The hate level on Twitter can far exceed any other on social media.
But many sane, civilized, intelligent people on Twitter continue to make our world a better place. They share ideas and communicate life-altering, life-saving information to the larger public.
Twitter also provides a platform to engage with peers. As a climate researcher, I love the fact that Twitter allows me to connect with other climate scientists.
Climate Alarmists
One such person is Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, a Canadian climate scientist. I’ve had a lot of differences with Hayhoe about the magnitude and causes of climate change, Biblical principles of stewardship, and proposed climate policies.
Hayhoe is an ardent climate doomsayer. As a Christian and the wife of a pastor, she persuades many churches to embrace her climate alarmism. Twitter helped me have regular conversations with her on matters about which we disagree.
Unfortunately, even many sane people lose their cool when you challenge something they hold dear.
Recently, 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg took the world by storm with her “school strike for climate activism.” She persuaded teachers and students worldwide to join her strikes. Some strikes in Britain turned ugly. Students protesting near Parliament abused the Prime Minister with obscene words.
Children Benefit More in the Classroom
I took to Twitter to voice my opinion. My opinion was this: School children benefit a lot more when they learn in their classrooms than when they are out on the streets shouting well-coordinated, politically motivated slogans.
I wrote, “Advise her to go to school, learn weather, learn climate, then specialise on the subject, do a degree and even a Masters degree. Then, and only then, lecture us about Climate. Sitting out on class only shows her unwillingness to learn. Not a good PR for academia.”
Hayhoe responded, “I am sorry, but I would recommend minding your own business, Vijay. You are not her parent.”
Really? Are parents the only people who can teach children? Is a teenager’s successful effort to mobilize thousands of students around the world in the name of climate alarmism none of my business? If it isn’t, then how is it Hayhoe’s?
Ironically, Hayhoe instructs me to mind my own business, but Greta Thunberg is meddling with the business of countless students worldwide, and of democratically elected leaders.
It is Thunberg who made a warning call to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “If you fail,” she said, “you are going to be seen as one of the worst villains in human history in the future. And you don’t want that.”
Who’s meddling with whose business?
I recommended more school for Thunberg for two major reasons.
More School for Thunberg
First, Thunberg has no expertise in climate change. She has no proof of her claims about climate doomsday or that her generation is destined to perish because of climate change.
Hayhoe firmly believes climate scientists should be authorities on climate science. So why does she endorse and support the claims of a 16-year-old with no expertise? Why does she ask a qualified, experienced climate-change researcher to mind his own business?
Second, Thunberg sets a bad precedent for young students. Thousands have participated in the strikes. All lose precious class hours when they might have learned something useful. Even worse, vested political interests manipulate the protests, carefully coordinating teachers and schools. In London, the mayor himself has called for an end to the protests.
Whether climate change is real or not is a matter for study by qualified scientists. Yes, ordinary citizens have the right to protest. And they have the right to accuse others of evil, provided there is sufficient evidence.
My Message
But I, too, have the right to voice my opinion on climate change, especially when the field has undergone so much controversy.
Honestly, I would not have cared to respond to Thunberg had she not blamed my generation and previous ones for the apparent destruction of the environment. Even then, I probably would have ignored her had she not falsely accused the prime minister of my country, which largely sat out the industrial era of 19thand 20th centuries that she blames for alleged climate catastrophe.
Thunberg in Sweden and Hayhoe in North America enjoy the benefits of industrial economies powered overwhelmingly by the fossil fuels they like to demonize. Meanwhile, we in developing countries still suffer poverty.
So I have a message for you wealthy climate alarmists in the wealthy West: Don’t tell us in the developing world to mind our own business when you target fossil fuels. Our efforts to conquer poverty are our business.
This article was originally published at The Stream.
Featured photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash.
Gayna Salinas says
Thank you for this article. Having lived more than 20 years of my adult life out of the “West” in developing countries, Vijay is spot on. What gives people who have prosperity the right to tell any of the developing countries what to do? The bullying from developed countries is unethical and that is what should be protested. If Thunberg wants to protest something that influences the world, she should protest her own (as well as her country’s) attitudes of consumerism, affluence, greed that drives the imbalance to markets etc, contributing to the viscous poverty circle world wide. The developing countries populations are faced with obstacles that Thunberg has never faced (food source instability, violence, governmental instabilities, etc) which makes the protests which she leads ironic. She lives in a place of affluence where her “daily bread” is secure.
louis wachsmuth says
Cornwall likes to talk about the need to raise standards of living throughout the world and also promote the fact that the world does not have a human over-population crisis. Would Cornwall please comment on the fact that the fisheries of the world are depleted on one hand but the volume of plastic trash is covering beaches of islands. Whales are being found dead with insides full of human trash. Is it not logical to state that more wealth means more humans using more non-replaceable resources and creating more poisonous trash? How about Cornwall do an intensive study of the new United Nations report about the human-caused destruction of nature?
Adam G says
And he’ll find it’s the usual junk science that supports the whole climate change scam. https://inconvenientfacts.xyz/blog/f/mass-extinction-lie-exposed-life-is-thriving
Madhav Khandekar says
Mr Vijay Jayaraj is so right about Ms Hayhoe who is a Climate Doomsayer. Ms Hayhoe has refused to understand the complexity of climate change science and is stuck in the ‘Carbon Box’ . Carbon Dioxide is helpful to plants, has enriched world forestry and and has helped boost world grain yields in last 25 years. These benefits outweigh any possible deleterious impact of rising CO2 levels on present or future climate change.
Janice Shay says
I’m not educated in climate science; my degree was in nursing. Yet from a Biblical view, I’m only wondering, it has never been good on earth. We strive to correct some things—in America we have indoor plumbing and sewer/septic systems so human waste isn’t thrown into streets. Factory sludge is no longer emptying into rivers and streams. Dirty exhaust from autos has been greatly reduced. We strive on to do what good we can. But are other countries doing the same to stop pollution? Why is the US being blamed when China has a bigger problem? India? Look at Venezuela and the turmoil there, the garbage dumps that people are eating out of! Who ever promised us that perfect world? This world is passing and someday God will give us a new Heaven and earth. But here babies are murdered and souls are starving or being killed by their own government! Animals have their place, I love them too. But, too many are needing to be reached with His Word for their eternal salvation with Christ. That’s what is most important! I’m not denying there’s a problem. But one can not punish and make we Westerners feel bad for these things that happen in this fallen world. We haven’t control over everything though we certainly do what we can! Yet, it’s never enough?! The environment is important but more so are people. How this has shifted from earlier times of Martin Luther, David Livingston, Watchman Nee, Eric Liddell, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and even the Rev. Billy Graham to name a handful—when God’s Truth, the people, and the Gospel message were honored and revered. We must get our priorities straight. Praying for our world, always, especially for the people in it!
Graydon Tranquilla says
I have no respect for K Hayhoe and suspect she is not a Christian. I red her book….”A Climate for Change” and found nothing substantive within. It comes across as rather boring, emotional, juvenile.
IMHO she was not taught Climate science, but rather, was politically indoctrinated…..i doubt she ever developed any genuine critical thinking skills.
William McClain says
Loved the antithesis- “Mind your own business about climate change.”, with “Mind your own business about our poverty.” Touche’
Tony says
First, Climate Change is a natural occurrence, but what the alarmists mean is anthropogenic or “man-made” climate change. Second, it was “qualified” scientists with ulterior motivations and sell-outs that got us into this fraudulent mess to begin with. We are now so deep into this hubris that almost everyone checks off their brains (they give themselves over to the emotional pull) and are too lazy to do the home work required to understand how this all started. So, it is “everyone’s” business. If you have a brain and some common sense you can figure this out (especially the fraudulent nature of this scam). You don’t need to be a scientist (what a joke) to know a scam when you see one, do your own homework or shut up and reinsert your head in the sand where it belongs (and this is not directed at the author of this article).
News Flash; C02 does not cause catastrophic atmospheric global warming… period. If there is any warming effect at all it is scientifically insignificant! The main source of climatic differences is the SUN. The primary effects (radiant transfer equations and the subsequent secondary climate modeling calculations) back in the beginning of this mess were fraudulently contrived with targeted results before the calculations were even applied. This means everything they (alarmists) claim from that point on is BS. Think I’m full of it? Prove me wrong, I dare you!!!!
Will Boyd says
It seems to me that Hayhoe is in a perfect position. The public schools use her position to educate young activists who then willingly carry out her political will.
Craig Colquitt says
For all those chicken littles:
Inconvenient Facts (book) by Greg Wrightstone also his APP is available for viewing.
We are coming out of a ‘Little Ice Age’. Oceans have been raising for 2+ centuries. It’s the natural course of Earth to change and dramatically so by the Sun cycles.
Inconvenient Facts will help those who have not already decided to live as chicken little.