Reposted from Dr. Judith Curry’s Climate Etc.
Posted on May 2, 2021 by curryja |
by Judith Curry
. . . according to the cover story of April 26 issue of Time Magazine. How have we have fooled ourselves into thinking that manmade climate change is the dominant cause of societal problems?
Some excerpts from the Time Magazine article:
<begin quote>
From her perch in the West Wing, McCarthy has been charged by Biden with overseeing a dramatic shift in the way the U.S. pursues action on climate change. Instead of turning to a select few environment-focused agencies to make climate policy, McCarthy and her office are working to infuse climate considerations into everything the Administration does. The task force she runs includes everyone from the Secretary of Defense, who is evaluating the climate threat to national security, to the Treasury Secretary, who is working to stem the risk that climate change poses to the financial system.
For decades, the idea that climate change touches everything has grown behind the scenes. Leaders from small island countries have pleaded with the rest of the world to notice how climate change has begun to uproot their lives, in areas from health care to schooling. Social scientists have crunched the data, illuminating how climate change will ripple across society, contributing to a surge in migration, reduced productivity and a spike in crime. And advocates and thinkers have proposed everything from a conscious move to economic degrowth to eco-capitalism to make climate the government’s driving force.
Now, spurred by alarming science, growing public fury and a deadly pandemic, government officials, corporate bosses and civil-society leaders are finally waking up to a simple idea whose time has come: climate is everything. It’s out of this recognition that the E.U. has allocated hundreds of billions of euros to put climate at the center of its economic plans, seemingly unrelated activist groups have embraced environmental goals, and investors have flooded firms advancing the energy transition with trillions of dollars. “The world is crossing the long-awaited political tipping point on climate right now,” says Al Gore, a former U.S. Vice President who won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his climate activism. “We are seeing the beginning of a new era.”
The course of climatization—the process by which climate change will transform society—will play out in the coming years in every corner of society. Whether it leads to a more resilient world or exacerbates the worst elements of our society depends on whether we adjust or just stumble through. “We are at the point where climate change means systems change—and almost every system will change,” says Rachel Kyte, dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts University and a longtime climate leader. “That understanding is long overdue, but I don’t think we know exactly what it means yet. It’s a moment of maximum hope; it’s also a moment of high risk.”
<end quote>
How climate became ‘everything’
A changing climate has been the norm throughout the Earth’s 4.6 billion year history. The Earth’s temperature and weather patterns change naturally over time scales ranging from decades to millions of years. Natural variations in climate originate in two ways. Internal climate fluctuations exchange energy, water and carbon between the atmosphere, oceans, land and ice, which changes the surface climate. External influences on the climate system include variations in the energy received from the sun and the effects of volcanic eruptions. Human activities also influence climate by changing atmospheric concentrations of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, altering the concentrations of aerosol particles in the atmosphere, and through land use and changing land cover.
Over the past several decades, the definition of ‘climate change’ has shifted away from the broader geological interpretation. Article 1 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) defines ‘climate change’ as:
“a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods.”
The UNFCCC thus makes a distinction between climate change attributable to human activities altering the atmospheric composition, versus climate variability attributable to natural causes. This redefinition of ‘climate change’ to refer only to manmade climate change has effectively eliminated natural climate change from the public discussion on climate change. Any change that is observed over the past century, on whatever time scale, is implicitly assumed to be manmade. This assumption leads to connecting every unusual weather or climate event to manmade climate change from fossil fuel emissions.
The UNFCCC definition of ‘climate change’ engenders two logical fallacies. The fallacy of the single cause occurs when it is assumed that there is a single, simple cause of an outcome, when in reality it may have been caused by a number of jointly sufficient causes. Climate variability and change are influenced both by natural climate processes and human activity. A jingle fallacy is based on the assumption that two things that are called by the same name capture the same construct. ‘Climate change’ under the UNFCCC definition is a much narrower construct than climate change in the geological sense. Use of the term becomes a jingle fallacy when it is inferred that all climate change – recent and future – is manmade.
The ubiquitous jingle fallacy surrounding the UNFCC definition of climate change introduces a framing bias. Framesact as organizing principles that shape how people conceptualize an issue. Frames can direct how a problem is stated, what is excluded from consideration, what questions are relevant, and what answers might be appropriate. A framing bias occurs when a narrow approach is employed that pre-ordains the conclusion to a much more complex problem. The narrow framing of climate change as manmade global warming has marginalized natural climate variability. This narrow framing also dominates our understanding of the relationships of humans and society with climate. An assumption is made that future climate change is controlled by the amount of manmade greenhouse gas emissions. Regional causes of climate variability, their impacts and their local solutions are marginalized by the assumption that the causes of climate change and its solution are irreducibly global.
The term ‘climate change’ doesn’t just connote the science of manmade global warming, but also an entire worldview of society. Hulme (2010) identifies the fallacy of climate reductionism, a form of analysis and prediction in which the interdependencies that shape human life within the physical world are correlated with climate change. Manmade climate change is then elevated to the role of the dominant predictor of societal change. Multiple possibilities of the future are effectively closed off as climate predictions assert their influence over food production, health, tourism and recreation, human migration, violent conflict, etc. Other environmental, economic and social factors that influence these societal problems become marginalized.
An availability cascade is a self-reinforcing process of collective belief formation that triggers a self-perpetuating chain reaction: the more attention a danger gets, the more worried people become, leading to more news coverage and greater alarm. Because slowly increasing temperatures do not seem alarming, ‘availability entrepreneurs’ push extreme weather events, public health problems, human migration, etc. as being caused by manmade global warming – more of which is in store if we don’t quickly act to reduce fossil fuel emissions.
The ever-expanding narrative of climate change entrains a range of social values into the proposed solutions. The momentum of the climate change narrative leads to claims that there is a solution to many other societal problems within the climate change cause – an example is social justice in the context of the U.S. Green New Deal. This link acts to energize both causes, and leverages the climate change narrative to blame or attack those opposed to the separate cause.
Climate change has thus become a grand narrative in which human-caused climate change has become a dominant cause of societal problems. Everything that goes wrong then reinforces the conviction that that there is only one thing we can do prevent societal problems – stop burning fossil fuels. This grand narrative misleads us to think that if we solve the problem of manmade climate change, then these other problems would also be solved. This belief leads us away from a deeper investigation of the true causes of these problems. The end result is narrowing of the viewpoints and policy options that we are willing to consider in dealing with complex issues such as public health, weather disasters and national security.
And so, climate becomes everything.
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The Climate Change scam is as ubiquitous as it is wrong, but the ultimate goal, as with any “crisis” tyrants don’t let go to waste, is less liberty for the serfs and more looting (in the form of carbon taxes and increased cost of living). Of course, the “anointed class” will still get all the mansions, limos, private jets, gourmet food, and other luxuries they desire. Whatever sacrifices are demanded (read mandated) are for the serfs. CO2 is plant food, not a pollutant. But the grand poobahs of “climate change” and the politicians funding them know this. That’s what makes them evil instead of just mistaken.
Climate ‘scientists’ are not only ly ing to the people they are also helping badly informed (i.e. majority) to fool themselves into believing that the ‘science’ is telling them the truth. Tried and tested methodology practised by communist for a century.
“… spurred by alarming REPORTS of “science” …” I am looking forward to reading Koonin’s book.
Speaking of crises not going to waste, how ’bout that pandemic? And I thought Klaus Schwab said that the economic shutdown was great because we reduced emissions? Job done!
C-D,
All too true; but you leave out the most important element! More than a scam, the Church of Climastrology is a CULT of the worst kind!
Not content with scaring children with tales of doom and destruction, and baffling media members and politicos with lurid fantasies of guilty and shameful pleasures; the priests of this tragic farce have aligned themselves against Life itself! EVERY choice they make for solutions to their canard are detrimental to humanity and other forms of life!
I cannot think of ONE policy proposed by the leaders of GangGreen that doesn’t limit human liberty and prosperity, while simultaneously killing or threatening other plants and animals!
Less power, less food, less water, less freedom! They keep singing the same sorry old tune, but only YOU have to live by their rules!
Yes, it has become a form of a cult to many. And it continues to hold weight, politically speaking. However, these kooks have worded things so as to allow for both directions that climate may be taking.
We are definitely headed into another Grand Solar Minimum, most likely of the “Maunder Minimum” kind, and it will create a lot of problems. And when this gets up a head of steam, just watch the “Climate Alarmists” begin screaming about the coming Ice Age, whatever that means to them. In truth, we have been in an Ice Age for the last 2.58 million years(Pleistocene).
And even worse, this planet is on the verge of slipping into another hundred thousand year Glaciation phase(yet one more chapter in the Pleistocene book. Fortunately I am living in the South, and if it should start tomorrow, the only thing I would have to fear, would be from uprooted humans.
They jump on the cooling in the 70s to proclaim an Ice Age Cometh, remember? Oddly, it was, also, caused by fossil fuels and they predicted world-wide famine and other disasters if Mankind did not change its ways. That required Population Control, as well.
They seamlessly and shamelessly switched to CAGW as soon as the cooling stopped and it started to warm.
Bonus – Some of the SAME so-called “scientists” (cough::Stephen Schneider::cough) were on BOTH bandwagons.
The monied class, the political class, and climate scientists are doomed to the punishment of Robespierre and other French Revolution leaders if we start the slide down the slope to another glaciation. Their money will not save them. This is the message they need to hear and believe. It might perhaps induce them to investigate climate change in a more detailed fashion.
When I was in university during the tumultuous late 1960s I came to the conclusion that revolutions only changed who got to ride in the limousines and live a privileged life. Same thing happening now. This will not be easily turned around, …governments everywhere are jumping on, …no matter how much evidence there is that climate alarmism is a scam.
Snap! ( from the card game = I agree )
Too many people have too much pride and ego, and too much money, invested to back down willingly.
The only thing that might bring some realism is a run of cold years.
I wonder if governments are jumping on now because they know it’s getting cold and going to get colder and there is now an urgency to cement the narrative (and get the money) before the jig is up? Just a guess.
Despite the claims about sea level rise, the “anointed class” isn’t giving up on seaside mansions:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathleenhowley/2019/12/08/barack-and-michelle-obama-buy-marthas-vineyard-estate/
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/real-estate/story/2020-04-22/report-bill-and-melinda-gates-buy-43m-del-mar-home
Capitalist, you are so right. CAGW has taken on all the trapsings of a religion and has, in fact, become one even down to their god, the IPCC, Its holy book with the Truth revealed in the IPCC reports and Believers and Deniers.
It also has a Garden of Eden when Earth was a perfect Paradise until evil Mankind despoiled it with fossil fuels and CO2 somewhere between 100 and 300 years ago, or so. Because Man despoiled Earth, penance must be done and Man must don sack cloth and ashes and forswear earthly pleasures with “sins” being 24/7electricity, fossil fueled vehicles, planes, beef, houses and if not sex, then procreation, for sure and many other accessories of modern life, which most consider essential, now being sinful.
As people asked about and, gasp, even condemned the vast sums being “donated” to and the human sacrifice being demanded by their religion when there are so many other needs such as hunger, poverty, disease and so on, it became necessary to make everything about Climate and to reframe the discussion so that the resources spent on their tilting at windmills was not neglecting all the many serious problems but as being part of the same problem which, somehow, will all be magincally resolved by preventing Earth from becoming a degree or two warmer.
Quite clever, actually. I’m certain if witch doctors and shamans were around today, they’d be quite admiring and wondering why they hadn’t thought of that instead of going through all the trouble of slaughtering animals and tossing virgins into volcanoes.
Seems to me like a preparation of an argument that would justify actions of war, similar to the weapons of mass destruction claimed to be in the hands of Saddam Hussein. The madness of the elite-crowd does not seem to have any limits any longer.
The war started with Bush I, continued with Clinton, ended with Bush 2 with at least one reason being the progressive collection and assembly of WMD resources. The second war started with Obama, and with Iranian backing became a transnational, and, in fact,transcontinental war.
“This grand narrative misleads us to think that if we solve the problem of manmade climate change, then these other problems would also be solved.”
What was the motivation for this insightful and fine article? Why this? Why now?
Do they want to become relevant again like they were 60 years ago when I read their magazine every Monday?
Or did their graphics editor look at this and ask “ Why is there such a straight line?”
blob:https://wattsupwiththat.com/f74b2443-f4c1-456c-8316-1ed8b8d7234f
Or did they actually look at the science and learned a new acronym? A……M……O
Or are they making a preemptive strike before coverage of Koonin’s book?
Or did they look at the latest UAH temperature graph and feel in their bones that a flat trend is in our future? Nothing like being behind the curve.
Once you join a new religion- you feel a need to become a missionary. Time is now doing that. And when they’re not talking about religion- their stories are about race, gender, inequality, etc. These issues are worthy of discussion- but Time used to be about the news and the news is much bigger than these issues. I just gave up my subscription- the only reason I had the past few years is that it’s cheap- but even cheap, not worth it.
This link (as above) does not give a webpage:
https://wattsupwiththat.com/f74b2443-f4c1-456c-8316-1ed8b8d7234f
https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/sltrends/sltrends_station.shtml?id=170-053
you misread this.
The crazy stuff is quoted from Time.
The sane line you quoted is the editorial from Judith
I think you are misreading the article quoted and the post below commenting on the article. The Time article itself is full alarmist mode, no change to their long standing line.
Go back and read this blog separating what Dr. Curry has quoted ” ” and her comments and you should have a different perspective.
To all above. You are absolutely correct. I missed end of quote. I gave them credit where none was due. I should have known they could not change their spots.
I guess they will continue with their wrong wokester meme.
“the Treasury Secretary, who is working to stem the risk that climate change poses to the financial system.” <– Pointing this out is when it becomes obvious that the entire business of climate change is nonsense, that the fact that it is a natural occurrence is ignored by the entire political world, and backed by the financial mavens to get their advantage, and the nonsense just goes on.
It won’t stop until someone says “ENOUGH!!!” and the entire thing is revealed to the gullible and “woke” and herd-bound people, who have lost their ability to make valid rebuttals.
But really, we are not in trouble. They are.
Just smile and nod, and get out of the way of the stampeding herd of walruses (or Disney lemmings) as they go flying off the edge of the sidewalk.
I doubt if they will give up that easily. This has never been about the climate but control.
“The common enemy of humanity is man. In searching for a new enemy to unite us, we came up with the idea that pollution, the threat of global warming, water shortages, famine and the like would fit the bill. All these dangers are caused by human intervention, and it is only through changed attitudes and behavior that they can be overcome. The real enemy then, is humanity itself.”
– Club of Rome, premier environmental think-tank, consultants to the United Nations
“We’ve got to ride this global warming issue. Even if the theory of global warming is wrong, we will be doing the right thing in terms of economic and environmental policy.”
– Timothy Wirth, President of the UN Foundation
“We need to get some broad based support, to capture the public’s imagination… So we have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified, dramatic statements and make little mention of any doubts… Each of us has to decide what the right balance is between being effective and being honest.”
– Prof. Stephen Schneider, Stanford Professor of Climatology, lead author of many IPCC reports
“Fear has been used all through history to gain control of people’s minds and wallets and all else, and the climate catastrophe is strictly a fear campaign,”
Patrick Moore
I forced myself to read the whole article when it came out. Yes, Time magazine comes to our house, but I read it this time. Not to put a fine point on it, it was biggest word salad I’ve seen so far. One sob story after another and devoid of actual data.
Oh when did Time put out that “Be Very Worried” issue? Short search says almost exactly 15 years ago:
?w=351&h=468
The more things change the more they stay the same
I canceled my Time subscription after this issue came out. They said to cut out unnecessary mailings. So I did. To save the planet. This makes me a good person.
I signed up for Apple+ news which gives me access to a lot of magazines I wouldn’t normally read like Time and Scientific American.
I usually read their headlines, but that just tells me it would be a waste of time to actually read their articles. I can tell where they are going politicaly from the title. It’s a little sad to be here accusing Scientific American of being political but, sadly, it is too true.
Everything is political nowadays. The Left makes everything political so they can destroy everything. Everything they touch is ruined. They are like a plague on human happiness.
Welcome to Wokeastan.
Still waiting for the tipping thing to happen- so that Massachusetts might tip just enough to be near the equator as I prefer warm weather and growing food all year. After 71 New England winters- I’ve seen enough but can’t afford to move south- so I’ll pray for the tipping.
We should ask Susan Crockford whether the polar bear on Time’s April 2006 cover is still alive.
Was alive. Regrettably, moved to a NY Seniors’ Home and was wiped out by the Covid.
probably sent there by Andrew Cuomo
“Not to put a fine point on it, it was biggest word salad I’ve seen so far.”
Yes, that’s what it looks like to me, word salad. No evidence of any CO2 harm done, just a lot of implications.
From the article; the introductory line: “. . . according to the cover story of April 26 issue of Time Magazine. How have we have fooled ourselves into thinking that manmade climate change is the dominant cause of societal problems?:
The “powers that be” in the current WH REGIME, IMO, do not necessarily believe that “climate change” is the be-all and end-all of all that ails society — although, I suspect that some of them actually do believe it — rather, I believe that it is just another application — an intense and constant application — of a primary DemoKKKrat adage:
never let a crisis — real or imagined — go to waste.
IOW: as base political leverage, use every opportunity — crisis or otherwise — to promote any manner and way to command and control every facet of the lives of the general public; where, after all, the DemoKKKrats are primarily about the accumulation and holding of power and wealth … and damn the individual unalienable rights of the LEGAL American citizen.
Simply stated: DemoKKKrats — and way too many Republicans — are anti-liberty BIG GOVT Globalists.
PS: The the govt presentation and handling of the WUHAN FLU “crisis” is another PRIME example of the “successful” application of this DemoKKKrat adage.
Yeah, f*** the Republicats. And anyone calling themselves a conservative. It’s dead, boys. time for a new party.
Conservativism is not a party, but rather a philosophy, the middle ground, as in the Declaration and Constitution. Conservative is an ideology as in moderating. Judge people by their principles and actions, not as a [colored] diversity class.
Owen,
Have fun with that! If enough people listen to you it should cement the DemoKKKrats in power permanently!
If you want to stop wingeing and take over the Republican Party with patriots and populists you might want to look into the Precinct Project! People all over the country are getting involved in becoming Republican precinct chairmen and workers so they can offset the country clubbers and RINOS that people like YOU have let run the party! The revolt against the elites continues; be there or be square!
“One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors!” —Plato
So then it is a religion and political orthodoxy. It is designed to dominate our thinking and everything we see, look at and do. Just as Christians live the lives around Christian theology, so too are we all supposed to live our lives around the belief in the climate alarmist orthodoxy.
Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister under Hitler, could not have done better. But then, he did not have the 24-hour television news media, the U.N. or the Internet to work with.
“the climate alarmist orthodoxy” which now has priests, prophets, missionaries, the collegiate equivalent of madrases, bishops, cardinals, sacred scripture, forbidden writings, apocalyptic stories of the end of times, etc., etc.
Leftist definitions of things tend to expand over time, to include things they were not first meant to include. Shows the deviousness.
“growing public fury” More like ennui. Hence, the hyperbole.
Their ‘public’ is the few people they actually talk to. Their echo chamber. And boy they are furious.
Ed,
Yes, the hoi polloi ARE furious!! They are furious that despite repeated beatings, the attitude and morale of the masses are not what they ought to be! We don’t exhibit the abject obedience and subservience that they prefer from “the hired help!”
What also really chaps their hide is that they know we are mocking and ridiculing them constantly! Just imagine what fun could be had by SNL and the late hosts if they weren’t selling out for their PC coin of the realm! That’s why conservative or anti-establishment bloggers and memesters have to be censored and suppressed. They are SO much funnier and edgier than leftist and mainstream shills, that there is real danger of younger generations throwing off their yokes of propaganda and having fun!
“What also really chaps their hide is that they know we are mocking and ridiculing them constantly! Just imagine what fun could be had by SNL and the late hosts if they weren’t selling out for their PC coin of the realm!”
What a good idea: SNL making fun of Climate Alamrists and their delusions about the temperature!
We’ll probably have to wait a decade or two before we get that kind of SNL. Everybody would get the joke after a decade or two of cooling.
The “hoi polloi” are “the masses”, i.e. ordinary people.
In 1998 I was 28 years old and I listened to the speech by Hansen and almost crapped myself.
In 2021 I am 61 years old and looking forward to the start of global warming.
In the intervening years, I have seen no cause for alarm, quite the opposite.
Catastrophe has always been 10 years away.
Tomorrow never comes.
That would be 1988 😉
Or, (better for Redge) current age is 51!
Nah, I was born middle-aged, I’m just reaching my peak
Oops! Yes, 1988
See, its worse that you thought. Climate change also causes fat fingers!!!
The BELIEF in catatrophic climate change can or will change everything….
Good point! 🙂
“climate is everything”
Sounds like religion to me. Yuh, they worship the green God.
Ho, ho, ho…
I was disappointed to see a minus ten down vote score for your funny post, Griff. This is the best comment I’ve ever seen from you. It was topical and contains zero errors, zero hysteria, zero hyperbole and no idiotic interpretations of an article you’ve linked. Well done, Griff, well done! Your score is -9 now.
Don’t mess with the Jolly Green Giant, the love child of Paul Bunyon and Babe the Blue Ox. yah sure.
A faith (i.e. trust and logical domain). A religion (i.e. behavioral protocol). An ideology, typically divergent, to sustain its progress. That said, beware of secular modes (e.g. finance, force, propaganda) to spread a perceived consensus.
The Jolly Green Giant was meant to sell vegetables. Increasing CO2 levels in the air increases plant growth rates and veggie harvests, so Green Giant should encourage people to burn more fossil fuels, to increase their profits!
I saw the green giant back in ’92 when driving through Minesota on I90. Got off to stay at a campground and it was there. I didn’t take that photo- found it with Google. I only wish I had a good camera with me at the time.
Steve,
I went to a junior high school Halloween party as the JGG; green food coloring and a costume that my mom helped me make! Then some years later I worked for a Green Giant corn canning factory during the harvest while I was in college!
I never did get to meet the big guy in person though; I hear he is kind of reclusive, hanging out in some secluded valley!
Hope those folks don’t look up!
Church of Climate Change.
Have faith, do not ask difficult questions.
Climate has become the Tao of all Socialist and Marxist causes, the ultimate goal of which is to destroy Western civilization.
Good heavens. Talk about going off the rails.
What happens if you have an ideology, and a flawed one at that, pervading everything a government does, well look no further than the old Soviet Union. If the American voters do not come to their senses quickly then they just may have signed the death warrant of the Republic.
“If the American voters do not come to their senses quickly then they just may have signed the death warrant of the Republic.”
That’s right. If the radical Democrats and their insane policies haven’t alienated enough Americans to vote them out of office, then we will definitely be in danger of losing our personal freedoms to authoritarian, radical Democrats. And if the radical Democrats manage to rig future elections, then they may be lording it over us for a long time.
We may have already seen our last free and fair election, and 2020 wasn’t it. At this point I would settle for just moderately free and reasonably fair!
Ed,
Scarily, it is going to depend to a large extent on how many young people start waking up to big lies they have been indoctrinated with! Most of the younger folks have been raised like mushrooms, and need us olds to enlighten them with our wisdom and experience!
“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to 21 I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years!” —Mark Twain
I once worked with a man, I was in my 20’s, he was in his 50’s, or even 60’s, I never asked for sure… He came in one Monday morning fit to bust a button (or more) on his shirt. Over the weekend he and his college attending (after a break of a few years) son had a lengthy discussion about where son was going in his life and how he was going to get there, and at the end, he said, “You know, Dad, the older I get the smarter you get!” 100% true then and still is today. It’s sort of Son: you might truly be smarter than me but I have been around longer. Some of the mistakes you are about to make I have already made, if you’ll let me tell you about them, maybe you could take some shortcuts.
Catatrospic climate change is a narrative, a fable, used for hidden agendas, mostly pertaining to destroying economies in order to replace them with what?
I used to have dyxlesia, but now I don’t.
I don’t think we should be worried at all-
Recent global warming has been ‘part of the natural processes’ of climate: Retired Meteorologist (msn.com)
“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.” – A. Einstein
“….Framing bias…”,”…..worldview of society…”,”….climate reductionism…” This essay is a philosophical tour de force from the mind of a great climate scientist.
One wonders what the “alarming science” is. It can’t concern sea level rise, storm strength or frequency, change in droughts or floods or change in forest fires since none of those are changing from their well established courses. TIME could have told us what the alarms are about but that would have required real journalism which they don’t do any more.
nobody can define what Climate state we are going from and what Climate state we are going too (as in we are changing from Climate A to Climate B) … as far as I can tell there are 2 Climate extremes … Snow Ball Earth and minimal to no polar ice caps … and the transition from one to the other has pretty much the same WEATHER … so using weather to determine climate change is useless …
“One wonders what the “alarming science” is.”
The author left out a word in that quote: It should have read “the alarming science reporting”. That’s what the real problem is: Ignorant reporters hyping unsubstantiated climate change dangers as though they were real.
The ability to collectively fool and misdirect large segments of society rests on the failure of education to equip us with critical thinking, and our wealth and high quality lives which remove us from the direct consequences of bad decisions.
Lack of critical thinking removes the ability to judge an argument on objective evidence, so that what seems emotionally attractive as an idea is accepted as real. It also means we don’t work through the logical chain of thought that would allow us to predict the inevitable outcome of bad decisions.
As we in wealthy western nations have lived with plenty and with no real existential threats for a few generations, we have been able to make poor decisions for a very long time and not suffer any real consequences. This is reinforced by the trend toward big government and social support programs with the consequent diminishment of personal responsibility. Every problem is believed to be caused by outside forces, not our own decisions and actions.
I truly believe the climate change religion will die a natural death and possibly very soon when the real world ignores the models and does what the laws of physics predict, and when real voters who care about the quality of their lives start to suffer the consequences of the bad policies promoted by the prophets of climatism. The end is nigh but not the end Al Gore and his troop of clowns are predicting.
Andy, I hope you’re right about it dying a natural death. To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln: “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” We can all hope the “some of the people” is less than 50%.
With a multi-trillion dollar economy and sociopolitical leverage on forward-looking basis at stake, the climate will not change (pun intended) anytime soon.
Easy to see why Time is not a money maker. When in the 1930s Time published real articles and now it publishes political propaganda for the Democrats.
I invented cancel culture in the 90s, when i cancelled Time.
Switched to The Economist. But they are all in for alarmism too.
Time to save some more $$. Can still just buy the christmas double issue on the stand.
How can grown adults believe in this junk?
Wednesday’s mass failure of $20 billion worth of Wind power in Australia « JoNova (joannenova.com.au)
Where’d the wind go, during the last week of April? – WattClarity
One of these days the alarmists will realize windmills are not up to the job. Plus they are horribly destructive to wildlife and they are downright ugly to look at.
“… windmills are not up to the job…”
Those who have sought to mandate all things “renewable” consider this a feature, not a bug.
Actually, I found the magazine cover to be more informative than the content of the article. At one time the cover of TIME actually meant something, but now the wonder is why it is still in print?
And more importantly, what type of person would shell out money to buy it? In the old Soviet Union there was a certain segment of the population that purchased full price subscriptions to PRAVDA and we all can surmise who they were. (lol)
TIME could get me to subscribe for a year if they published a yearly “retraction edition“, in which they summarized all of the fake news they published over the past year. I would buy it simply for the laughs and entertainment.
“…In the old Soviet Union there was a certain segment of the population that purchased full price subscriptions to PRAVDA…”
That segment of the population were solely those who had it proven to them that they were being watched, and that there would be consequences if they failed to adhere to the party line.
Climate change is a liberal wet dream. They get to control energy production, the food we eat (no beef) and create massive new taxes for redistribution and they don’t have to show any real results for decades. Climate socialism at it’s finest.