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'''Is the True Crisis Climate Change or Climate Policy?'''
<br>By Nancy Thorner

Policy decisions coming out of Washington D.C. today are based on the belief by climate alarmists that climate change represents a crisis of catastrophic proportion and is happening because humans are using fossil fuels.  Only by ending the use of hydrocarbons will the planet and humanity be saved from pending disaster.

The purpose of this fear mongering is to destroy the global economy and benefit the elite at the expense of the masses.

Unfortunately, many science organizations have sold out to those intent on making science subservient to policies, which has resulted in the public no longer knowing what or whom to believe, nor is the public able to distinguish fact from fiction.

In [https://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2013/06/04/the-1970s-ice-age-myth-and-time-magazine-covers-by-david-kirtley 1970 a Time Magazine] reported that an ice age was coming.  Early on in 1980 when the ice age didn't arrive, then it was all about global warming.  Ice sheets would melt in the Arctic causing flooding to happen.  Temperature would increase to such a degree that humanity would not be able to survive unless immediate drastic action was taken to save the planet.

Enter Al Gore's 2006 movie, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Inconvenient_Truth ''An Inconvenient Truth''], see Trailer [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu6SE5TYrCM here], which presents in film form an illustrated talk on climate by Al Gore, aimed at alerting the public to an increasing "planetary emergency" due to [[global warming]], and shows re-enacted incidents from his life story which influenced his concerns about environmental issues. He began making these presentations in 1989 with flip chart illustrations; the film version uses a Keynote presentation, which Gore refers to as "the slide show." 

An interesting read is an article originally published on July 14, 2016, ''An Inconvenient Truth: 10 Years Hence'' by John P. Rafferty.  The following statements in Rafferty's article caught my attention:

Al Gore attempted to convince the movie going public that the problem of global warming was indeed happening. The “inconvenient truth” of the film was that because of our efforts to increase our affluence and comfort, the world was warming quicker than would be expected under natural conditions. We humans were changing the atmosphere, and most of the effects of this change would be bad, bringing more misery to the poor, uncertainty to our crop harvests, and death to many other species we share the planet with.   

Following is a recent article by Stephen Moore dated March 7, 2023, America's $100 Billion Climate Change Flop.  

As Moore wrote:

“In the wake of this epic policy failure, the [[Democrat]]s aren't backing off. Biden's latest budget calls for $500 billion more for climate change over the next decade. Talk about throwing good money after bad. We shouldn't be too surprised because, as Milton Friedman used to remind us, anytime a government program isn't working, the politicians' response is: 'We aren't spending enough money.'”

“If congressional [[Republican]]s are smart (a big if), they will not appropriate one penny more for this epic public policy flop. If we want to save our country's future for our children, the first step is to stop adding to our $32 trillion national debt.”

== Heartland's 15th International Conference of Climate Change ==

Thorner attended the Heartland event which took place in Orlando, Florida from Feb. 23 - 25. 

As to why we are making life poorer and more miserable for most of the people on the planet when there is no climate crisis was one of many topics addressed by renounced scientists and policy experts here and abroad.

Check out the list of the Keynote speakers at Heartland's 15th International Conference on Climate Change.

Check here to view the entire Heartland conference where every speakers can be heard giving his/her presentations.

== Climate facts addressed at Heartland event ==

The list included is quite extensive, even though the list was edited down to keep the article at a reasonable length.

*There has been no significant warming in the US since 2005.

*The average global temperature on Earth has only increased by 1.1° Celsius (1.9° Fahrenheit) since 1880 or the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

*A focus on human CO2 emissions ignores the main drivers of climate, such as plate tectonics, Earth's orbit, Sun.'

*Climate models are likely predicting future warming estimates that are 2 times too large. 

*Most renewable energy sources are absurdly expensive and do more harm than good to the environment. They are not cost-effective or environmentally friendly replacements of fossil fuels.  Media distortion caused fear to spread resulting in politicians without technical acumen to pass new laws against CO2. 

*Longer growing seasons, higher temperatures, and greater concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide are creating ideal crop conditions.

*Floods have and will always occur.  With no increase in overall flooding activity, there is no justifiable reason to blame any recent, current near-future flooding event on climate change.

*Climate activists, including government bureaucrats, claim the Greenland ice sheet is melting six times faster than it was 30 years ago.   When recent ice loss is compared to the full Greenland ice sheet, the loss is so small that it's practically undetectable.

*The number of tornadoes in the US has been declining for the past 45 years, as well as the number of strong tornadoes rated as EF or higher. 

*Compared to the first half of the twentieth century, the number of wildfires occurring in the US over the past decade is lower, and the fires have been less severe.

*Polar bear populations have increased dramatically during recent decades, despite the modest global warming that has occurred over the same period.  

*The official U.S. temperature record remains fatally flawed because of corrupted climate stations.

*Poverty kills, forcing people to use more expensive energy will only add to world poverty rates.

*According to a widely publicized survey, 97% of published science papers support the view that recent warming is mostly human caused.  But in only a very small fraction of published studies is there research into how much of recent warming has been due to human activities.  The papers simply assume human causation.  The high level of agreement is rather meaningless since it merely represents group think rather than independent analysis and opinion.

*Carbon dioxide, like oxygen, is necessary for life on Earth to exist. An increase in CO2 levels has led to global greening and has enhanced global agricultural productivity.

*In 2012, an estimated 573,000 birds were killed by wind turbines in the US, when there were thousands fewer turbines than today.

*Solar energy made up 5% of total electricity generation in the US at its early summertime peak in 2022.  Solar does not work at night, performs poorly in cloudy conditions and during winter months, and struggles in high temperatures.  Like other renewable technologies, solar benefits from government subsidies and state mandates.  Such subsidies reduce the costs directly attributable to solar power generation relative to traditional sources of electricity because taxpayers foot the bill.

*Global war on air conditioning.  Despite the public benefits of air conditioning, its expanded adoption is not universally accepted as good news.  Critics focus primarily on the negatives of a more air-conditioned worlds, chiefly increases in electricity consumption and resulting greenhouse gas emissions.

*President Biden's narrow energy policy of self-imposed scarcity is already costing Americans to much. 

*America is blessed with abundant natural resources and would benefit greatly from policies that allow Americans to access them.

==Climate Change discussions==

The Heartland Institute held an on-line Climate Change round table #55 on Friday, March 17th - Climate Madness Bracket.  Check here to hear the Heartland's podcast.

On March 13, 2023, Tucker Carlson highlighted the long and storied history of climate with experts predicting the end of times due to climate change.

Highly recommended is Facts on 30 Prominent Climate Topics (Climate At A Glance for Teachers and Students, 2022 Edition, published by The Heartland Institute.
[[category:Essay]]