If ‘climate change’ was so bad one would think they could have kept the name as (anthropogenic) global warming, but, here we are 35 years later
A few years ago, I covered the Yellow Vest protests in France, where workers rebelled against a fuel tax billed as a green measure. I interviewed protesters at German car plants lamenting the shift to electric vehicles, which reduces the number of jobs. Now, in Britain, I’m watching the same people who once campaigned for Brexit campaign against renewables, which they say have raised energy bills. (There’s something to that; read on.)
Across the West, the climate has become another battleground in the culture wars. That’s one reason why, despite an alarming list of deadly climate disasters around the world, you don’t hear as many politicians talk about the climate anymore. But that doesn’t mean they’re not thinking about it. Today I write about the politics driving a climate change rebrand. (snip)
All of the above could be making the politics of the green transition easier. Instead, across the West, they’ve become more difficult. Experts say even those committed to switching to renewables will often deliberately avoid the word climate, talking instead about “energy security” or “affordability.”
But why are politicians and others in power so hesitant to talk about the climate?
Right-wing populists on both sides of the Atlantic have taken aim at climate policies as a liberal elitist project that hurts working-class people.
In Europe, the people campaigning against “net zero” — the goal of getting carbon emissions to zero — accuse governments of driving up their energy bills. (Their arguments find traction in part because they’re not wrong. The process of constructing a grid that can efficiently distribute renewables comes with a price tag that some politicians have been reluctant to talk about, and that will drive electricity bills up, not down, at least for a few years.)
In the U.S., President Trump has aggressively doubled down on fossil fuels and calls climate change a “hoax.”
If she would refer back to her 1st paragraph, she might realize that citizens are tired of Elites and politicians forcing the climate cult policies on them, all while the same people who push cult dogma refuse to practice what they preach. Go figure. If I go to the doctor and he/she tells me to stop smoking while I can smell the cigarettes on them, would I stop smoking?
Scammer Teach typed: “…she might realize that citizens are tired of Elites and politicians forcing the climate cult policies on them…”
Agreed. Market forces are best. Can you believe how much Don has added to your gasoline and diesel prices? And his tariffs are stifling trade. His data centers are driving electricity prices! Donny rewarded China (greatest polluter) with a fawning state dinner.
His war has tightened oil supplies!! Don’s pro-pollution policies will mobilize the working class.
Europe & Asia: European EV sales surged recently (jumping 52% in August driven by high gas prices), while China is on track for EVs to make up nearly 60% of its car market!!