We’re All in This Together
Hubris & Arrogance
Bad Principles from the Reflecting Pool to Climate Response
By Don Parent
In April, President Trump announced plans to reseal and add blue tinting to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. It was the latest installment of a continuing series of renovations proposed for Washington, DC. While a beautiful part of the National Mall, the reflecting pool has posed problems since its initial design in the 1920s. The unstable nature of the mudflats on which it was originally built, its aging piping system, and DC’s summer sun all contribute to persistent algae blooms.
Even though the Park Service expressed concern that the blue-tint solutions proposed by a Virginia contractor would not work, and even though the contractor failed two tests of the proposed solutions, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum wrote on social media that the contractor had successfully tested the solutions.
Just as warned, algae blooms blossomed even beyond the original conditions. In addition, the faulty tinting is quickly failing. The administration could have avoided the ensuing controversy and embarrassing eyesore had they heeded thoughtful expert advice.
Failures & Missed Opportunities
The reflecting pool matter is an on-the-nose metaphor for the administration’s approach to decision making and to the potential negative outcomes that can result. The lack of curiosity, the failure to objectively investigate complex matters, and the rejection of expert advice create unnecessary risk.
It doesn’t take much imagination to see the parallels in other pressing issues. What prevented us from listening to experts about how fraught it would be to go to war with Iran? Or unleash a deluge of tariffs on our trading partners? Or shrug off the accelerating climate crisis? All these failures have only increased costs and risks for all Americans.
The world is quickly moving towards cleaner, renewable energy and a more robust climate response. Meanwhile, the US is being left behind. As progress on climate is painfully slow and hard-won, policymakers can see ever more clearly how risky it is to stick with climate-altering fossil fuel energy.
The US is missing an opportunity to lead the world into a cleaner, safer future of carbon-free energy, peaceful coexistence, and mitigated climate risk.
Don Parent is a Citizens Climate Lobby volunteer.
Be part of the solution: Join Citizens Climate Lobby at cclusa.org/join. Come to one of the Portland Chapter’s meetings at 9 a.m. on the second Saturday of each month. Next meetings are July 11th, August 8th, 2026. Meeting at the Portland Media Center, 516 Congress Street or online.
