Global Warming: the Climate of Fear (Alexander Cockburn)

Energy Tribune ^ | March 18, 2008 | Alexander Cockburn

[xcamel]

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[1rudeboy]

Good Lord. Why don’t Alexander Cockburn and Paul Craig Roberts get a room?

[Anti-Bubba182]

"..Although the world’s climate is on a warming trend, there is zero evidence that the rise in carbon dioxide levels has anthropogenic origins. For daring to say this I have been treated as if I have committed intellectual blasphemy..."

Amazing coming from an arch leftist like Cockburn!

[GSWarrior]

The left has bought into environmental catastrophism because it thinks that if it can persuade the world that there is indeed a catastrophe, then somehow the emergency response will lead to positive developments in terms of social and environmental justice.

Bingo!

[avacado]

"Although the world’s climate is on a warming trend, ..."

Actually since 1998 the trend has been a downward temperature trend.

[Zhang Fei]

Alexander Cockburn is a rabid leftist, so it’s kind of weird to see him writing this.

[AFreeBird]

You know you're in trouble when people of your own side are starting to speak out against you.

Wow. First an article from EcoWolrd.com, and now this. Are flying pigs on the horizon?

[Steve_Seattle]

"Amazing coming from an arch leftist like Cockburn!"

Coburn, like Christopher Hitchens and Nat Hentoff, are free-thinkers who occasionally flout leftist dogma. I partially attribute this to the fact (I think) that none are strongly aligned with party politics.

[DuncanWaring]

An earlier piece written by Cockburn on the topic:

Is Global Warming A Sin?

[rellimpank]

—bflr—

[AFreeBird]

The Fluid Envelope: A CASE AGAINST CLIMATE ALARMISM - by Richard Lindzen

From EcoWorld.com

[AFreeBird]

Damn, just found another one:

35 Inconvenient Truths: THE ERRORS IN AL GORE'S MOVIE - by Christopher Monckton

[Billthedrill]

The left has bought into environmental catastrophism because it thinks that if it can persuade the world that there is indeed a catastrophe, then somehow the emergency response will lead to positive developments in terms of social and environmental justice.

Cockburn would consider the latter as synonymous with redistribution of wealth, which is, in the end, what the whole thing is about. While such agreements as Kyoto serve to move money from one place to another, in the end they are a recompense to undeveloped countries for remaining undeveloped. That isn't "social justice" according to most interpretations of that leftwing cant, and precisely what "environmental justice" is remains a little murky, at least to me. But under the intellectual terms of the left this is a condescension that is the next thing to colonialism if not that shibboleth itself. "Live in mud huts because it's Good For The Earth, and we'll pay you money so we can continue to use our espresso machines without guilt. But for Pete's sake don't presume to the possession of espresso machines yourselves!" That's not exactly the stuff of "Workers Of The World, Unite!"

The real difficulty is that the left is so certain that the destruction of capitalist society is the precursor to a socialist utopia that it proceeds thinking that the latter must follow the former inevitably. It never does, especially if the means to that destruction make the rebuilding of any society impossible.

[bpjam]

Cockburn is a leftie who loves him some conspiracy theories. But when he is going after the nutbags on the Left it’s especially enjoyable.

[calcowgirl]

The left has bought into environmental catastrophism because it thinks that if it can persuade the world that there is indeed a catastrophe, then somehow the emergency response will lead to positive developments in terms of social and environmental justice. This is a fantasy. In truth, environmental catastrophism will, in fact, play into the hands of the sinister-as-always corporate interests.

I don't agree with Cockburn's characterization of corporations, but it does explain why both sides have jumped on the global warming band-wagon. Businesses and carbon traders see potential profits while leftists and one-worlders see social change. Either way, U.S. citizens get screwed.

[calcowgirl]

The real difficulty is that the left is so certain that the destruction of capitalist society is the precursor to a socialist utopia that it proceeds thinking that the latter must follow the former inevitably. It never does, especially if the means to that destruction make the rebuilding of any society impossible.

So true. Good post--all of it.

[DugwayDuke]

“The Kyoto Accord must be one of the most reactionary political manifestos in the history of the world; it represents a horrible privileging of the advanced industrial powers over developing nations.”

Great article but the author goes well astray here. Kyoto was designed to set the stage for a massive transfer of wealth from the “advanced industrial powers” to the ‘third world through the cap-and-trade system. Under this system the first world would send money to the third world to buy the ‘indulgences’. IOW, your utility bill or gasoline bill would become a tax paid to the third world.

[steelyourfaith]

 

Global Warming Scam News & Views

• Beam me to Planet Gore !
• Reasoned Thinking Comes From Cooler Heads
• WeatherQuestions.Com (Dr. Roy Spencer, Official Climatologist, EIB Network)
• Dr. Spencer's book, Climate Confusion: How Global Warming Leads to Bad Science, Pandering Politicians and Misguided Policies that Hurt the Poor is now out. I received my copy from amazon.com on March 19, 2008.

[AZLiberty]

The 8th-grade daughter of a family friend recently received a school science quiz which included four slanted multiple choice questions on global warming. She wrote in the margin “I don’t believe in global warming” and declined to answer the questions. It didn’t do much for her grade, but her conscience was clear.