leaders are appeasing the US because it's the most advantageous thing to do for capital holders. The instability that the US is creating is more manageable than the consequences of standing up to the US in a meaningful way would entail.

Capitalism has a great aversion to risk, and will almost always back the option closest to "business as usual". The current US administration is a risk to profitability, an upending of business relations with the US is an existential threat.

Nukes are off the table for the US. It's not like Trump has a big red button. Launch orders go through a chain and if nothing else, the sub/base commander would put a stop to it.

I think the Soviet Union ordered launches on two (?) occasions and the trigger man stood down.

In typical fashion they're trying to put a bandaid on a rotten limb. By trying to delay the inevitable crisis they are ensuring it will hit us worse.