The “Church” of Climate Change

This article was provided exclusively to the New York Analysis of Policy and Government by the distinguished retired Judge John H. Wilson

Recently, 16 year old Swedish climate “activist” Greta Thunberg came to New York to lead a “climate strike” day of protests. Thousands of New York City Public school students attended the rally, having been excused from school for the purpose of protesting. In a display of their usual efficiency, however, the New York City Education Department would not give teachers the day off, leaving many children in attendance at the rally without adult supervision.

Thunberg became famous last year for beginning a one-person walk out from her school, stationing herself in front of the Swedish Parliament. Since then, she had become the youthful face of the “climate change” movement, and the subject of fawning articles by MSM sources like CNN, which claims that when Thunberg testified before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Climate, “the smallest and youngest person in the room came off as the oldest soul on Capitol Hill.”

The vehemence with which the topic of climate change is discussed by its adherents is nothing less than Messianic. In her speech to the British Parliament, Thunberg said “I was fortunate to be born in a time and place where everyone told us to dream big; I could become whatever I wanted to… You lied to us. You gave us false hope. You told us that the future was something to look forward to… Around the year 2030, 10 years 252 days and 10 hours away from now, we will be in a position where we set off an irreversible chain reaction beyond human control, that will most likely lead to the end of our civilisation as we know it…”

Compare Thunberg’s statement with this quote from 2 Peter, 3:10 – “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare,” or this quote from Isaiah, 6:11-13 – “Astonished, I said, ‘And Master, how long is this to go on?’ He said, ‘Until the cities are emptied out, not a soul left in the cities – Houses empty of people, countryside empty of people. Until I, God, get rid of everyone, sending them off, the land totally empty. And even if some should survive, say a tenth, the devastation will start up again. The country will look like pine and oak forest with every tree cut down – Every tree a stump, a huge field of stumps.'”

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There is a clear parallel to be discerned between climate change adherents and religious fundamentalists. Recently, NBC News even encouraged people to make confession of “where they fell short in preventing climate change.” The unintentionally hilarious responses include “I eat beef and I’m not about to change that. Other than that I do what I can to help protect the environment,” “”I’ve been using plastic golf tees from time to time. I will never use plastic golf tees again,” and “I am still struggling to get to zero plastic in my life.”

Similar to fundamentalists, supporters of the theory of man-made climate change are intolerant of those who do not share their beliefs. The National Center for Science Education published this statement on their website regarding “Climate Change Denial”; “Although scientists are in broad agreement about the occurrence, causes, and consequences of climate change, the topic is socially controversial. In part, the controversy is due to climate change deniers — people and organizations who deny or doubt the scientific consensus around climate change. In order to derail, delay, or degrade climate-related public policies they oppose, climate change deniers frequently seek to obscure or disparage the scientific consensus around climate change… Climate change denial is already threatening the integrity of science education in public schools and elsewhere.”

It should be noted that not all scientists are convinced that “the science is settled” on the issue of man-made climate change. One of the founding members of the Weather Channel, John Coleman, was a leading “climate change denier” before his death in 2018.

It is easy to make fun of the semi-religious fervor of those who believe in man-made climate change. But how can we explain the ardor of a person like Greta Thunberg, and the desire of her and her supporters to purge society of the heretical “climate change deniers?”

The article concludes tomorrow.

Picture: Pixabay

Quick Analysis

Ukraine’s Frozen Conflict

As we approach winter in the northern hemisphere, the war in Ukraine is beginning to resemble a “frozen conflict” from many perspectives. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently told the media he hopes the war will end faster once President-elect Trump takes over in January. Opinions in Moscow, however, differ from that of the Ukrainian leader. Russian President Vladimir Putin argues that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) needs to exclude Ukraine from joining in “exchange” for peace. If it does not, he says, then no end to the war is in sight. So far there is no Christmas solution. Several NATO countries, according to Vladimir Socor of the Jamestown Foundation, are tentatively considering “coalitions-of-the-willing” to provide security for Ukraine outside of the formal NATO framework. There is, however, no collective mechanism today under which such an arrangement is viable. According to the NATO Charter, while Ukraine is a NATO partner country, it may not join as a full member since it has not fulfilled the requirements for membership. That has not stopped NATO and allies from continuing “to provide Ukraine with unprecedented levels of support, helping to uphold its fundamental right to self-defence,” according to the organization. Socor says that keeping Ukraine out of NATO will not advance peace with Russia. Waiting for a peace settlement, he suggests, would only serve to encourage Moscow to continue the war indefinitely. Although the Biden Administration officially withdrew its support for Ukrainian membership in 2021, NATO maintains an “open door” policy toward membership-seeking countries. The current White House position led the way for European states to oppose Ukraine’s membership saying that a decision should be delayed until “conditions are met.” Biden pushed for changing “open door” to a “bridge” metaphor. It is not intended as an across-the-board NATO policy and has been implemented in the past on a case-by-case basis, says Socor. “The alliance’s open-door policy was not fully insulated from Russia’s non-statutory blocking power, and NATO-aspirant countries’ path toward membership was not always irreversible.” Russia has successfully blocked states like Georgia from joining, first in 2008 and again after the war in Ukraine began in 2014. Russia recognizes the value add of Ukraine to NATO is enormous and that Kyiv has a better case than some other nations. Putin’s invasion was, in part, intended to foreclose that option. By 2021, Moscow was pushing hard to maximize its war objectives, which included further annexations of Ukrainian territory. A main goal for Putin was, and is, to ensure there is no Ukraine left to join NATO. As President-elect Trump prepares to assume office in January, he is faced with the historical challenges presented by the war. Post-conflict security guarantees were the center of several proposals made during the 2023 military stalemate. The incoming Trump Administration has yet to outline how it intends to handle the Russia-Ukraine war. Analysts in Washington believe that the new Administration will expect its European allies to guarantee the majority of Ukraine’s security needs. As we approach 2025, several European nations have acknowledged that they do not view Ukraine as eligible for NATO membership as it would draw the organization into the middle of the conflict. Others want to wait until the war is over or pending a “peace” settlement before considering Ukrainian membership. Socor reports that some “influential voices” are suggesting that “Kyiv should join NATO after “freezing” the war along a stable armistice line, de facto accepting Ukraine’s partition, with NATO security guarantees applying de jure to the government-controlled territory only.” This would mean starting accession talks soon with the actual talks to commence only after a ceasefire is in place. Trump arrives in Washington at a time when Putin’s hybrid strategies of war in Ukraine have eviscerated commonly-held differences between war and peace. “Absent a political consensus in NATO over Ukrainian membership, certain European allies, including France’s President Emmanuel Macron, are holding informal consultations about post-conflict security guarantees to Kyiv by NATO members outside of NATO’s framework,” according to the Jamestown Foundation. The Biden Administration downplayed the discussions on possible forms of military assistance and defense industry cooperation by sending only an Assistant Secretary of State. For a European peace to hold the Trump Administration would need to formally extend the United States’ nuclear deterrence to Ukraine. Options under discussion in Europe include a “coalition of the resolute” to deploy forces to Ukraine as part of a possible armistice package, deterring further Russian attacks, says Secor. European officials are also debating, without any agreement, whether its military forces could perform non-combat logistical roles to free Ukrainian forces to fight. None of the possible courses of action has moved forward as all eyes are waiting on the incoming Trump Administration for clues about its intended level of support for a NATO framework and other non-NATO proposals. Daria Novak served in the U.S. State Dept.