I have long suspected that the advocates of global warming (or climate change or climate disruption or whatever they’re calling it this year) were knowingly exaggerating the impact of greenhouse gases on the climate in order to drive policy in their preferred direction. My friend Ursula dug up the following quotes, which confirm the reasonableness of my suspicion.
“No matter if the science is all phony, there are collateral environmental benefits. . . . Climate change provides the greatest chance to bring about justice and equality in the world.” — Christine Stewart, former Canadian Minister of the Environment
“Isn’t the only hope for the planet that the industrialized civilizations collapse? Isn’t our responsibility to bring that about?” — Maurice Strong, senior advisor to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan
“We’ve got to ride the global-warming issue. Even if the theory of global warming is wrong, we will be doing the right thing, in terms of economic policy and environmental policy.” — Timothy Wirth, Clinton Administration Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs
“I think if we don’t overthrow capitalism, we don’t have a chance of saving the world ecologically.” — Judi Bari, Earth First! organizer
“So we have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified, dramatic statements, and make little mention of any doubts we might have. . . . Each of us has to decide what the right balance is between being effective and being honest.” — Stephen Schneider, Stanford University Professor of Environmental Biology and Global Change
“There is no reason to give them any data, in my opinion, and we do so at our own peril!” — Michael Mann, Director, Earth System Science Center, Penn State University
“No matter if the science is all phony, there are collateral environmental benefits. . . . Climate change provides the greatest chance to bring about justice and equality in the world.” — Christine Stewart, former Canadian Minister of the Environment
“Isn’t the only hope for the planet that the industrialized civilizations collapse? Isn’t our responsibility to bring that about?” — Maurice Strong, senior advisor to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan
“We’ve got to ride the global-warming issue. Even if the theory of global warming is wrong, we will be doing the right thing, in terms of economic policy and environmental policy.” — Timothy Wirth, Clinton Administration Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs
“I think if we don’t overthrow capitalism, we don’t have a chance of saving the world ecologically.” — Judi Bari, Earth First! organizer
“So we have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified, dramatic statements, and make little mention of any doubts we might have. . . . Each of us has to decide what the right balance is between being effective and being honest.” — Stephen Schneider, Stanford University Professor of Environmental Biology and Global Change
“There is no reason to give them any data, in my opinion, and we do so at our own peril!” — Michael Mann, Director, Earth System Science Center, Penn State University
