David Wright, writing at the UK TCW Defending Freedom, suggests many of the goats we blame for turning climate change from science to politics are simply misinformed true believers who fail to see the truth and are wasting trillions that could be used to lift people of poverty. Here is how he puts it (in part):
Many of the lower-level courtiers are true believers. The top people in any swindle know the facts because they're MAKING the facts. A playwright doesn't believe the events in his script; he knows what will happen becauxe he's writing the script.
The courtiers will continue believing until an epiphany breaks them out of the spell. I was a Green believer until 1991 when I noticed a graph in an old National Geographic magazine that claimed to prove CO2 was the leading variable. The graph was reversed on the time axis. If you read the years correctly you could see that CO2 was the result, not the cause. That's when I started checking other facts.
Hello there, good sir. I'm a former net zero true believer, who eventually gave that up, as I read more and more (now I'd place myself in the same camp as Roger Pielke, Jr. on climate and "all of the above" on energy policy). I worked in environmental groups and for a government agency. Speaking for myself, I can say that I completely, genuinely believed that the predictions of catastrophe were true. To the point where it affected my health and personal life. From what I could tell, most of the people I worked with genuinely believed in that terrifying future also. Granted, there were darker motives at work, too, in some cases. As Solzhenitsyn wrote, the choice between good and evil runs through each human heart, no matter what opinion we hold on energy and climate. Anyway, just thought I'd offer myself as an example of one true believer in inevitable climate apocalypse and Net Zero 2050 who changed his mind. Hope this note finds you well, take good care.
Many of the lower-level courtiers are true believers. The top people in any swindle know the facts because they're MAKING the facts. A playwright doesn't believe the events in his script; he knows what will happen becauxe he's writing the script.
The courtiers will continue believing until an epiphany breaks them out of the spell. I was a Green believer until 1991 when I noticed a graph in an old National Geographic magazine that claimed to prove CO2 was the leading variable. The graph was reversed on the time axis. If you read the years correctly you could see that CO2 was the result, not the cause. That's when I started checking other facts.
Love your story!
Hello there, good sir. I'm a former net zero true believer, who eventually gave that up, as I read more and more (now I'd place myself in the same camp as Roger Pielke, Jr. on climate and "all of the above" on energy policy). I worked in environmental groups and for a government agency. Speaking for myself, I can say that I completely, genuinely believed that the predictions of catastrophe were true. To the point where it affected my health and personal life. From what I could tell, most of the people I worked with genuinely believed in that terrifying future also. Granted, there were darker motives at work, too, in some cases. As Solzhenitsyn wrote, the choice between good and evil runs through each human heart, no matter what opinion we hold on energy and climate. Anyway, just thought I'd offer myself as an example of one true believer in inevitable climate apocalypse and Net Zero 2050 who changed his mind. Hope this note finds you well, take good care.
Thank you for this very thoughtful reply, Ed! Anyone who quotes Solzhenitsyn is a valued friend and I love that particular quote.
You are most welcome! That is definitely a go-to quote!
I wouldn't accuse most of the political leadership as being deep thinkers. As much I would argue most of the elites are useful idiots.