George Monbiot is one of the more rabid members of the Cult of Climastrology, but, today, he writes something that offers a sense of sanity
Stop using China as an excuse for inaction on climate change
Invoking Yellow Peril tropes over China’s carbon footprint fails to recognise the fact its energy use is tied to our consumption, the country’s coal demand is dropping and Chinese people care more about climate than we doChina is the world’s excuse for cruelty and barbarism. If we don’t behave atrociously, politicians and columnists assure us, China will, so we had better do it first, before we are outcompeted.
You want holidays, collective bargaining rights and fair conditions in the workplace? Forget it. When Chinese workers have none, such fripperies would “hamper British/US/Australian/Canadian industryâ€, making it uncompetitive. (snip)
You want your rivers, air and wildlife protected? What planet are you on? China, we are told, doesn’t give a damn for such luxuries, with the result that if we don’t abandon our own regulations, it will take over the world.
On no topic are these claims made more often than on climate change. What is the point of limiting our greenhouse gas emissions, a thousand bloggers (and a fair few politicians) insist, if China is building a new power station every two weeks (or days or minutes or whatever the latest hyperbole suggests)? Taking action on climate change is useless and stupid in the face of the Chinese threat.
He’s making a good case for action despite China. Certainly, we work hard for clean air, water, and land despite the horrendous environmental issues in China. But, here’s the thing, let’s take this “we can act on “climate change” despite China” to its logical conclusion: members of the Cult of Climastrology can act within their own lives despite others not following those beliefs. There’s no need for draconian rules, regulations, and laws, when Warmists can easily put their beliefs in practice, giving up the use of fossil fuels, only buying local, forgoing the use of hair dryers and ice makers, turning the heat down to 55 and keeping the AC at 85. Take two minute showers, only use 2 sheets of TP. Install solar panels on their domiciles, unplug all appliances not in use (vampire energy). Go completely carbon neutral.
Warmists are always talking about the need to act “collectively”, for everyone to be forced to be involved. By saying we should ignore China, this means that Warmists should act on their own for the betterment of the planet!
There is no scope for moral superiority in the climate talks, least of all a moral superiority based on unfounded national stereotypes. Collectively, we are wrecking the delicate atmospheric balance that has allowed human civilisation to flourish. Collectively, we have to sort this out. And it will happen only by taking responsibility for our impacts, rather than by blaming other nations for what we don’t want to do.
And, the notion of the collective rears its ugly head in the last paragraph. What George really wants are those same draconian laws, rules, and regs, based on CoC talking points, to be passed and implemented by the British government, and, presumably, other nation’s governments, despite China, to force us all to live the life espoused in Warmist talking points.
Again…….the Bait and switch tactic is being used here.
Pollution is global warming and climate change.
In the West we have stringent standards that we follow and they keep getting tougher and tougher and tougher.
China is not the wild west (when it comes to Pollution)it is the Middle Ages all over again.
They need to just STOP this stupid POLLUTION IS CLIMATE CHANGE BS>>>>>>>!!!! And we as so called deniers need to stop falling into the trap constantly.
Pollution and climate change are two different things…..CO2 is not a pollutant. Period.
It’s not? Ever? Or in any case? OK. How about we not call CO2 from fossil fuel burning a pollutant but rather a “waste product”, like human feces? An area has a capacity to “handle” or naturally “recycle” an amount of human feces, but when that capacity is exceeded, we see problems with human populations. Hence, we have modern sewage systems.
Humans are producing more CO2 than the system (the Earth) can currently recycle, therefore the amount of waste product (CO2) is accumulating, causing the Earth to warm. Humans will always produce more poop than we wish to have around, but we have choices with CO2.
You’re making a semantic argument that doesn’t address the actual issue which is: Increased atmospheric CO2 (from humans burning fossil fuels) is causing the Earth to warm rapidly, and will likely cause harm to human societies and civilization. The evidence supporting this theory is overwhelming.
Yes, the Earth has been warmer – but not during the time of human civilization.
Yes, the Sun warms and cools a bit, but it’s in a cool phase now and the Earth is still warming.
Yes, the Theory of AGW is only a “theory”, but so is gravity. The other proposed hypotheses to account for warming have not withstood scrutiny (this includes the hypothesis that ice-released CO2 caused green plant growth to explode the past century sending gigatons of earthbound CO2 into the atmosphere).
I freely admit to being an CommunoNazi Alinskyite Komrade and Fellow Traveler, so you can skip that part of your “argument” and address the scientific issue of CO2 as human waste.
Yes, the Theory of AGW is
only a “theoryâ€shit.Co2 is a vital ingredient to life on the planet. Any attempt to portray Co2 as a earth killing by product of Fossil fuels is nothing but a giant Saul Alinksy Bait and switch lie.
CO2 is NOT….NOT a pollutant.
PERIOD…Stop arguing that it is it makes you look a fool.
“And yes, the earth has been warmer, but not during the time of human civilization.” Irrelevant. Just look at 1998, where, evidently one single El Niño left a larger footprint on the earth’s temperature than all that CO2. Evidence that natural effects predominate. And, by the way, it has been warmer during human civilization- the MWP.