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Global Warming, Empty Gestures
Townhall.com ^ | December 18, 2014 | Debra J. Saunders

Posted on 12/18/2014 6:37:24 AM PST by Kaslin

I have a theory as to why Americans don't worry all that much about global warming: High-profile purveyors of climate change don't push for reductions in greenhouse gases so much as focus on berating people who do not agree with their opinions. They call themselves champions of "the science" yet focus on ideology more than tangible results.

Their language is downright evangelical. Recently, science guy Bill Nye joined other experts who objected to the media's use of the term "climate skeptic." They released a statement that concluded, "Please stop using the word 'skeptic' to describe deniers." Deniers? Like Judas?

Why, they even hear voices from science. "Science has spoken," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recently proclaimed. Some men think God talks to them; others hear Science.

Back to my original point: Liberal plutocrat Tom Steyer has called climate change "the defining issue of our generation." He told The Hill, "Really, what we're trying to do is to make a point that people who make good decisions on this should be rewarded, and people should be aware that if they do the wrong thing, the American voters are watching and they will be punished."

You would assume from the above statement that Steyer wants to punish businesses or people who emit a supersize share of greenhouse gases. But no, Steyer's big push for 2014 was to spend some $73 million to defeat Republicans who support the Keystone XL pipeline. But stopping Keystone won't reduce America's dependence on fossil fuels by one drop. It simply will make it harder to tap into Canadian oil sands.

On Monday, California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon announced that he plans on introducing a measure to require that the California Public Employees' Retirement System sell off any coal-related investments. In recent years, demands for disinvestment have visited universities. In May, Stanford voted to forgo investments in coal mining. Student groups have been pushing for Harvard and the University of California to dump fossil fuel assets, as well. It's a good sign that those efforts have not prevailed at either institution. It's a bad sign that de Leon has found a new soft target -- CalPERS.

The problem, Harvard professor Robert N. Stavins wrote for The Wall Street Journal, is that "symbolic actions often substitute for truly effective actions by allowing us to fool ourselves into thinking we are doing something meaningful about a problem when we are not." Disinvestment also does nothing to reduce energy use.

Matt Dempsey of Oil Sands Fact Check sees disinvestment as the new environmental talking point for 2016 races. It requires no visible personal sacrifice -- while feeding activists' sense of self-righteousness. Its emptiness is part of the allure. De Leon even told reporters that he'd write a bill that in no way would hurt investment strategies.

Then there are the conferences -- Kyoto, Copenhagen, Rio de Janeiro. The venues for earth summits would make for a great episode of "Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?" The scions of science ought to get acquainted with Skype. If the future of the planet is at stake, shouldn't the champions of science at least look as if they're trying to curb their emissions?


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Editorial; Government; US: California
KEYWORDS: climatechange; coal; energy; environment; globalwarming; globalwarminghoax; greens; naturalgas; oil; tomsteyer

1 posted on 12/18/2014 6:37:24 AM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

GloBULL warming is merely a mechanism to gain control over economies and people. Fascists love it.


2 posted on 12/18/2014 6:43:12 AM PST by hal ogen (First Amendment or Reeducation Camp?)
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To: hal ogen

As with all leftist agendas, there is a dichotomy (or trichotomy in some cases).

The fascist elites, yes, want to use the fear of globull warming to gain more control,

but the more insidious motivation lies with the sheeperal.

They seek self-righteousness through their belief that they “care” more about the erf than you “deniers” do.
And, if globull warming isn’t an issue, they are not righteous.

That is why they are impervious to reason and facts on the matter.


3 posted on 12/18/2014 6:45:41 AM PST by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter admits whom he's working for)
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To: MrB

Over six-hundred different sciences. Strangely enough...only ONE is settled and mandates no skeptics. One single science out of six-hundred. It just begs an unending number of questions.


4 posted on 12/18/2014 6:54:55 AM PST by pepsionice
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To: Kaslin

AGWs never ever normalize their data or their observations to remove other factors.


5 posted on 12/18/2014 7:03:03 AM PST by dila813
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To: Kaslin; 11B40; A Balrog of Morgoth; A message; ACelt; Aeronaut; AFPhys; AlexW; alrea; ...
DOOMAGE!

Global Warming PING!

You have been pinged because of your interest in environmentalism, alarmist wackos, mainstream media doomsday hype, and other issues pertaining to global warming.

Freep-mail me to get on or off: Add me / Remove me

Please ping me to all note-worthy threads on global warming.

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6 posted on 12/18/2014 10:31:30 AM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (The mods stole my tagline.)
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To: Kaslin

The last paragraph sums the argument up entirely. Actions speak louder than words. But then none of this is about “saving” the planet.


7 posted on 12/18/2014 10:39:55 AM PST by A message
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To: Kaslin

They do not even have the integrity to say at least that those who disagree with them and deny Globull Warming are worthy opponents...........
At least in the old days opponents recognized each other’s worthiness and courage to fight, ..... cowards.


8 posted on 12/18/2014 2:19:05 PM PST by American Constitutionalist (The Keystone Pipeline Project : build it already Congress !)
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To: Kaslin

Hopefully CapNTax in California will be so disastrous that the rest of the country will learn from it.


9 posted on 12/18/2014 2:22:45 PM PST by nascarnation (Impeach, Convict, Deport)
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To: Kaslin

At least the “ deniers “ are not some mamby pamby wishy wahy cowards who only repeat things like a parrot of what they are told and indoctrinated with, but those deniers think independently and think for themselves.


10 posted on 12/18/2014 2:22:46 PM PST by American Constitutionalist (The Keystone Pipeline Project : build it already Congress !)
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