If there is one defining feature of the modern era, it is arrogance. The names of great men are being scrubbed from buildings in an attempt to sever ties with the past, systems of law and order are deemed racist, and the wealth-producing capitalist economy is seen as oppressive and unjust.
Nowhere else is this arrogance more apparent than in discussions surrounding climate change. It is common to see middle-aged and elderly community leaders crying “Mea culpa” while engaging in a pathetic self-flagellation of their generation. Meanwhile, unoriginal teenagers are made Time person of the year for smugly lecturing their elders.
One common claim that undergirds this sense of superiority is that climate change is the biggest threat humans have ever faced. Last year famous naturalist David Attenborough, told the UN Security Council that climate change is the “Biggest threat modern humans have ever faced.” Headlines are rampant with similarly alarmist rhetoric, designed to cudgel and intimidate.
If we look back through the epochs of human existence, however, a rational person would see that climate change does not even rank in the top 100 most dire problems that humanity has ever faced. Slavery has been prevalent in every human society that has ever existed, widespread poverty has been the norm, and dictatorships have ruled most societies.
In many instances, these problems were solved by the fossil fuels which are so greatly decried by the climate alarmists. Despite the increase in carbon emissions, the Foundation for Economic Education reports that climate-related deaths have decreased by 99 percent in the last century. This is because heating, stronger infrastructure, and better housing have allowed humans to adapt to their environment. The efforts of those that preceded us have allowed us to live in the most prosperous and wealthy era in the history of the world.
It is important to understand the rhetoric of the climate alarmists, because the natural end to their arguments is extremely dangerous. If climate change is truly the greatest threat that humans have ever faced, then any action is justified in combating this phenomenon. This could include reverting to a socialist economy, accepting a dictatorship, or cutting of the world’s food supply.
Political science professor and former Democratic candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates advocates just such solutions. In an article for the American Political Science Review, he referred to climate change as a crisis and proceeded to claim that “[I]n crisis moments, legitimacy may not only be compatible with authoritarian governance but actually require it.” In his view, climate change will necessarily force us to give up our desire for a free government in favor of a totalitarian regime. Such thinking is not marginal, given the hysterics that resound in the media echo chamber.
It is not within the scope of this article to engage in a lengthy and nuanced discussion of the actual effects of climate change. This is merely a reminder that even if one accepts some of the direst predictions, climate change is far from the greatest threat humanity has faced. History is a dark stream of war, hunger, and death that is occasionally pierced by the bright light of great men, women, and societies who chart a path upward.
Previous generations have handed down systems of government that safeguard individual liberties, foster the creation of wealth, and allow communities to flourish. To sacrifice any of these good things for the supposed climate crisis would be as ill-advised as it would be destructive.
