Modern political movements have not infrequently laid claim to being based in science, from immigration restriction and eugenics (in the U.S. after WWI), to antisemitism and race ideology (in Hitler’s Germany), to Communism and Lysenkoism (under Stalin). Each of these falsely invoked a scientific consensus that convinced highly educated citizens, who were nonetheless ignorant of science, to set aside the anxieties associated with their ignorance. Since all scientists supposedly agreed, there was … [Read more...]
On Permitting Reform, More Later Beats Less Sooner
The Cornwall Alliance has joined 25 other free-market and conservative organizations in issuing an open letter urging United States Senators and Representatives to delay legislation on permitting reform until after the new Congress is seated in January.The Competitive Enterprise Institute, which produced the letter, issued this press release December 13, 2024:The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) and 25 free market and conservative groups sent a letter to Congress urging Senators … [Read more...]
Resolving the Dissonance Regarding Fossil Fuels
Fossil fuels are destroying our planet. Big oil is evil. Coal is an addiction. These are hyperbolic statements uttered without basis in the public square as we continue with lifestyles dependent on hydrocarbons and their derivatives. This dissonance exists cognitively in individuals whose choices are inconsistent with their thinking. Another dissonance manifests itself as elites who are wedded to an apocalyptic climate vision fearmongering to people who are just fine with their … [Read more...]
The Folly of Electrifying America’s Military Forces
Have you seen the viral video of Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg calling for “vegan grenades,” “battery-powered fighter jets,” “biodegradable missiles”?It’s a deep-fake parody, a satire. But, sad to say, it’s not that far from reality in the minds of some U.S. military policymakers.Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin said in 2021, “We face all kinds of threats in our line of work, but few of them truly deserve to be called existential. The climate crisis does.”The climate … [Read more...]
Frivolous Climate Diversion in the Face of Real Disaster
Before Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida, the media chorus linked “an historic” storm to climate change and warned of even greater catastrophes in the future. For all the noise, Hurricane Milton was downgraded to a Category 3 storm that was bad enough if not apocalyptic for most. Nonetheless, the media rant about a climate crisis will not stop. This alarmism feeds off the emotional intensity inherent to a human response to natural disasters. But this knee-jerk … [Read more...]
Awaiting the Death of Climate Skeptics
This blog received the following comment from our alarmist friend David Appell, freelance writer:“Roy, nobody who is serious about climate change takes you seriously. You’re a denier who has made too many mistakes. No one who knows anything is going to bother commenting here–they upset you so much that all you can think to do is block them.You long ago left the realm of science. As they say, science advances one funeral at a time. Nobody believes your time series anyway. You did that to … [Read more...]
The Rhetoric of Politicized Science
We have arrived at full immersion in the political season. From now until election day and likely weeks beyond, political rhetoric, which has become dangerously incendiary, will flourish. And the public continues to be exposed to excessive hyperbole, distortions, and omissions of facts.Such exposure has come to be expected in the world of politics. But unfortunately, political speech tactics have also crept into the dissemination of scientific information to the public.Examples of political … [Read more...]
Emotions and Climate Change
The following is a guest article by Paul Schwennesen.One of the prime advantages of a graduate education is the opportunity it presents to witness firsthand the exquisitely facile handwringing that undergirds modern discourse. To attend a campus seminar today is to peer into the sensibilities of our age, a glimpse which reveals much of the impetus behind today’s culture wars. It is also, I’m afraid, a foretaste of what’s to come: conversations on campus are increasingly radical and will … [Read more...]
BOOK REVIEW: ‘The Politics of Modelling’
Although an academic treatment, “The Politics of Modelling” is a must-read for those whose lives are affected by modeling results — that’s all of us. The book states that its ambition is “to contribute to a reciprocal understanding between models and society.” And it serves as an aid to better comprehend the assumptions and limitations of models, modeling and modelers.“The Politics of Modelling” is presented in three main sections: Meeting Models, The Rules and The Rules in Practice. But the … [Read more...]
Math Confirms Foolishness of Climate Alarmism
The science of climate change often is presented in complicated language that speaks of computer models and the theoretical inputs and outputs thereof and concludes that the globe is on the verge of “boiling.” Well, leave it to three physicists -- steeped in calculus and such arcane matters as the behavior of molecules and the nuclear charge of atoms -- to simplify the analysis and arrive at a much less alarming determination. “Straightforward calculations … show that eliminating U.S. CO2 … [Read more...]
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