There are moments when I read the American press that my eyes roll so far back into my head, I can see my brains.
Take, for example, the gleeful report in the Washington Post chortling over Pope Francis’ eco-encyclical. The article happily derides the efforts of those who challenge its premises as a epic defeat:
…Yet the battle lost over climate change also suggests how hard it may be for critics to blunt the power of a man who has become something of a juggernaut in an institution where change tends to unfold over decades, even centuries. More than anything, to those who doubt the human impact of global warming, the position staked out by Francis in his papal document, known as an encyclical, means a major defeat.“This was their Waterloo,” said Kert Davies, executive director of the Climate Investigations Center, who has been tracking climate-change deniers for years. “They wanted the encyclical not to happen. And it happened.”
I find the term “climate-change denier” a classic example of intentional media mislabeling. Not one of my fellow climate-expert skeptics deny climate change occurs. We deny the accuracy of the models and assertions that humanity causes environmental impacts on a global scale.
The latest climate-change related “study” to be trotted out is particularly irksome, especially to those knowledgeable about history on a geologic scale. The questionable report asserts that the Earth is entering its….sixth mass extinction event:
Earth has entered its sixth mass extinction with animals now dying out at 100 times the normal rate, scientists have warned.Humans have created a toxic mix of habitat loss, pollution and climate change, which has already led to the loss of at least 77 species of mammals, 140 types of bird since and 34 amphibians since 1500….Scientists at Stanford University in the US claim it is the biggest loss of species since the Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction which wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
Before the politicized science of “climate change”, rational scientists noted that only one in a thousand species that have ever lived survives today. In other words, the other 99.9 percent are extinct…and with only a few exceptions, the loss of these species had nothing to do with man.
Before going “Team Survivor”, it is worthwhile reviewing what actually happened during the other 5 Mass Extinction Events. To do so, I am going to discuss what real global climate change looks like.
Besides the famous asteroid strike killing the dinosaurs, perhaps the most compelling geologic period centers on the Permian extinction (about 250 million years ago). This extinction event saw the largest loss of life on a planetary scale, as 95% of all species were wiped out!
The global deaths occurred in two separate episodes: One which took out the land animals and the other that killed off marine life. The period is often referred to as “The Great Dying”.
There are several possible explanations: Asteroid strike, a massive eruption of lava that formed the enormous Siberian Traps, and the release methane from the methane-hydrate formations deep under the ocean. The following “Animal Armageddon” special details this dark era in our planetary history.
I will simply note that the fossils hadn’t even been made into fuel at that point. And the closest thing to a human was a small, rat-like creature that survived because it was a burrower that could live on decaying matter.
The Ordovician Extinction was a little less horrendous, occurring 440 million years ago and only wiping out 80% of lifeforms. The root cause? Massive glaciation!
Yes, global cooling kills.
If people really want to worry about a life-threatening climate change event, I recommend worrying about supervolcanos. When Toba erupted 74,000 years ago, it nearly caused the extinction of our species:
Of course some progressives think that this is a wonderful possibility. From the comment section of this video: “Need another one of those to curb the runaway double exponential growth of the most destructive species…..homo sapiens.”
I do not want to diminish the loss of any species. For example, the destruction of the Northern White Rhino because of poaching is a horrendous tragedy. However, implementing the energy policies proposed by climate change advocates is more likely to harm Africa’s regional economy and prevent the development of career options outside of the slaughter of rare animals for profit.
Fantasies such as the “Sixth Extinction Event” harm the good efforts of those who have sensible, reasoned approaches to addressing the problems causing localized extinction events.
So while the press is stoking fear related to politicized science, ISIS continues to create the extinction of non-Muslims and the high level of global unemployment makes it difficult for families to survive. I guess the real news is too difficult to report!
As the press continues to promote the idea that humanity is at the center of the current planetary crisis, I will remind its members and the progressives who are embracing the latest encyclical about what Pope Francis said about humanity:
In his new encyclical on the environment, Pope Francis slams attacks against human life such as abortion, embryonic experimentation and population control – saying that respect for creation and human dignity go hand in hand.The Pope explained that “a sense of deep communion with the rest of nature cannot be real if our hearts lack tenderness, compassion and concern for our fellow human beings.”
In conclusion, the only thing in danger of extinction in climate change reporting is common sense.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY