Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Apologies of a Climate Scaremonger

Here is an article I encountered thanks to the Streisand Effect.  Forbes had posted an article from a long-time environmentalist, a true believer, who had doubts about the over-the-top tactics and claims made by his fellow environmentalists.  Apparently, the backlash was such that Forbes pulled the story and begged forgiveness.  Well, this I have to read.

Click this link to read the story for yourself.

The article is a preview of his book, Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All. Among his points are that we are not seeing a mass extinction, climate change is not making natural disasters worse, fires have declined over the last 17 years, carbon emissions are declining in most rich nations, wood fuel is worse for people than fossil fuel, and more.  An interesting point is that air pollution and carbon emissions diminish by moving from wood to coal to petroleum to natural gas to uranium.  Nuclear plants are the most environmentally friendly.  Well, unless you're in Russia.

The most interesting thing is that his views were discouraged by fellow environmentalists.  Though he remains an environmentalist, he sees that climate alarmism is needlessly scaring people.  When AOC said the world would end in 12 years, that may provoke eye-rolling among some but terrifies youth.  Oddly, I recall when I was in elementary school, a student said the world was going to end in 1980.  Credulous as I was, I believed it.  The teacher didn't shoot down the idea.  Why hadn't my parents told me about this?  Looking back now, it's silly.  Imagine if I had marinated in such claims throughout my childhood.  That's what has happened to Greta Thunberg.

Be of good cheer.  The world is not ending any time soon.

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