The mass DOOMSDAY PHOBIA in relation to LAUDATO SI
Extinction Rebellion protests against “climate change” by destroying property, blocking main roads and intentionally delaying emergency services — including ambulances. Their members perpetrate such crimes because of their overwhelming Doomsday Phobia. Many believe the doomsayers that “the world will end!” in ~5 to 10 years.
The photo above of bare-breasted young women blocking a bridge would be amusing, if it wasn’t yet another example of aberrant behaviour precipitated by climate catastrophizing. (“A cognitive distortion that prompts people to jump to the worst possible conclusion, usually with very limited information or objective reason to despair.”)
Other examples of mental health issues — suicide and euthanasia:
(Tine Nys, the euthanised woman is centre.)
Self mutilation:
(New — and old — injuries.)
(Skin from forearm used to surgically form a penis.)
The low birth-rate: because many actually believe that it is futile to bring a child into this world.
LAUDATO SI
The Holy Father noted the pessimism percolating through society:
“There is also the fact that people no longer seem to believe in a happy future; they no longer have blind trust in a better tomorrow based on the present state of the world and our technical abilities.”
Laudato Si [LS] has many awesome messages including the need to reduce pollution; improve our fresh water & seas; stop the loss of biodiversity and virgin forest. Pope Francis goes further with social messaging for the reduction of poverty and improvements to the quality of life — for all. Much of the latter part is a discussion of the theology of the Catholic Church in relation to ecology and justice.
In my opinion, Laudato Si does not communicate the Holy Father’s message well. Few will slog through this tortuous and badly written 38,000 word Encyclical, which has 246 paragraphs and 172 mostly religious references.
The more serious problem with Laudato Si is that when people parse the comments on climate change, it does not engender any sense of hope for the future.
THE LACK OF HOPE
Pope Francis is clearly convinced of the ‘doomsday scenario’:
“Doomsday predictions can no longer be met with irony or disdain.”
“Now, faced as we are with global environmental deterioration.”
“…acknowledge the appeal, immensity and urgency of the challenge we face.”
“If present trends continue, this century may well witness extraordinary climate change and an unprecedented destruction of ecosystems, with serious consequences for all of us.”
“A very solid scientific consensus indicates that we are presently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system.”
“The exploitation of the planet has already exceeded acceptable limits and we still have not solved the problem of poverty.”
“SETTLED SCIENCE”
No-one “owns the science” and for sure there is no such thing as “settled science!”
Einstein showed this when he proved that gravity is not a force (and that space and time are curved!) because he contradicted the ‘settled science’ of Newton’s Laws of Gravity!
In Laudato Si Pope Francis reiterated many of the commonly-used ‘scientific’ talking points:
“...thousands of species will no longer give glory to God by their very existence, nor convey their message to us.” [Pope Francis]
We heard the polar bear story for years. The media pretended that bear below was starving because of environmental/climate changes, when he was just old and dying. Eventually the polar bear story faded when the zealots could no longer hide the booming bear population! (Hunting polar bear was made illegal in 1972.)
“The melting in the polar ice caps and in high altitude plains can lead to the dangerous release of methane gas, while the decomposition of frozen organic material can further increase the emission of carbon dioxide.” [Pope Francis]
“…Many of the world’s coral reefs are already barren or in a state of constant decline.” [Pope Francis]
“…In recent decades this warming has been accompanied by a constant rise in the sea level.” [Pope Francis]
“…yet a number of scientific studies indicate that most global warming in recent decades is due to the great concentration of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxides and others) released mainly as a result of human activity.”[Pope Francis]
The atmosphere is: Nitrogen (78.08%) Oxygen (20.95%) Argon (0.93%) Carbon Dioxide (0.04%) Methane (~0.00018%) Nitrous Oxide (~0.00003%) with other trace gases and water vapor. So, 99.96% of atmospheric gasses are something other than CO2.
The global-warming scientists do not provide a cohesive theory as to how a tiny fraction of gas (400 parts per million) can change the climate so drastically. Indeed, CO2 is a plant nutrient!
A DIALECTIC
Scientific examination should lead to proper debate including all the evidence. Then, the debate should lead to a dialectic. ( “A way of discovering what is true by considering opposite theories.” Cambridge dictionary.)
I am impressed by the findings of Professor Valentina Zharkova, PhD in Astrophysics, First Class Honours in Applied Mathematics. She has published over 200 papers, including one predicting the modern Grand Solar Minimum (2020-2053.) She makes her case in the ~1.3 hour video below.
(Click image to link to her YouTube video presentation)
A FAIR TRADE?
To achieve NET ZERO we have to rape the world for the materials to produce enough “Green Energy.”
We have to trample human rights (e.g. child slavery in the Congo):
And we have to pollute the world even more:
Old wind turbine blades and solar panels cannot be recycled and many solar panels are sent to land-fills in third world countries. Here is an aerial picture of turbine blades being buried — the bulldozer is marked for a size reference:
WHAT ‘NET ZERO’ WILL REALLY MEAN:
Probable worldwide famine with a massive increase of death by starvation.
The world can feed ~8 billion people when there is readily-available cheap energy & fertilizers etc.
Current rate is tiny despite a much larger population.
If global temperatures drop, the growing cycle in many countries will shorten, or be eliminated altogether. Add to this the idiocy of countries like the Netherlands which tried to remove ~40% of their farms when they are the eighth largest exporter of food in the world! Then there is a likely to be a shortage of fertilizers because of high natural gas prices — please watch the clip below.
Listen to US Climate Envoy John Kerry stating that we must reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide to ZERO. (…at which point most life on Earth dies. Plants die from lack of CO2 and then all animals die from lack of the oxygen not produced by dead plants…)
(Click on the image of this absolute genius to follow the link)
Alex Epstein reminds us that hiking the carbon tax deprives the poor of cheap energy when they already in ‘energy poverty.’ “There are 3 billion people using less electricity than the typical American refrigerator…”
HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
As individuals we need to de-catastrophize our thoughts by thinking about the most plausible consequences of any specific change. “A future problem can be “significantly unpleasant” without amounting to a disaster. With more careful reflection, the likely negative impact may well seem less severe than it does at first glance.”
As in the recent Dutch election, politicians must resist inane climate policies which can bankrupt countries — see Sri Lanka — and lead to famine.
The Holy Father wrote Laudato Si with the wonderful intention of spreading a Christian message of ecology and justice. In all likelihood it augmented the despair being felt around the world.
POPE FRANCIS NEEDS TO REPLACE LAUDATO SI
WITH A PROPER MESSAGE OF HOPE FOR THE WORLD.
Kevin Hay
(You can follow Kevin on Twitter @kevinhay77)
