Modern “environmentalists” are increasingly not the answer to environmental problems; they are too often the primary problem. They are attempting to remake society, government, and the economy to solve what they claim are environmental problems. Their “cures” are often much worse than the problems, which are increasingly more minor or even non-problems.
Some of the Policies Promoted by Modern Environmentalism
Often justified largely on the basis of junk science they have come up with such wonderful policy prescriptions as using only unreliable sources of energy because they are “sustainable,” keeping natural resources in the ground rather than using them to meet human needs, having government tell manufacturers what requirements their products must meet to use less energy rather than encouraging manufacturers to meet the needs of their customers, all in the name of “energy efficiency,” substituting government dictates for market solutions on any issue related to energy use, and teaching school children junk science that happens to meet “environmentalists” ideological beliefs in hopes of perpetuating these beliefs to future generations even though they do not conform to the scientific method, the basis of science.
Yes, there have been and will continue to be real environmental problems that cannot be solved by sole reliance on the economic marketplace. But many of the more urgent and solvable ones have already been resolved after almost 50 years of environmental concern and the formation of environmental agencies at many levels of government. But instead of working to address the most solvable and important remaining problems, the “environmentalists” have increasingly taken to inventing problems that do not exist or are so difficult to resolve that they practically cannot be. Their “answer” is always more government regulation and control and a reduced role for private initiative, personal choice, and private property rights.
Some Government Control and Regulation Is Needed, but Only When Justified
Some government control and regulation is needed because of what economists call negative externalities where they actually exist, but this should be undertaken only when problems are well defined, solutions are clear and carefully thought through, and based on sound science, and the economic benefits exceed the economic costs of government intervention. Increasingly this has not been the case. Junk science is even being invented to justify the alleged existence of environmental problems and then used to attack anyone who dares to differ from the “environmental” orthodoxy.
To date, the high point of support for regulating such environmental non-problems or non-soluble problems was during the Obama Administration, which encouraged such behavior and took no interest in the real problem, excessive intrusion of government into the lives of people and decisions better left to the private marketplace. The best example of this is climate alarmism, although there are many others such as fine particles (called PM2.5). Climate does vary and that can be a problem, but it is doubtful that government can do anything useful about it, particularly since there is little understanding why it occurs and the most widely accepted hypothesis appears to be wrong.
These and other examples can be found in my book, called Environmentalism Gone Mad, and previous posts on this blog.
It is time to look after the real and solvable problems, not the fake ones too often promoted by the “environmentalists” for their own purposes.
Doc Carlin has said global warming fails the scientific method. He is correct. There are models that predict warming driven by CO2. These have proven dismal failures in terms of prediction and in explaining historic temperatures. It’s that simple.
Glaciers ebb. This owes to an esoteric condition called summer. The happy advent of summer does not prove the earths climate is catastrophically warming. In contrast during winter glaciers expand. So what? This is merely normal, not instead a rationale to hand over billions to less successful nations.
When in college, I could never have foreseen the later widespread acceptance of psuedo science from lefty loonies like gore and obama. There are contributing explanations like tribalist conformity, Fake News conformity, quackery, and prudent fear of violent Eco thugs. Nevertheless it still astounds that an Eco hypothesis with no clear supporting evidence could be saluted by many, for too long.
Mainstrean support for the folly of global warming is a wonderful tribute to the hoaxers. As Senator Inhofe has aptly written, theirs is the greatest hoax of all time.
The origins of the global warming hypothesis date to the 19th century. It’s old stuff. Arrenhius a Swedish chemist was one proponent. Thus this theory was around during the heydays of greats like Albert Einstein and Nils Bohr.
I doubt the idea of global warming via cO2 scared them. They were concerned, reasonably, Hitler not acquire at atomic weapon. Einstein was also prescient as always by being very concerned that atomic weapons not spread. He focused on important things.
Feynman went thru Princeton graduate school circa 1939. As a physics student, richard would have respected Einstein. when Feynman gave his memorable 1974 commencement talk at cal tech, advising against cargo cult science, perhaps he drew on heros from his youth? One quote attributed to Einstein: “many say it is intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong. It is character.”
Many climate alarm scientists fall short of the honesty expected by Einstein or Feynman. They fool themselves, others, or both.
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Doctor Carlin has assiduously authored 63 original essays during calendar year 2017. Terrific output of worthy thoughts on economically vital topics. Better than one per week.
He is relentless and clear-minded about opposing the Eco-scam and thereby championing a stronger America.
Thanks for wonderful civic service, Dr. Carlin.
We look forward avidly to repeal of the Endangerment Finding about carbon dioxide during 2018! How lunatic of the scamsters to stigmatize an essential life giving trace gas. Without carbon dioxide nothing would be green. The Greens would end greenery!
Ocean. (Sorry for the unintended break.)
The photo shows unusual distinctive lenticular clouds sometimes compared to UFOs. These appear above a glacier, unsurprising given south Georgia’s polar climate. The sun may be setting, tinting the clouds red or pink. They cheerily appear to float above a glacier dark from shadow.
It is an unusual scene to say the least. Few humans get to go to South Georgia to witness such unusal scenes. This helps the climate scamsters, because the climate is said to be changing in bad ways at hard to visit places, like the polar regions. Places we cannot independently verify. We have to rely on accounts from unionized government scientists who get paid to study the polar environment.
Doctor Carlin got himself to remote polar climate places so as to independently observe and not rely on Pulp fiction spewed out by the Fake News.
His photo from Fortuna Bay is so unusual that it thematically suits the cover of his unusual book.
After talking up Dr. Carlin’s book again, I finally tried to study it’s unusual cover. It is a photograph that Alan took himself at the hard to get to location of Fortuna Bay, on the remote island of South Georgua, in the far south Atlantic oc
“Their own purposes” are too often gaining power in order to support the full range of left wing government programs.
Genuinely serious environmentalists should actually care deeply about sound science. Credibility matters. Doing genuine good relies upon healing a genuine problem, not on con artistry.
In the United States, democrats do themselves little political good for the long run by clinging to absurdly foolish climate cultism. Continuing to rely On climate scams shows lack of seriousness and inspires doubts about all agenda ideas.
One sees placards: science is real. However junk science is not real. Obama and Gore have saddled their party with a horrible legacy of mendacity and folly.
One winner credibly emerging out of this eco fiasco is Doctor Carlin. He has rare cogency He understands so many dimensions of the problem and connects all the dots. He truly cares about real public health and environmental problems, plus about the economy.
The library of any educated person is bolstered by adding Carlin’s page-turner. Be generous in bestowing Environmentalism Gone Mad to friends and family, for Christmas. But its a great gift at any time of the year. The true story of a serious minded tireless ecocrat who beat the Climate Industrial Complex, with genuine science and diligent reasonability. Unlikely but true!