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This Politico article claimed in 2016 that Trump's organization submitted a permit request that cites climate change as the driving reason:

The New York billionaire is applying for permission to erect a coastal protection works to prevent erosion at his seaside golf resort, Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Ireland, in County Clare.

A permit application for the wall, filed by Trump International Golf Links Ireland and reviewed by POLITICO, explicitly cites global warming and its consequences — increased erosion due to rising sea levels and extreme weather this century — as a chief justification for building the structure.

Is the article substantially accurate?

Daniel R Hicks
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  • Related: ["Is @realDonaldTrump a parody account?" on SE.Politics](https://politics.stackexchange.com/questions/14422/is-realdonaldtrump-a-parody-account/14425). – Nat Jun 03 '17 at 03:28
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    Where is the evidence that Trump has anything to do with the low-level management of this (or any other) property? Especially as he has supposedly turned over the management of his businesses to his sons: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/donald-trump-business-conflicts-interest-233520 – jamesqf Jun 03 '17 at 18:03
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    @jamesqf The OP's cited article was dated May, 2016... – DJohnM Jun 03 '17 at 20:39
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    @Jamesqf I think we all understand that Trump is not personally writing out these permits. He is probably not reading them either. CEOs don't make a habit of reading the low level boring stuff. I think the question title could be reworded, but the body of the question is clear on that point. – BobTheAverage Jun 04 '17 at 06:05
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    @BobTheAverage: If we all understand that, then there really is no question here, just an amusing factoid. – jamesqf Jun 04 '17 at 18:04
  • @James It's not even amusing. What does this, if true, help, prove, or make better? Nothing. It tells us exactly nothing useful. –  Jun 05 '17 at 00:14
  • It seems like all the other sources online are linking back to Politico, which only reports that the application cites Global Warming. What would you consider to be proof to confirm this question? – DenisS Jun 05 '17 at 13:57
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    @fredsbend - if true, then it offers more insight into the hypocrisy of POTUS on the subject, and would call into question the veracity of reasons he gives for claiming to not believe that the phenomenon exists. Seems pretty useful. If by "useful" you mean affirms your own point of view, then maybe not so much. – PoloHoleSet Jun 05 '17 at 17:32
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    @PoloHoleSet [Sorry, but we don't care about your political opinions](https://skeptics.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/3858/sorry-but-we-dont-care-about-your-political-opinions) and mine included. I'm glad to see this ridiculousness is lessening since the election, but this question proves that apparently some people still think this is good and makes the site better. –  Jun 05 '17 at 21:06
  • @fredsbend - demonstrable falsehoods that can be factually shown to be falsehoods have nothing to do with my political opinion. If you claim that having a head of state (let alone the head of the main world superpower) who blithely makes false statements with all the care of changing a shirt or tie has no bearing, objectively, on assessing their actions, then I'd say you were pretending to be incredibly naive. I realize this reflects poorly on your political opinions that no one cares about, but, as you said, no one cares, so you don't get to try and censor based on just that. – PoloHoleSet Jun 06 '17 at 14:04
  • @Polo *You* keep bringing up politics, not me. –  Jun 06 '17 at 16:54
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    @Polo I simply agreed with James earlier. If we all understand that it is extremely unlikely that Trump himself drafted the document, and that businesses do whatever they can to get their way, what use is there in this question, except maybe being ironically amusing? –  Jun 06 '17 at 17:01
  • @fredsbend - so what? Trump drafts none of his documents as POTUS, including this speeches. Not sure why the idea that just "businesses" are the only ones that "do whatever they can to get their way," which makes it relevant to pronouncements he makes on the issue. – PoloHoleSet Jun 06 '17 at 18:11
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    @Polo So, when faced with the logic that this has nothing to do with Trump other than his name being on the building, your response is *so what*? Does anyone actually care about this specific company and this specific permit? I'm betting no, making this not notable. Desire to push a political opinion keeps it here, and this desire spawned that meta post linked above. It is bad for the site and off-putting to many users and new comers. –  Jun 06 '17 at 18:45
  • Let us [continue this discussion in chat](http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/60013/discussion-between-poloholeset-and-fredsbend). – PoloHoleSet Jun 06 '17 at 18:49

1 Answers1

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Evidence

TIGL Ireland Enterprises Ltd (authorized to trade legally as "Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Ireland", among other names) submitted a planning application (ref: 16371) to Clare County Council on 10 May 2016. Its purpose is stated as:

development comprising coastal erosion management works at and adjacent Carrowmore Dunes, White Strand, Doughmore Bay and Trump International Golf Links and Hotel, Doonbeg.

An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) ("EIS/NIS Coastal Protection-Volume 1 Text & Figures" on linked page), compiled by Creagh House Environmental Ltd on behalf of TIGL Ireland Enterprises Ltd, was included with the application.

On page 3, Section 1.1.1 (Hydrogeology), mention is made of extreme weather in relation to climate change as a motivation for the development:

The evidence for increased storm activity associated with climate change suggests that the erosion will accelerate. If the current rate of erosion is allowed to continue, this will result in a significant loss of habitat, and infrastructure, with linear losses up to 150m being experienced by 2050.

Section 1.2 (The Habitat Erosion Problem) cites rising sea levels and extreme weather as causes of dune erosion:

[...] the more extreme Atlantic storms and sea level rise extant in the west of Ireland, now poses a very serious threat to [...] dune habitats in some areas.

The article also references a Trump Doonbeg-branded brochure included in the appendices of the EIS, A3/13 to be precise: enter image description here

The planning application was withdrawn on 5 December 2016.

Conclusion

While the precise phrasing of "rising sea levels due to climate change" appears neither in the article nor in the planning application or accompanying EIS mentioned above, the article itself appears to be substantially accurate.

Politico is therefore correct in its assertion that TIGL Ireland Enterprises Ltd cited climate change, extreme weather events and rising sea levels as a justification for building their proposed coastal erosion management structures.

Eoin
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    Welcome to Skeptics! Very good first post, +1. I will say that the Environmental Impact Statement link did not work for me the first time. Is there a more consistent link to that document? – DenisS Jun 06 '17 at 15:32
  • Thanks, and good catch - I'll replace it with a link to the document listing and reference to the EIS. – Eoin Jun 06 '17 at 15:53
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    I guess this didn't turn out as the OP expected, since he didn't accept your answer... – Fizz Mar 20 '20 at 13:19
  • @Fizz Looks like it was accepted an hour after you commented — I'm guessing your comment was the cause, thanks! – Eoin Mar 23 '20 at 18:28