In his 2003 speech to the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, award-winning author Dr. Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, etc.) explained why modern environmentalism has become an extremist cult religion. He said:
“…environmentalism is, in fact, a perfect 21st-century remapping of traditional Judeo-Christian beliefs and myths. There’s an initial Eden, a paradise, a state of grace and unity with nature, there’s a fall from grace into a state of pollution as a result of eating from the tree of knowledge, and as a result of our actions, there is a judgment day coming for us all. We are all energy sinners, doomed to die, unless we seek salvation, which is now called sustainability.
“… Increasingly, it seems facts aren’t necessary because the tenets of environmentalism are all about belief. It’s about whether you are going to be a sinner, or saved. Whether you are going to be one of the people on the side of salvation, or on the side of doom. Whether you are going to be one of us, or one of them.”
No one illustrates this better than Al Gore. In his 8-minute tirade at the World Economic Forum summit in Davos last month (image above), Gore unleashed enough climate change fire and brimstone to put even the most extreme old-style preacher to shame. Gore told the audience that our greenhouse gas emissions were warming the planet as much as 600,000 Hiroshima bombs every day and that the heat was “boiling the oceans.” The former vice president went even further into fantasy land, noting that climate refugees are “predicted to reach 1 billion this century.” Remarkably, the audience and other luminaries on stage cheered Gore’s sensationalism.
The fact that, from 1901 through 2020, sea surface ocean temperatures rose at an average rate of 0.14°F per decade, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (see graph), doesn’t bother Gore and his disciples, of course. Neither does the fact that solar energy input to the Earth every day is 400 times more the 9 million KT TNT/day that 600,000 Hiroshima’s/day would release. And, really, who cares how many Hiroshima’s our GHG emissions equate to? There has been no warming for the past 8 1/2 years. Clearly, nature is doing a fine job compensating for whatever warming our GHG emissions may cause.
And climate refugees? Despite the UN’s 2005 forecast of 50 million climate refugees by 2010, none appeared by then. So, in 2011, they simply slid the “50 million climate refugees” date to 2020, which also passed with not a single climate refugee in sight. So big Al joined the UN in utter nonsense there too.
Disconnected from reality though he clearly is, Gore’s approach is the rule, rather than the exception when it comes to climate change alarmism. Just consider President Joe Biden’s assertions last summer at the Brayton Point Power Station in Somerset, Massachusetts:
“…[climate change] is literally, not figuratively, a clear and present danger. The health of our citizens and our communities is literally at stake. The UN’s leading international climate scientists call the latest climate report nothing less than “code red” for humanity. Let me say it again — “code red” for humanity…
“We see here in America … more powerful and destructive hurricanes and tornadoes…Ravaging hundred-year-old droughts occurring every few years instead of every hundred years. Wildfires out west that have burned and destroyed more than 5 million acres — everything in its path.
“Our national security is at stake as well. Climate change is literally an existential threat to our nation and to the world.
“… So, let me be clear: Climate change is an emergency. If we don’t keep it below 1.5 degrees Centigrade, we lose it all. We don’t get to turn it around.”
Wow! And that was only a small portion of Biden’s catastrophe rhetoric that day, which concluded with the boast that his plans are “going to be able to create as many or more good-paying jobs.” That, too, is deceptive. Various studies have shown that jobs lost in the economy outside of the “green” energy field greatly exceed those created in the wind, solar, and other renewable energy sectors.
Cults and intervention specialist Rick Ross has created a list of ten warning signs that help determine whether a movement is potentially unsafe. A quick look at the list shows that climate alarmism fulfills each and every criteria of a dangerous cult.
Take Ross’ warning sign #2, for example:
“No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry.”
Under no circumstances must the assertions of the religion of climate change be questioned. Those who dare are condemned as “climate deniers” and excommunicated from polite society. Leading climate scientists like Dr. Tim Ball, who questioned the climate cult, are even subjected to death threats.
Or how about Ross’ warning sign #4:
“Unreasonable fear about the outside world, such as impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies, and persecutions.”
When their dire predictions of climate doom fail to materialize, they simply turn the page and make new forecasts to frighten the public into complying.
I could go on, but you get the point. Just as Tucker Carlson explained last week, the climate scare has become an extreme religion based solely on beliefs and emotions. The facts no longer matter at all.
However, for those in the public who actually care about facts, a number of groups, including the International Climate Science Coalition that I lead, have started issuing regular “Climate Fact Checks,” our latest being “Climate Fact Check: January 2023 Edition.”
Besides the points brought up our fact checks, here are six more to put in your back pocket for the next time that annoying relative won’t shut up about climate change at family dinners:
1 – Myth: The Antarctic is melting due to human-caused climate change.
FACTS: Computer models have predicted Antarctic ice melting, but this has not been observed. In fact, a 2020 study showed that the Antarctic has seen an increase in sea ice and net-zero warming across the continent. Multiple studies have also shown that most of the continent has been cooling over the past few decades.
2 – Myth: Human-caused climate change is damaging global food production.
FACTS: Extreme weather events are not becoming more widespread and are thus not damaging global food production any more than usual. We are actually seeing a greening of the Earth due to the aerial fertilization effect of rising carbon dioxide levels, leading to increased crop yields. The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization has shown that the production of various staple crops has risen significantly during the current modest warming trend.
3 – Myth: Migratory birds are dying due to climate change.
FACTS: The claim that rapid switches to hot and cold weather coupled with wildfires cause migratory bird deaths does not correspond to reality, as there have been fewer cold spells, and wildfires have not been increasing. Heatwaves have also not been getting more frequent or intense, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Thus, attributing bird deaths to unusual climate change is not warranted.
4 – Myth: Climate change is causing severe wildfires.
FACTS: Despite increased atmospheric carbon dioxide, there has been no increase in global wildfire area burned. NASA satellites have documented a global long-term decline in wildfires. Increased populations and infrastructure naturally lead to greater damage done, creating a perception of increased wildfires. However, greater damage is being caused because of increased development, not increased severity of the fires.
5 – Myth: Climate change is a serious threat to the Great Barrier Reef.
FACTS: Data from the Australian Institute of Marine Science has shown that over the past three years, the Great Barrier Reef has seen an increase in coral. They also found that only about 22% of the reef has recently experienced bleaching, with most of those areas quickly recovering. The natural ebb and flow of the reef should not be attributed to man-made climate change, but to natural cycles that have been happening for thousands of years.
6 – Myth: Kansas, and other places around the world, are experiencing more serious droughts due to climate change.
FACTS: Data actually shows the opposite: droughts are decreasing, and wheat harvests are increasing their yield. In fact, Kansas has recently experienced the wettest five-year period on record, according to NOAA.
All of this would perhaps be humorous were it not for the fact that Biden and other western leaders are wasting trillions of dollars and putting our vital energy supply systems at serious risk because of their Don Quixote-like crusade to “save the climate.” We must loudly fight back against the climate cult before it destroys our nations.
To discuss what empirical data actually says about climate change, co-hosts Tom Harris and Mary-Jean Harris will be joined this week on The Other Side of the Story on the America Out Loud Talk Network by Linnea C. Lueken, Research Fellow, Arthur B. Robinson Center on Climate and Environmental Policy of The Heartland Institute.
