More and more lately, the climate alarmists have been beating the drum about the need to adapt to globull warming/climate change/catastrophic climate readjustment/whatever they are calling it right now. They may be insane, but, doesn’t mean they are stupid. Think Hannibal Lecter (yeah, I know he is a fictional character, but, then, globull warming is a fictional issue). They see the writing on the wall, namely, that they are not going to be able to shove their wealth redistribution and economic, social, political, and personal controls down people’s throats (and by people, alarmists mean “everyone else but themselves.”) So, why not push planning for the coming worldwide extreme climate (say, how’d that work in Australia?) in order to achieve those same wealth redistribution and control ends? Time to ruggedize: We should talk more about preparing for climate change
Back when I started covering my beat, it was conventional wisdom among greenies that it’s best not to talk too much about adapting to climate change. The worry was that it might lure people into a false sense of security, get them thinking there’s no need to cut emissions since they can adapt to whatever changes come.
I’ve come to think that this is a deeply counterproductive way of looking at things. In fact, adaptation may be the most effective way to approach climate change.
What got me thinking about this most recently was a presentation I saw from Cara Pike of the Social Capital Project called “Communicating About Climate Preparation & Adaptation.” You should check it out, along with SCP’s longer report, “Climate Communications and Behavior Change: A Guide for Practitioners.” A lot of what follows is purloined from those sources.
Lest you think David Roberts at Grist is the only one talking about this
- Global Warming: Farmers Will Need to Adapt to Changing Climates—But They’ve Done So in the Past
- Challenges of climate change highlighted
- Adaptation to Global Warming on Agenda for Vulnerable Regions
- Climate change is upon us; Iowa must adapt
- Planning for extremes: Adapting to climate change is a commercial priority
- Filipinos asked to adapt to climate change
- Floods can help Australia rise toward adaptation to climate change
- Fund sought to pursue climate-change adaptation measures
And, yes, we can adapt to climate change, and, by climate change, I mean the 4.5 billion year old fact that the climate will change regardless of what Mankind is doing. We just don’t need all sorts of ponzi schemes and destructive controls in order to do it. That’s one of the great things about modern life: we have the means to adapt. We won’t be wiped out like the Vikings were in Iceland and Greenland when the climate shifted from a very warm one to a cold one. Unless the warmists manage to make energy so darned expensive and restricted that we all freeze to death.
As I like to tell whiny parents at PTA meetings:
“It’s not OUR children, it’s YOUR children, and I don’t care about them. You may. Try and keep that straight, ok?”
Well teach 4.5 billion years ago we certainly didn’t have to worry about the effects of climate change upon 7 billion humans, but now ? Well I think that we do. And Teach not ALL humans do have the means to adapt. Not all can just jump into a car and drive 500 miles north to where it is cooler, can they? Teach MOST humans live in the tropical/subtropical areas NOT the temperate zones. We here in the USA will not be affected as much as the majority of humanity as the world continues to get hotter.
And Teach not ALL humans do have the means to adapt.
So you no longer worship at the alter of evolution?
I am sure that there is somewhere a small number of people that cannot physically adapt to changing temperatures, but the vast majority can.
We do it every day.
Or do you believe that the temps in the winter are the same as in the summer?
I am done. Getting used to it.
In the fall I got out my sweaters, and in the spring or whenever it warms up again, I will get my shorts out.
Phew, it’s exhausting work, but it’s also life.
And I didn’t need no stinking government to assist me in my choice, or in the actual doing it.
Wait, you were actually able to dress yourself without Big Nanny Government help, Trish? Is that possible? I though the only way people could get dressed was if their elected representative sent someone from Los Government over every morning?
Sorry, sorry, I’m confusing government with my girlfriend and my mother. :)
Hah Teach, you should have seen me dress my own CHILDREN, without government help. I am a legend, or so my kids say.
I fed them and got them to school on time as well. Hate to brag though, I learned that behavior from MY mother.
You’ve just confused the hell out of Liberals, Trish. They aren’t sure how you could do that without the help of Government.