Climate scolds have a way of coming up with lists of things we must do to combat that bugaboo, climate change. And when I say "things we must do," I mean "things we must not do" because these always seem to be lists of things we need to stop doing. Of course, many of them make no such changes in their own lifestyles — I'm looking at you, John Kerry — but these suggestions are apparently for the great unwashed masses.
That is, you and I. Of course, that's what being a scold is all about, isn't it?
The latest list of "suggestions" comes from the BBC, and they are called "Seven proven ways to help the planet in 2025." ClimateRealism scribe Linnea Lueken has the details:
A recent post at the BBC, titled “Seven proven ways to help the planet in 2025,” claims that the planet is threatened by global climate change due to human activity, and lists seven changes people can make in their lives save the planet by curbing emissions. The suggestions include: giving up meat; stopping flying; buying fewer clothes; reducing the carbon footprint of keeping a pet, if you keep one at all; using alternative home heating technologies; supporting fossil fuel divestment; and reducing plastic use. While none of these suggestions are novel, they are also not going to accomplish what the BBC claims, both because human activity is not threatening the planet via carbon dioxide emissions, and because many of these suggestions actually do not reduce emissions or are targeting areas that won’t have any measurable impact even if emissions reductions were desirable.
Not many people are exactly going to go out and dance a buck and wing over these ideas, but let's have a look at them anyway.
First: "Eat a plant-based diet." No thanks. For one thing, we will eat as we please, and much of my animal protein comes from, shall we say, local sources anyway, so the climate scolds claims about agriculture don't apply to my halibut and chips or my moose fajitas. But even the United States Environmental Protection Agency admits that American greenhouse gases from animal agriculture are about a third of those from crop agriculture.
Second: Don't fly. Take public transportation, trains, or drive instead. Now, from a personal standpoint, out here in the Valley, there isn't any public transportation. No trains, either; oh, the twice-a-day freight comes through on the one rail line from Anchorage to Fairbanks, and in summer, there are the sightseeing tourist trains, but that won't get us to the grocery. And if we want to see our family, we must go to the lower 48, and that means flying. Many people deal with this; folks living in rural Wyoming or Montana have similar situations to deal with. So, no; this is a non-starter.
Third: Buy fewer clothes. This is, I admit, a bit of a head-scratcher. Some folks detest clothes shopping and only buy new stuff when the old is no longer serviceable, and I can tell you from long experience that what most rural folks consider "no longer serviceable" diverges wildly from what, say, a Manhattan corporate attorney may consider as such; I have overalls that I think have more patches than the actual remaining original fabric.
Fourth: Don't own a pet — or if you do, feed it bugs. This is simply absurd, and possibly unhealthful, where the whole "eating bugs" thing is concerned. So, no, won't be doing this, either.
Fifth: Change the way you heat your home. While not everyone has this option, it still comes back to cost; most of the "green" options are expensive and only receive market share because they are subsidized. The climate scolds like to push questionable tech like heat pumps, which work well in some areas but not in others; what's more, most of the alternatives still rely on a good old honest gas furnace as a backup.
Sixth: Put your money into institutions that are in on the whole "Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG)" hooraw. No; this is a bad idea. Don't do this.
Seventh: Reduce plastic use. While this is near-impossible, as plastic is nearly ubiquitous in our modern society, I will reluctantly give the BBC some small credit for realizing that most plastics come from oil, which climate scolds don't like. But they clearly haven't thought this one through. For one thing, if anyone is aware of a cellular phone, tablet, or computer that contains no plastics, let us all know about this miracle, and our modern technological lifestyle depends in large part on these devices. And what about single-use, sterile medical devices? What about food packaging that prevents spoilage? Plastics are woven into every aspect of our lives; they are useful and practical.
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And all of this, mind you, is dealing with one issue: carbon emissions. The goal is to reduce greenhouse gases. The purpose, they claim, is to attenuate climate change, which they cannot do. The BBC makes no effort to deal with the fact that every one of these suggestions is bad for our modern lifestyles; they are hazardous to our health, our comfort, and our longevity.
Linnea Lueken concludes:
Looking at how many of the most prominent and elite climate scolds actually live their lives as opposed to what they preach for others, one suspects that they will keep eating their meat heavy four star meals, filling their room-sized walk-in closets with expensive haute couture clothes and shoes seasonally. They will continue to drive powerful fossil fuel cars while keeping an electric vehicle as a backup status symbol to trot out at green virtue signaling publicity events, and take their private jets to luxurious locations around the world, while paying pet sitters to feed their pure bred “animal companions” the most expensive, trendy pet food or even human cuisine. They will do all this while advising average working folk to buy second hand clothes, eat bugs, live in densely packed locations near rail lines, and not take vacation. After all, the elites know what’s best, the hoi polloi must sacrifice to save the planet.
That's always the way, isn't it? (Still looking at you, John Kerry.) They propose, they hector, the finger-wag at us — and when it comes time to walk the walk, most of them don't.
