What is Behind the Left’s Sudden Retreat on Climate Change?

Something weird is going on with the left and climate change, and it’s puzzling.

Suddenly, almost overnight, there has been a deluge of articles in leftist-leaning publications that inexplicably offer a mea culpa on climate change alarmism.

In an article on the Breakthrough Institute, formerly radical environmentalist Ted Nordhaus admits his views on climate risk have evolved and changed significantly. In the book “Breakthrough” authored with Michael Shellenberger in 2007, Norhaus wrote this:

“Over the next 50 years, if we continue to burn as much coal and oil as we’ve been burning, the heating of the earth will cause the sea levels to rise and the Amazon to collapse, and, according to scenarios commissioned by the Pentagon, will trigger a series of wars over the basic resources like food and water.”

However, in a stunning reversal, Norhaus now admits that his alarmism was “hyperbole.” Sure, he says, the ocean will continue to rise, but the Amazon will almost assuredly not collapse, and agriculture yields will actually increase since there is no evidence of meteorological drought that climate alarmists predicted.

David Wallace-Wells talked about changing attitudes on climate change on the website Persuasion and had this to say about the climate movement going forward:

“Extinction Rebellion is a shell of its former self. Sunrise in the US is much less influential than it was in 2018 and 2019. And I think that reflects a kind of collective strategic wisdom, which is, the chief job now is less about making people understand that the world is changing in dramatic ways which will threaten their livelihoods and the livelihood of their children if we don’t take action, and more about making sure that the transition that is underway moves faster and with as little disruption as we possibly can. And as a result, I think we’re in a sort of different rhetorical place than we were a few years ago.”

Then there’s billionaire Bill Gates, who may have been one of the most vocal climate extremists from the mid-2010s until, well, yesterday. On his Gates Notes page, he wrote:

“There’s a doomsday view of climate change that goes like this:

“In a few decades, cataclysmic climate change will decimate civilization. The evidence is all around us—just look at all the heat waves and storms caused by rising global temperatures. Nothing matters more than limiting the rise in temperature.

“Fortunately for all of us, this view is wrong. Although climate change will have serious consequences—particularly for people in the poorest countries—it will not lead to humanity’s demise. People will be able to live and thrive in most places on Earth for the foreseeable future. Emissions projections have gone down, and with the right policies and investments, innovation will allow us to drive emissions down much further.”

Even the climate change poster child, Greta Thunberg, has shifted her sanctimony charade to Palestinian terrorist protest flotillas bound for  Israel, Australia and other countries. Rarely has Thunberg even spoken about apocalyptic climate change recently.

Why the Mea Culpa on Climate?

So, we ask with a heavy sense of suspicion and skepticism, “Why have woke leftists abandoned climate change?”

The answer is both simple and complex. It’s important to remember that the left looks at everything through the lens of pragmatism as it relates to people and policy. If the person or effort can predictably further their goal of authoritarian rule, they will embrace it and exploit it to the fullest. When whoever or whatever loses its value in that regard, it is kicked to the curb like yesterday’s trash. You doubt it? Ask Michael Cohen and Michael Avenatti how many MSNBC talk shows they’ve been on lately.

Thus, we can safely assume that whoever is behind the curtain and running the leftist cabal has decided that climate change as an issue has become more of a liability than an asset.

You see, the American people have become increasingly skeptical of exaggerated climate claims that have never been scrutinized or confirmed through experimentation. Even woke leftist disciples find “climate doomism” depressing. Apparently, it creates a psychological situation where the disciples abandon the dogma because even if they are following all the rules to save the planet (recycling, driving EVs, installing toilets you have to flush three times, reclaiming rainwater, etc) it’s a futile effort. Recent studies show that nearly 60% of young people feel helpless about climate change, and many believe humanity will become extinct in their lifetime.

This is hardly a conducive environment for activism, and more importantly, voting.

Instead, crafty leftists are now reframing climate change from one of impending doom to one of hope. The new narrative goes like this: Yes, the climate is moving in the direction of permanent extinction, but initial estimates of complete annihilation appear to have been too pessimistic. In fact, the adoption of renewable technologies and the unexpected reduction in costs should give us all hope that we are making a difference. If we all work just a little harder, maybe on behalf of Gavin “Slick” Newsom in 2028 for example, the planet might be saved after all.

Get the subtle change? The clever new message is designed to reinvigorate young leftists, a key Democrat constituency.

Climate Change is far from Dead

Some on the right have been quick to declare the climate change catastrophe movement is officially dead, but I offer a word of caution. As long as climate fanaticism remains a viable vehicle for woke leftists to impose draconian restrictions on the freedoms of ordinary Americans, they will keep it in the arsenal and spring it on us again when it will inflict maximum pain.

If a Democratic socialist should become president, it is a virtual guarantee that climate alarmism will emerge from the shadows and once again dominate legacy media headlines with a message of impending doom. The narrative will whipsaw back to one of immediate destruction unless drastic measures are taken to avert it. They’ll demand you get rid of your gas stove, disconnect your air conditioner and ride public transportation, and this time, they’ll make sure they get it done.