The Lifestyle Of Climate Radicals Tells You All You Need To Know About Their Sincerity

The Federalist ^ | 07/17/2023 | B.L.Hahn

[SeekAndFind]

Either climate alarmists don’t actually believe the planet is doomed, or they aren’t as confident in that belief as they claim to be.

A panel of scientists recently claimed that humans’ effect on the planet is so significant it should be memorialized through the creation of a new geological epoch that began sometime in the middle of the 20th century. As we speak, climate activists are preparing to do what any well-adjusted, functioning adult would do on the heels of such news: glue themselves to a building or throw tomato soup at great works of art.

The latest breaking climate story always provides new opportunities for the left to sermonize, identify heretics, and reassert their moral and intellectual superiority while making no changes to their own lifestyles that would demonstrate even a modicum of sincerity. The oft-discussed hypocrisy of elites who charter private jets to attend climate summits is no secret, but less discussed is the day-to-day hypocrisy of the rank-and-file voters who comprise the broader Democratic Party.

Democrats describe global warming as an existential threat with only X number of years to act before the planet is on an irreversible course to becoming uninhabitable. It stands to reason that anyone who genuinely believes this would take dramatic steps to prevent our imminent annihilation. These measures would include self-imposed lifestyle changes far beyond driving an electric vehicle, yet when it comes to climate alarmists, so often we cannot pick their lifestyle out of a lineup.

The lifestyle of voters who believe humans are destroying the planet is often indistinguishable from that of those who believe manmade climate change is a hoax. This suggests one of two things: Either climate alarmists don’t actually believe the planet is doomed (or at the very least they aren’t nearly as confident in that belief as they claim to be), or they truly believe the planet is doomed but aren’t willing to inconvenience themselves in any meaningful way.

Neither explanation presents climate hysterics in a positive light. Living in a manner consistent with one’s proclamations requires sacrifice, and who needs that when you can sport beliefs like fashion accessories and enjoy the perks of trendy moralism without the hefty price tag? This window-dressing approach to morality offers Gucci fashion at Goodwill prices.  

Activists will suggest that voting for the Democratic party is more than enough to demonstrate a genuine belief in the claim that we are on the brink of permanently destroying human civilization, but this fails to stand up to scrutiny. Anyone convinced that our extinction is imminent would certainly take it upon himself to enact radical change in his own life, even in the absence of laws requiring him to do so. Abdicating one’s duty by virtue of voting for politicians who claim to care about the planet is not an acceptable stand-in for personal responsibility — not when the stakes are that high.

Similarly, activists supposedly on a mission to thwart the destruction of the planet would not spend their time gluing themselves to artwork but instead would launch aggressive sabotage campaigns up to and including domestic terrorism. Unfortunately, given the increasingly violent nature of the left’s activism and their tendency to use just about anything as an excuse to tear down the society they despise, this is one area where their actions might eventually match their hysteria.

At this stage, it would be beneficial to properly characterize the left’s position on climate change, which is like a Jenga tower. It starts off relatively stable, but as things progress it begins to teeter: 

1. The earth is warming.

2. Humans are contributing to this warming effect.

3. Humans are significantly contributing to this warming effect.

4. Humans are the primary cause of this warming effect.

5. The data and modeling used to arrive at this conclusion are immune to human error and bias.

6. This warming effect is mostly preventable.

7. It is preventable only by implementing a centrally planned economy.

8. Other countries will join our efforts, including our enemies, even though it would benefit them not to do so.

9. There will be no unintended consequences to our plan.

10. Anyone unwilling to accept this list from top to bottom is a “climate denier.”

It is not difficult to understand why Republicans are skeptical. Democrats present their argument with the credibility and trustworthiness of a flea market fortune teller, not only because their palm reading has proven to be wildly inaccurate in the past, but because their solutions have a striking resemblance to the agenda they’ve been trying to implement long before climate change was a thing. As if incrementally destroying the economy by transforming it into a centrally planned bureaucratic hellscape is not enough, the left has managed to work race into this issue — because of course they have.

Regular Americans are mocked for offering opinions on climate change because they are not experts, but one need not be a climate scientist to understand the fatal flaw in the left’s strategy. If we are to collectively address any problem, whatever the cause might be, solutions and teamwork become impossible when the left’s approach is nothing more than the shoddy work of rigid ideologues. Republicans have suggested that perhaps there are ways to address the effects of a changing climate without destroying the U.S. economy and compromising national security, but because their ideas do not exponentially grow the federal government and usher in a socialist utopia, they are ignored by the Democratic Party.

It would be disingenuous to claim there are zero climate alarmists living a lifestyle consistent with their beliefs. They do exist, I’m quite certain. I’ve just never met one. There is another explanation — perhaps every climate alarmist I’ve met has cleverly disguised himself as a “climate denier” to gain access to the seedy world of repugnant moral lepers who drive SUVs and eat meat — a secret mission to convert heretics from the inside. That must be it.

The parties will probably never agree on an approach, but I eagerly await the day when every climate alarmist practices what he preaches. If the leftists next door have one of those yard signs proudly staked on their front lawn that lists a variety of hollow political slogans including “we believe science is real,” at the very least they should downsize, get rid of their air conditioning, and use valuable lawn space not for bragging about the supposed moral character of their household, but for growing all their own food.

[Seaplaner]

...climate alarmists don’t actually believe the planet is doomed...

I ponder this ocassionally.

My best guess is that the Dem biggies in DC are all in on the con, and most of the Hollywood show people are usefully ignorant.

[lightman]

Climates change.

It’s what they do.

May as well deploy sheeps’ bladders to stop plate tectonics.

And long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far, away I slept in a Holiday Inn Express.

[broken_clock]

[bitt]

P

[Chad C. Mulligan]

Of course the catastrophist leadership knows it’s not doomed, but they expect to profit bigly from the chaos they’re creating.

[Reverend Wright]

It’s nothing but a political power grab. Always has been.

In wokeness green Germany, they recently closed their remaining nuclear plants while expanding coal plants and even expropriating an entire village to expand a coal mine - all with the support of the Green Party.

Not only is the CO2 hysteria performative and fake, they don’t actually care about air pollution either. They do whatever gives them more power.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Some scientists have been sniffing bottled nitrogen for too long.

[Libloather]

Leonardo DiCaprio is the most trusted authority on the climate crisis — beating Greta Thunberg, Al Gore, and the Rock

https://www.businessinsider.com/leonardo-dicaprio-most-trusted-climate-authority-2023-7

[joma89]

This is just information warfare designed to get people to willingly give up their wealth.

[ronnie raygun]

All aboard the scam train, like the racism train and the transgender gay train it pays well

[Reeses]

It is preventable only by implementing a centrally planned economy.

Pol Pot arguably implemented the greenest economy ever.

About 80% of CO2 emissions are done on behalf of city slickers because of their extra-spendy lifestyle. City Hall could pass any green initiative they want to, as long as it only applies within city limits. They have the votes, a super-majority in fact, all around the world. Demonrats should strongly be encouraged to lead the way, show everybody in flyover country how it's done. They shouldn't let 20% climate deniers/gun owners prevent them from creating their urban utopias. Go! Begin already.

[maddog55]

Proud “man made” climate denier.

[9YearLurker]

What I see around me is those with multiple homes, frequent holidays to far away places, etc., are the ones who most feel the need to flash their climate change beliefs. They might get inordinately upset about the use of a single paper cup or the like, while ignoring the “footprint” of their lifestyle.

[nagant]

There are many dis-proofs of the anthropogenic global warming theory. Here’s what will likely cause global warming.

The Milankovitch cycle causes earth’s 100,000 year ice cycles, with 80,000 year ice ages and 20,000 year warming periods. Earth’s 23.5 degree rotational axis tilt remains relatively constant compared to earth’s orbital precession.

Every 100,000 years earth’s orbital precession points earth’s southern oceans toward the sun at earth’s orbital apogee (closest orbital pass). 50,000 years later earth’s orbital precession points earth’s northern continents at the sun during earth’s orbital apogee. Then this cycle keeps repeating.

Ice ages happen for 80,000 years because northern continents reflect solar radiation. Warming periods happen for 20,000 years because southern oceans absorb solar radiation.

We are 10,000 years through the current 20,000 year warming period where earth’s rotational axis tilt points the southern oceans at the sun during orbital apogee. As orbital precession changes to point the northern continents at the sun during apogee the northern continents will receive more solar radiation than they currently receive. But what about the heat absorbed by the southern oceans? Oceans do not give up heat readily. That heat will take thousands of years to dissipate while northern continents are receiving increased radiation.

Bottom line, the earth’s atmosphere is going to get a lot hotter over the next 10,000 years. It’s going to happen faster, and the warming is going to be a lot more pronounced, than current predictions.

[euram]

Remember back in the 70s it was Global Cooling. The only difference between the Warmists and the Coolists is that the Coolists didn’t figure out a way to become fabulously wealthy and powerful by promoting their theory, but the Warmists figured it out.

[BRL]

4 out of 5 leading democrats live like climate change is a hoax....you should too.

[Flaming Conservative]

Saw Kerry on CSPAN yesterday for a moment of congressional hearings; he denied owning a private jet, but certainly
neglected to mention leasing one, which I’d be willing to bet he does.

[The Great RJ]

Climate change is a cult religion with an unquestionable dogma and even its own Inquisition. Like many other cults the elites always seem to gain more money and power and never really live up to the principles they expect from others. The cult members never seem to notice the hypocrisy.

[ModelBreaker]

“My best guess is that the Dem biggies in DC are all in on the con, and most of the Hollywood show people are usefully ignorant.”

The problem is more fundamental. As in the Soviet Union and Mao’s China, there is a fundamental belief that they are different from us. It never occurs to them that the rules apply to them as they apply to us, except in a purely symbolic way. They are different and what they do is important. So dachas and luxurious autos for the political class in the soviet union never presented any cognitive dissonance.

I think it’s mostly a class thing, a conspicuous consumption thing. All of the stuff they want to withhold from the middle class (autos, nice lawns, air conditioning, sumptuous food, and — going back far enough — the right to carry weapons) are all things that used to distinguish the upper class from the lower and middle classes. Then capitalism came along and made the middle class “wealthy” too and we got those things. Conspicuous class distinguishers went away and it’s easy to view the puritanism-for-thee attitude of our upper classes as an attempt to restore the things that used to make them special.

When viewed that way, the erroneous belief of the ruling class is that they are super special and super-important and that it would be wrong for them to be constrained by the rules they believe in for everyone else. Their belief in global warming is, I believe, for the most part, sincere.