The Agenda Behind Climate Change Catastrophism
https://www.theepochtimes.com/the-agenda-behind-climate-change-catastrophism_4653079.html
Commentary
Democrats on Capitol Hill are pressuring the Biden administration to declare a climate emergency, voicing their doomsday predictions that without immediate action to curb and ultimately end our dependence on fossil fuels, “the planet” and, by implication, every living creature that inhabits it, will die.
“If we don’t really begin to lower emissions, this planet has no chance,” Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) said. “We have a few years left and that’s it. The planet is dying.”
This dire assessment and apocalyptic warning echoes former Vice President Al Gore’s 2006 book and documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth,” and his subsequent statements that climate inaction would cause the complete summertime meltdown of the North Pole ice by 2013.
Even though such ridiculous predictions as Gore’s have been put forth and have been proven false, it appears that, thanks to the rise of “stakeholder capitalism” and the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) index, climate change catastrophism’s heyday has finally arrived. It becomes necessary, therefore, to address it directly. This doesn’t necessarily mean re-adjudicating the climate change science, since others have done well to subject the narrative to withering critique and debunking.
Critics have raised the following issues with climate change catastrophism:[1]
This is but the skeleton of a body of reasons for concluding that climate change catastrophism is overwrought and hyperbolic, if not based on outright fraud. As S. Fred Singer, David R. Legates, and Anthony R. Lupo have remarked:
“Contrary to some accounts of the history of the scientific debate, there was no gradually emerging ‘consensus’ on the human role in climate change. Rather, politics quickly overtook science as environmental advocates and other interest groups recognized the utility of the climate change issue in advancing their own agendas.”
Why, then, is the establishment so hellbent on pushing climate catastrophism? And what are these agendas?
It’s clear that climate catastrophism isn’t primarily about the climate. If it were, as Rupert Darwall has noted in “Green Tyranny,” then Germany, facing rising carbon dioxide emissions since its implementation of Energiewende (energy transition), wouldn’t have hastened the closure of its nuclear power plants, the only reliable source of zero-emission electricity other than hydroelectric plants, which environmentalists also abjure. The same goes for California and New York.
Philosophically, as Alex Epstein has made clear in “Fossil Future,” climate catastrophism is fueled by an “anti-impact framework,” which hamstrings humanity by attempting to eliminate the human impact on the environment altogether. It’s antihuman at base. It places the well-being of “the environment” above human flourishing, while denying that human beings are part of the environment.
The necessary outcome of climate change catastrophism is curtailed economic growth. This is ironic because the global elites at the World Economic Forum (WEF) regularly suggest that one of their objectives is to achieve “fairness” for people in underdeveloped countries. To date, this “fairness” has involved wealth transfers from the developed to the developing world that amount to bribes for stemming further development.
Climate catastrophism boils down to renouncing and eliminating cheap and reliable energy and enriching climate alarmists such as Gore—all in the interest of furthering a globalist political agenda. Most importantly, that is, climate change catastrophism has to do with the vaunted “solidarity,” “inclusivity,” and “international cooperation”—the means that the WEF, the United Nations, favored corporations, and their proxies in government deem necessary to mitigate the supposed crisis. These code words stand for a totalitarian regime under which a newly refurbished collectivism will abrogate individual rights and vastly curtail human freedom. As it turns out, the means for mitigating climate change are the ends sought by climate catastrophists.
1. See Bjorn Lomborg, “Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist’s Guide to Global Warming” (London: Marshall Cavendish, 2010); Rupert Darwall, “The Age of Global Warming: A History” (London: Quartet Books, 2014); Bjorn Lomborg, “The Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World” (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016); Rupert Darwall, “Green Tyranny: Exposing the Totalitarian Roots of the Climate Industrial Complex” (New York: Encounter Books, 2019); S. Fred Singer, David R. Legates, and Anthony R. Lupo, “Hot Talk, Cold Science: Global Warming’s Unfinished Debate” (Oakland, Calif.: Independent Institute, 2021); Alex Epstein, “Fossil Future: Why Global Human Flourishing Requires More Oil, Coal, and Natural Gas—Not Less” (New York: Portfolio/Penguin, 2022).
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/the-agenda-behind-climate-change-catastrophism_4653079.html
Commentary
Democrats on Capitol Hill are pressuring the Biden administration to declare a climate emergency, voicing their doomsday predictions that without immediate action to curb and ultimately end our dependence on fossil fuels, “the planet” and, by implication, every living creature that inhabits it, will die.
“If we don’t really begin to lower emissions, this planet has no chance,” Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) said. “We have a few years left and that’s it. The planet is dying.”
This dire assessment and apocalyptic warning echoes former Vice President Al Gore’s 2006 book and documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth,” and his subsequent statements that climate inaction would cause the complete summertime meltdown of the North Pole ice by 2013.
Even though such ridiculous predictions as Gore’s have been put forth and have been proven false, it appears that, thanks to the rise of “stakeholder capitalism” and the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) index, climate change catastrophism’s heyday has finally arrived. It becomes necessary, therefore, to address it directly. This doesn’t necessarily mean re-adjudicating the climate change science, since others have done well to subject the narrative to withering critique and debunking.
Critics have raised the following issues with climate change catastrophism:[1]
- the previously peddled “crises” of global cooling, acid rain, and ozone layer depletion, which proved to be unfounded;
- the complete dismissal of the benefits of fossil fuel use;
- the failure to acknowledge that fossil fuel-powered technologies significantly mitigate the effects of climate emergencies;
- the fact that deaths from extreme weather events have decreased during the so-called climate emergency;
- the fact that solar and wind energy technologies, after 50-plus years of development, are far from capable of replacing fossil fuels;
- the disingenuous use of the coldest period in the Holocene as the starting point for measuring rising temperatures;
- the manipulation of surface temperature readings to counter satellite readings, which show no significant recent warming;
- the exaggerated synthesis of scientific studies by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the further exaggeration in disseminating synthesized findings to the public by designated “experts” and the media;
- the IPCC’s hiding of its raw data and methodology, its blocking of outside investigations attempting to replicate its results, and its blocking of climate change skeptical scientists from publishing their findings in peer-reviewed journals (“climategate”);
- the alteration of IPCC reports—after scientists had written and approved the final texts—to remove skepticism regarding claims that human activities are having a major impact on climate and global warming;
- the 15-year period (1998–2013) of no significant warming, despite a 7 percent rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels;
- the rate of global warming has decelerated since 1951, despite a 26 percent increase in carbon dioxide levels;
- the fact that temperature reconstructions of the past show temperatures as high as recent temperatures in some regions (the Medieval Climate Anomaly);
- recent IPCC estimates of the transient climate response (the climate estimate for the remainder of the 21st century) fall within the range of natural climate variation over the past 6 million years;
- research shows no increases in droughts or tropical cyclone activity over the past 40 years;
- the Antarctic sea ice extent increased between 1979 and 2012, contradicting global circulation models;
- climate modeling has failed to accurately predict climate trends;
- the strong likelihood that warming isn’t necessarily negative at all but may, in fact, be positive;
- the well-known greening of the planet due to increased carbon dioxide levels and the benefits derived thereof, including for agriculture and cooling;
- the fact that there’s no known optimal or “natural” global temperature, even if global temperatures could be accurately measured, which is doubtful.
This is but the skeleton of a body of reasons for concluding that climate change catastrophism is overwrought and hyperbolic, if not based on outright fraud. As S. Fred Singer, David R. Legates, and Anthony R. Lupo have remarked:
“Contrary to some accounts of the history of the scientific debate, there was no gradually emerging ‘consensus’ on the human role in climate change. Rather, politics quickly overtook science as environmental advocates and other interest groups recognized the utility of the climate change issue in advancing their own agendas.”
Why, then, is the establishment so hellbent on pushing climate catastrophism? And what are these agendas?
It’s clear that climate catastrophism isn’t primarily about the climate. If it were, as Rupert Darwall has noted in “Green Tyranny,” then Germany, facing rising carbon dioxide emissions since its implementation of Energiewende (energy transition), wouldn’t have hastened the closure of its nuclear power plants, the only reliable source of zero-emission electricity other than hydroelectric plants, which environmentalists also abjure. The same goes for California and New York.
Philosophically, as Alex Epstein has made clear in “Fossil Future,” climate catastrophism is fueled by an “anti-impact framework,” which hamstrings humanity by attempting to eliminate the human impact on the environment altogether. It’s antihuman at base. It places the well-being of “the environment” above human flourishing, while denying that human beings are part of the environment.
The necessary outcome of climate change catastrophism is curtailed economic growth. This is ironic because the global elites at the World Economic Forum (WEF) regularly suggest that one of their objectives is to achieve “fairness” for people in underdeveloped countries. To date, this “fairness” has involved wealth transfers from the developed to the developing world that amount to bribes for stemming further development.
Climate catastrophism boils down to renouncing and eliminating cheap and reliable energy and enriching climate alarmists such as Gore—all in the interest of furthering a globalist political agenda. Most importantly, that is, climate change catastrophism has to do with the vaunted “solidarity,” “inclusivity,” and “international cooperation”—the means that the WEF, the United Nations, favored corporations, and their proxies in government deem necessary to mitigate the supposed crisis. These code words stand for a totalitarian regime under which a newly refurbished collectivism will abrogate individual rights and vastly curtail human freedom. As it turns out, the means for mitigating climate change are the ends sought by climate catastrophists.
Note
1. See Bjorn Lomborg, “Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist’s Guide to Global Warming” (London: Marshall Cavendish, 2010); Rupert Darwall, “The Age of Global Warming: A History” (London: Quartet Books, 2014); Bjorn Lomborg, “The Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World” (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016); Rupert Darwall, “Green Tyranny: Exposing the Totalitarian Roots of the Climate Industrial Complex” (New York: Encounter Books, 2019); S. Fred Singer, David R. Legates, and Anthony R. Lupo, “Hot Talk, Cold Science: Global Warming’s Unfinished Debate” (Oakland, Calif.: Independent Institute, 2021); Alex Epstein, “Fossil Future: Why Global Human Flourishing Requires More Oil, Coal, and Natural Gas—Not Less” (New York: Portfolio/Penguin, 2022).
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Yesterday at 2:18 pm by Rocky
» utube MM&C 4/26/24 Iraqi Dinar - US Treasury Exchange Rates- Focus - Banking Partnerships - Rate C
Yesterday at 2:17 pm by Rocky
» Parliamentary efforts to transform Iraq into a global market for transferring Internet capacities
Yesterday at 2:07 pm by Rocky
» A parliamentary committee that enriches the political forces: Stop plundering Iraq’s wealth and work
Yesterday at 1:56 pm by Rocky
» Politician: Salem Al-Issawi is the most likely to assume the presidency of Parliament
Yesterday at 1:55 pm by Rocky
» The price of the dollar is close to 145 thousand dinars؛ how much is $100 worth of transactions؟
Yesterday at 11:57 am by wciappetta
» Al-Sudani: The world today is witnessing crises whose impact has been reflected in the global econo
Yesterday at 9:50 am by Rocky
» The Federal Court responds to an inquiry by Al-Sudani regarding the powers of the provincial council
Yesterday at 9:40 am by Rocky
» Among them are the Iraqis... a list of the most sought-after immigrants to America
Yesterday at 9:38 am by Rocky
» An expert talks about the "biggest barrier" and the positives of merging Iraqi and Arab banks
Yesterday at 9:29 am by Rocky
» The House of Representatives adjourns its session
Yesterday at 9:24 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary demands to expedite the legislation of the Eid al-Ghadir holiday law (documents)
Yesterday at 9:23 am by Rocky
» Parliament adds the paragraph “Electing the Speaker of the House of Representatives” to its agenda
Yesterday at 9:21 am by Rocky
» Alsumaria publishes the text of the law against prostitution and homosexuality
Yesterday at 9:20 am by Rocky
» A parliamentarian reveals the reason for the failure of the Speaker of Parliament to pass during tod
Yesterday at 9:19 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The government has launched many strategies and initiatives that will improve the reality
Yesterday at 8:42 am by Rocky
» International Business: Iraq has made progress in supporting businesses through investment and priva
Yesterday at 8:33 am by Rocky
» Association of Banks: Iraq is witnessing great development in the transition to electronic governmen
Yesterday at 8:25 am by Rocky
» The House of Representatives votes to add an item to its agenda (election of the Speaker of the Hous
Yesterday at 8:22 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary integrity: Combating corruption requires parliamentary legislation
Yesterday at 8:15 am by Rocky
» Al-Karaawi: America is trying to restrict Iraq
Yesterday at 8:13 am by Rocky
» The State of Law coalition moves to form the local government in Diyala
Yesterday at 8:12 am by Rocky
» The Sudanese and his battle against corruption.. Where is the fault with the government or with the
Yesterday at 8:11 am by Rocky
» Prime Minister's Advisor: We will see the dollar fall on the black market soon
Yesterday at 8:09 am by Rocky
» The Sunni blocs are resolute. The presidency of the Council is ours, away from Al-Halbousi
Yesterday at 8:08 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani discusses with a workers’ organization his government’s steps in this field
Yesterday at 7:58 am by Rocky
» Parliament holds its session in the presence of 170 deputies
Yesterday at 7:57 am by Rocky
» In the presence of Nechirvan Barzani and Al-Sudani... the State Administration Coalition holds an “i
Yesterday at 7:55 am by Rocky
» The UAE company ADNOC resorts to Iraqi oil. Find out the reasons
Yesterday at 7:53 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Parliament votes to add an item to elect a president to its agenda
Yesterday at 7:52 am by Rocky
» The Federal Court responds to an inquiry by Al-Sudani regarding the powers of the provincial council
Yesterday at 7:51 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: It is necessary to attract women to work as a productive energy that cannot be disrupted
Yesterday at 7:47 am by Rocky
» Zebari regarding targeting the Kormor field: a systematic attack on the economy of Kurdistan
Yesterday at 7:46 am by Rocky
» Saudi Arabia tops, and this is Iraq's rank... a list of major suppliers of crude oil to South Korea
Yesterday at 7:45 am by Rocky
» With a value of 125 million dollars.. Iraq is at the forefront of countries importing Iranian textil
Yesterday at 7:44 am by Rocky
» More than a billion dollars in sales from the Iraqi Central Bank within a week
Yesterday at 7:43 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani stresses the need for the expertise of the International Labor Organization to legislate a
Yesterday at 7:29 am by Rocky
» Including the return of 21 wanted persons.. The Iraq Money Recovery Fund counts its achievements in
Yesterday at 7:27 am by Rocky
» The path to development is the criterion between true patriotism and political clowning.
Yesterday at 7:25 am by Rocky
» The file of the Presidency of Parliament is on the state administration table... this evening
Yesterday at 7:22 am by Rocky
» Director General of the International Labor Organization: Many challenges in the world of work and t
Yesterday at 7:20 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The world is witnessing crises that reflect negatively on the Arab and international peop
Yesterday at 7:11 am by Rocky
» Prime Minister: Our government has provided great support for the success of the activities, program
Yesterday at 7:08 am by Rocky
» Al-Asadi: Iraq places the social protection file among its priorities
Yesterday at 7:07 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: Iraq is one of the first countries in the region to join the International Labor Organiza
Yesterday at 7:05 am by Rocky
» In the presence of Al-Sudani and Barzani, the State Administration Coalition holds an “important” me
Yesterday at 7:03 am by Rocky
» Appreciating the presence of Al-Sudani... Director General of the Arab Labor Organization: Here from
Yesterday at 5:29 am by Rocky
» Prime Minister: Our government has provided great support for the success of the activities, program
Yesterday at 5:28 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The world is witnessing crises that reflect negatively on the Arab and international peop
Yesterday at 5:24 am by Rocky
» The Parliamentary Development Institute organizes a workshop on the political role of the representa
Yesterday at 5:22 am by Rocky
» With Arab and international participation. Tomorrow will be the start of the Fourth Baghdad Internat
Yesterday at 5:21 am by Rocky
» OPEC Secretary General: The end of oil is not on the horizon
Yesterday at 5:19 am by Rocky
» Closing a number of unlicensed offices and companies south of Baghdad
Yesterday at 5:16 am by Rocky
» Repercussions of the bombing...intensive government movements to resume work in the “Kormor” field
Yesterday at 5:15 am by Rocky
» In the presence of Al-Sudani...the opening of the Arab Labor Conference in its 50th session in Baghd
Yesterday at 5:14 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: We are working on drawing future visions regarding the “green and digital” economic secto
Yesterday at 5:13 am by Rocky
» Barzani after the Kormor attack: We are ready to coordinate with Baghdad to put an end to these atta
Yesterday at 5:10 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani directs the formation of an investigative committee into the circumstances of the Kormo fi
Yesterday at 5:08 am by Rocky
» Bismayah is confused about the new electronic portal.. What about the landlord and the subcontracts?
Yesterday at 5:07 am by Rocky
» Kurdistan Government: Loss of 2,500 megawatts of electricity due to targeting the Kormor field
Yesterday at 5:06 am by Rocky
» Crisis in Kurdistan: 12-hour daily power outage and complaints of “confusion”
Yesterday at 5:05 am by Rocky
» The Supreme Anti-Corruption Commission demands Nineveh for the contracts concluded by “Najm Al-Jubou
Yesterday at 5:04 am by Rocky
» Al-Khanjar, Al-Samarrai, and Abu Mazen are hosted by Shaalan Al-Karim to discuss accelerating the se
Yesterday at 5:03 am by Rocky
» Iraq asks the countries of the world to respond to its requests to extradite wanted persons: We have
Yesterday at 5:02 am by Rocky
» “It is coming soon.” The Sudanese advisor sets the date for the referral of the Baghdad metro and th
Yesterday at 5:01 am by Rocky
» Al-Mubarqa: Iraq reserves its full right to respond to the Australian behavior
Yesterday at 5:00 am by Rocky
» Dollar exchange rates on Iraqi stock exchanges... recorded a decline, and this is the list
Yesterday at 4:58 am by Rocky
» Mr. Al-Sadr supports the position of American university students
Yesterday at 4:56 am by Rocky
» Iraqis are ranked 7th in the Arab world on the list of those most seeking immigration to America. He
Yesterday at 4:55 am by Rocky
» Soon.. 3 new hospitals will open in Baghdad
Yesterday at 4:52 am by Rocky
» Sponsored by Al-Sudani...the opening of the Arab Labor Conference in its fiftieth session in Baghdad
Yesterday at 4:51 am by Rocky
» Al-Shammari chairs a meeting at the controlling headquarters to review the results of the security o
Yesterday at 4:49 am by Rocky
» Arab Labor Organization: We commend Iraq's interest in the Arab Labor Conference
Yesterday at 4:48 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The development road project will provide many job opportunities
Yesterday at 4:47 am by Rocky
» Sudanese advisor criticizes Kuwaiti analyzes regarding the development road project
Fri 26 Apr 2024, 2:21 pm by Rocky
» Al-Mandalawi stresses the need to strengthen economic and trade cooperation between Iraq and Poland
Fri 26 Apr 2024, 2:04 pm by Rocky
» Power maneuvers: America provides defensive weapons to Kurdistan in exchange for withholding from Ba
Fri 26 Apr 2024, 10:26 am by Rocky
» Kuwait is drilling an oil well near Umm Qasr, towards Iraqi territory
Fri 26 Apr 2024, 10:24 am by Rocky
» In the document... the first Iraqi ministry identifies the obstacles to changing the new official wo
Fri 26 Apr 2024, 10:22 am by Rocky
» Italian Institute: Iraq is stuck in its own crises, including Baghdad’s efforts to undermine the “au
Fri 26 Apr 2024, 10:21 am by Rocky
» The head of the Integrity Commission announces the holding of an international Interpol conference i
Fri 26 Apr 2024, 10:18 am by Rocky
» Planning: Iraqi companies are not efficient in conducting the population census
Fri 26 Apr 2024, 10:14 am by Rocky
» MM&C 4/25/24 National Bank of Iraq goes live with Temenos core banking and payments
Fri 26 Apr 2024, 8:06 am by Rocky
» A banking official indicates a "danger" to Iraq by depriving more than half of its banks of dollars
Fri 26 Apr 2024, 7:55 am by Rocky
» With the participation of the Association of Private Banks, investment opportunities are on the tabl
Fri 26 Apr 2024, 7:45 am by Rocky
» Within a month... an Iranian border crossing recorded a noticeable increase in exports of goods to I
Fri 26 Apr 2024, 7:44 am by Rocky
» The Association of Private Banks appreciates the efforts of the government and the Central Bank to c
Fri 26 Apr 2024, 7:43 am by Rocky
» Al-Maliki's coalition presents a third candidate for the position of governor of Diyala
Fri 26 Apr 2024, 6:57 am by Rocky
» Arab gathering: The Kirkuk problem is getting complicated and the Sudanese must intervene
Fri 26 Apr 2024, 6:56 am by Rocky
» Next week.. a Kurdish delegation will visit Baghdad to meet with the Minister of Finance
Fri 26 Apr 2024, 6:54 am by Rocky
» Under the pretext of salaries... Al-Party refrains from handing over port revenues to Baghdad
Fri 26 Apr 2024, 6:53 am by Rocky
» Association of Banks: For the first time, we are witnessing a clear targeting of depriving half of t
Fri 26 Apr 2024, 6:51 am by Rocky
» Parliament does not know the reason for the delay in sending the 2024 budget schedules: Voting takes
Fri 26 Apr 2024, 6:49 am by Rocky
» Applicants for the 2024 Hajj are demanding that the Central Bank secure the dollar for them through
Fri 26 Apr 2024, 5:09 am by Rocky
» Governmental and private banks will showcase their services tomorrow during Financial Inclusion Week
Fri 26 Apr 2024, 5:08 am by Rocky
» Iraq's oil exports rise despite OPEC+ cuts
Fri 26 Apr 2024, 5:06 am by Rocky
» A study explodes a "surprise"... Iraq is among the countries that export oil to "Israel": How is the
Fri 26 Apr 2024, 5:04 am by Rocky
» Al-Araji emphasizes working to strengthen national identity
Fri 26 Apr 2024, 5:02 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani visits Saudi Arabia to participate in the World Economic Forum in Riyadh
Fri 26 Apr 2024, 5:01 am by Rocky