“Instead
of discrediting Erlich, his work, somehow, gave birth to what Mann
calls “environmental politics.” Continuing, Mann asserts that Earth Day
“became an opportunity to denounce capitalist greed.””
Climate change a symbolic battle against an
unpleasant, toxic way of life
Mann
is obviously a believer in anthropogenic (or man-made) climate change.
Much of his essay is spent deriding the left for its unrestrained
rhetoric that it uses to “scare Americans into action.” He says:
“the
chatter itself, I would argue, has done its share to stall progress.”
Within his argument is some history and context that is illustrative
for those who see climate change as cyclical — something natural that
has happened before and will happen again, rather than something that
is new, scary, and human-caused. Those of us who believe the climate
changes, but that human activity is, certainly, not the primary driver,
struggle to understand the cult-like following of alarmists like Bill
McKibben, founder of 350.org (“A group that seeks to create a mass
movement against climate change”) — who Mann spends several paragraphs
criticizing.
While I doubt that this is Mann’s intent, a careful reader will realize
that today’s climate hysteria has less to do with the climate and more
to do with control and economic change.
(Hockey
Stick) Mann starts his history lesson with Paul Erlich, author of The
Population Bomb — whom I wrote about in June. Mann calls Erlich’s book
“a foundational text in the environmental movement” — yet, he points
out that Erlich’s “predictions didn’t pan out.” Instead of discrediting
Erlich, his work, somehow, gave birth to what Mann calls “environmental
politics.” Continuing, Mann asserts that Earth Day “became an
opportunity to denounce capitalist greed.”
Using acid rain as an example, Mann points out: “environmentalists
meanwhile found out the problems were less dire than they had claimed”
and that “Today, most scientists have concluded that the effects of
acid rain were overstated to begin with.”
Because I follow the politics of energy policy, I found this point Mann
makes most interesting: “Environmental issues became ways for
politicians to signal their clan identity to supporters.” He observes:
“As symbols, the ideas couldn’t be compromised.” And, he states:
“climate change is perfect for symbolic battle.” He calls carbon
dioxide “a side effect of modernity.”
Addressing the charts and graphs that so frequently accompany the
climate change hyperbole, Mann says: “In the history of our species,
has any human heart ever been profoundly stirred by a graph? Some other
approach, proselytizers have recognized, is needed.”
Read more at
NetRightDaily
