US Deep Freeze Raises Serious Concerns about Climate Alarmist Policies

Most of the United States has been locked in a deep freeze for a number of weeks that almost everyone affected would dearly love to escape from. The deep freeze has posed immediate and potentially serious consequences for those living in the New England states of the US. They need to keep warm, but are finding that this is posing needless problems because of climate alarmist policies in these states. These problems result from the closure of a number of coal-fired electric plants in recent years in these states and the refusal of local politicians to approve new natural gas pipelines or local fracking for natural gas, in many cases for alleged climate “reasons.” This follows similar problems a few years ago and suggests some of the practical problems posed by climate alarmist policies where they are actually implemented.

More generally, the climate alarmists currently have a serious problem in selling their “cause” in most of the US. They still want the US Government, taxpayers, and ratepayers to spend trillions of dollars of other people’s money on measures they claim will keep global temperatures from rising when most of the US is so bitterly cold and most people would like it warmer, not colder.

Bitter Cold Reminds Us that This Could Be a Harbinger of Things to Come

Many climate realists believe that Earth appears to be entering a sharp downturn in temperatures over the next few decades because of the falling number of sunspots and lower total solar irradiance. So this winter’s bitter cold may portend similar things to come. Some have even predicted a new “Little Ice Age” since the decrease in sunspots is very similar to what happened just before the last Little Ice Age a few centuries ago.

If these climate realists are correct, the world will be “saved” from the climate alarmists’ predicted catastrophic increases in temperatures in the next few decades, but will enter an even more unwelcome persistent cold period. And when global temperatures fall global CO₂ levels are very likely to fall with them since atmospheric CO₂ levels are determined largely by global temperatures. All this will happen for “free.” No need for building ugly, expensive solar panels or giant bird and bat killing windmills or suffering much more frequent power failures, as in South Australia.

If this is what actually happens, anything paid to reduce CO₂ emissions will have been completely wasted since wind and solar can never compete with fossil fuels in providing inexpensive and reliable electricity and warmth. This assumes that the alarmists’ expensive remedies actually have any temperature reduction effects, of course. But everyone may be primarily hoping for higher temperatures–just like most US citizens are this winter–not lower temperatures. And reliable fossil fuels should be in great demand to alleviate the horrible effects of a new Little Ice Age.