The Ideology of Catastrophe

by Pascal Bruckner
The Wall Street Journal, April 10, 2012

As an asteroid hurtles toward Earth, terrified citizens pour into the streets of Brussels to stare at the mammoth object growing before their eyes. Soon, it will pass harmlessly by—but first, a strange old man, Professor Philippulus, dressed in a white sheet and wearing a long beard, appears, beating a gong and crying: “This is a punishment; repent, for the world is ending!”

We smile at the silliness of this scene from the Tintin comic strip “L'Étoile Mystérieuse,” published in Belgium in 1941. Yet it is also familiar, since so many people in both Europe and the United States have recently convinced themselves that the End is nigh. Professor Philippulus has managed to achieve power in governments, the media and high places generally. Constantly, he spreads fear: of progress, science, demographics, global warming, technology, food. In five years or in 10 years, temperatures will rise, Earth will be uninhabitable, natural disasters will multiply, the climate will bring us to war, and nuclear plants will explode.

Man has committed the sin of pride; he has destroyed his habitat and ravaged the planet; he must atone.

My point is not to minimize our dangers. Rather, it is to understand why apocalyptic fear has gripped so many of our leaders, scientists and intellectuals, who insist on reasoning and arguing as though they were following the scripts of mediocre Hollywood disaster movies.

“Over the last half-century, leftist intellectuals have identified two great scapegoats for the world's woes. First, Marxism designated capitalism as responsible for human misery. Second, “Third World” ideology, disappointed by the bourgeois indulgences of the working class, targeted the West, supposedly the inventor of slavery, colonialism and imperialism.

The guilty party that environmentalism now accuses—mankind itself, in its will to dominate the planet—is essentially a composite of the previous two, a capitalism invented by a West that oppresses peoples and destroys the Earth.

Environmentalism sees itself as the fulfillment of all earlier critiques. “There are only two solutions,” Bolivian president Evo Morales declared in 2009. “Either capitalism dies, or Mother Earth dies.” …

One could cite such quotations forever, given the spread of apocalyptic literature. Authors, journalists, politicians and scientists compete in their portrayal of abomination and claim for themselves a hyperlucidity: They alone see the future clearly while others vegetate in the darkness.

The fear that these intellectuals spread is like a gluttonous enzyme that swallows up an anxiety, feeds on it, and then leaves it behind for new ones. …

The fear becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, with the press reporting, as though it were a surprise, that young people are haunted by the very concerns about global warming that the media continually broadcast. As in an echo chamber, opinion polls reflect the views promulgated by the media.

We are inoculated against anxiety by the repetition of the same themes, which become a narcotic we can't do without. … [Read the rest.]

Cornwall in the News

And They Call This an Energy Policy? (Chris Skates, Cornwall Alliance Adjunct Scholar, Patriotupdate.com, 3/30/12)
Cornwall Alliance adjunct scholar Chris Skates wonders how many understand the overarching goal of recent American energy policy. It was, and is, based on the idea that catastrophic, anthropogenic climate change was imminent. Yet 25 years after James Hansen shouted “Fire!” in the Senate, his predictions of catastrophe have proven false. Still, domestic energy production struggles under the heft of an EPA on steroids, causing the legs of our economy to buckle.

Green Energy: Selling Promises & Ignoring Reality (Craig Vincent Mitchell, Cornwall Alliance Senior Fellow, Baptist Press, 4/4/12)
“The desire for renewable or green energy seems good and rational. Many believe that such an approach to our power needs will produce new ‘green jobs’ and lower pollution. Consequently, at least 29 states have adopted renewable portfolio standards, which require some minimum percentage of their electricity to come from renewable.” But subsidies won’t make a lame horse walk. “According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, if we add all of the wind, solar and hydroelectric power produced in our country, we have a grand total of 3 percent of our power from them. This is not likely to change for decades.” Craig Mitchell is a senior fellow with the Cornwall Alliance.

EPA’s New Farcical Carbon Mandate (Bill Flax, Cornwall Alliance Contributing Writer, Washington Examiner, 4/5/12)
“EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson trumpets the agency's efforts assisting working-class Americans, who, she states, are disproportionately imperiled by global warming. Politically correct posturing aside, soaring energy costs also disproportionately harm lower-income families, for whom fuel constitutes a larger share of their budgets.”

New EPA Rule Threatens Coal Industry, Electricity Consumers (Timothy Terrell, Cornwall Alliance Senior Fellow, Spartanburg Herald Journal, 4/8/12)
“On March 27, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a rule on new power plants in the U.S., limiting CO2 emissions per megawatt-hour of electricity produced to 1,000 pounds. … [T]he new rule … adds to the woes of the largest single source of electric power generation in the country. … Coal mines alone, not to mention coal-burning power plants and coal transport (e.g., railroads and coal shipping), employed more than 86,000 Americans in 2010. The rule is particularly disheartening for some of the most economically depressed regions of the country, like West Virginia.” Read more on the harms coming from EPA’s multiplying energy rules in Terrell’s “The Cost of Good Intentions: The Ethics and Economics of the War on Conventional Energy.”

You Are Invited!

Keynote Speaker: Renowned author and theologian Dr. Wayne Grudem, Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary, will speak on Biblical foundations for environmental stewardship. Dr. Grudem is a past president of the Evangelical Theological Society and a leading thinker on social and political applications of the Christian faith, speaking frequently and around the world. He will be signing copies of his most recent book, Politics—According to the Bible. Before moving to Phoenix Seminary in 2001, he taught for twenty years at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He was a member of the Translation Oversight Committee for the English Standard Version of the Bible and General Editor for the ESV Study Bible.

Host: Cornwall Alliance Founder and National Spokesman Dr. E. Calvin Beisner will speak on recent and planned Cornwall Alliance projects and the threats and opportunities related to environmentalism facing the Christian church today. Before starting the Cornwall Alliance in 2005, Dr. Beisner taught at Covenant College (1992–2000) and at Knox Theological Seminary (2000–2008). Among his eleven books on theology, apologetics, Biblical studies, economics, and ethics are Prospects for Growth: A Biblical View of Population, Resources, and the Future (1990), Man, Economy, and Environment in Biblical Perspective (1994), and Where Garden Meets Wilderness: Evangelical Entry into the Environmental Debate (1997).

Master of Ceremonies: Mr. Lee Webb serves as the news anchor for The 700 Club, the news/magazine flagship program of The Christian Broadcasting Network. A veteran journalist and Christian leader, he also anchors CBN Newswatch, a 30-minute daily program, and hosts frequent special programs, especially on the intersection of the Christian faith and society. As a veteran in the television news business, Lee brings a wealth of expertise and credibility to CBN News. In addition to his career in broadcast journalism, Mr. Webb is an elder in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and served as a captain in the Florida Army National Guard, deploying to Central America twice and Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Shield.

When? Registration and Reception, 6:30 p.m., Dinner 7:15 p.m., Friday, April 20, 2012
Where? Fairview Park Marriott, 3111 Fairview Park Drive, Falls Church, Virginia
Please RSVP by April 18, 2012.
Register online at http://www.ministrysync.com/event/home.php?e=4205 or by phone at 703-569-4653.
There will be an opportunity to give financially at this event.

Join us, and help us launch the Cornwall Alliance to new heights of service and praise to God the Creator and Sustainer of all creation!

Coca-Cola Canada 2011 Arctic Home commercial

“White is the new red. [Last] holiday season Coca-Cola [turned] its red cans white to show support for [World Wildlife Fund] Canada's polar bear conservation efforts.” Meanwhile, Healthy Polar Bear Count Confounds Doomsayers (Paul, Waldie, The Globe and Mail, 4/5/12): “The debate about climate change and its impact on polar bears has intensified with the release of a survey that shows the bear population in a key part of northern Canada is far larger than many scientists thought, and might be growing. … The number of bears along the western shore of Hudson Bay, believed to be among the most threatened bear subpopulations, stands at 1,013 and could be even higher, according to the results of an aerial survey released Wednesday by the Government of Nunavut. That’s 66 per cent higher than estimates by other researchers who forecasted the numbers would fall to as low as 610 because of warming …. The Hudson Bay region … is critical because it’s considered a bellwether for how polar bears are doing elsewhere in the Arctic.” More here.

Tips for Earth Stewards

Simple things you can do to make the earth more fruitful, beautiful, and safe.

Water itself is not very scarce in most of America, but making it safe to drink and delivering it both cost money. If you live in a desert, you may want to consider water-saving devices. Faucet aerators are inexpensive, but only about 10% of the water used by the average household goes through the faucet. The lawn, shower, toilet, and washing machine use much more. Low-flow showerheads reduce consumption over pre-1992 showers, sometimes by half, but not so much compared to newer showerheads. Some showerheads can be expensive and have serious drawbacks, such as unpredictable pressure and longer warm-up time. Changing shower habits is more likely to conserve water. Low-flow toilets can save water, but their performance is inconsistent; research before buying. Irrigating the lawn uses the most water, regularly 40%; cutting use by one-fourth will save as much water—and money—as ending all faucet use. Preventing water runoff keeps watering your lawn efficient. Remember, while water use may be costly, it also delivers benefits. Seek a healthy balance.

Fun Facts for the Week

Not Much Renewable for the Buck (Steve Hayward, American Enterprise Institute, 3/20/12)
“Every dollar of tax preference for non-hydro renewables produces 407,000 BTUs of energy, while every dollar of tax preference for fossil fuel delivers 66 times as much, 27 million BTUs of energy.”

Recent Significant Developments

Food & Agriculture

JGC to Enter Agribusiness (Japan Today, 4/7/12)
After the salination of arable land following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami, JGC Corporation has invested in a new agriculture technology aimed at quickly producing lettuce. The technology uses “air-dome greenhouses,” which, though initially expensive, are extremely productive. The domes create ideal conditions for growth as well as automated cycling of the lettuce appropriate to its size during growth. “[T]he plant factory cultivation allows for a drastic reduction in the use of pesticides and fertilizers compared with conventional outdoor agriculture.” More here [subscription required].

Norman Borlaug: Humanitarian Hero Versus Doomsayers (Ronald Bailey, Reason.com, 2/17/12)
“As the Father of the Green Revolution, [Norman Borlaug] … probably saved the most human lives in all of history.” Yet many environmentalists and even poverty-relief workers have never heard of him, and “doomsaying environmentalists and naysaying bureaucrats tried to derail his ultimately successful efforts to prevent global-scale famines. … Borlaug directed a plant breeding project funded largely by the Rockefeller Foundation that created high yielding, disease resistant varieties of wheat.” His work goes on at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center.

Science & Ecology

UAH Global Temperature Update for March 2012: +0.11 deg. C (Roy W. Spencer, drroyspencer.com, 4/4/12)
The global average lower tropospheric temperature anomaly jumped up in March, 2012, to +0.11 deg. C. as La Nina conditions in the Pacific Ocean waned (click on the image for the full-size version).

The 3rd order polynomial fit to the data (courtesy of Excel) is for entertainment purposes only, and should not be construed as having any predictive value whatsoever.

Assessing Fukushima, one year later (Robert Peter Gale and F. Owen Hoffman, Los Angeles Times, 3/11/12)
“Fukushima has understandably reignited debate and concern regarding cancer risks from radiation.” But is it justified? “Humans are exposed to radiation every day.” Fifty-percent is natural; fifty-percent is caused by man-made sources. “One important element that we have to consider to assess cancer risks associated with an accident like Fukushima is our baseline risk for developing cancer. All of us, unfortunately, have a substantial risk of developing cancer in our lifetime. For example, a 50-year-old male has a 42% risk of developing cancer during his remaining life; it's almost the same for a 10-year-old…. It's true that excess radiation exposure can increase our cancer risk above baseline levels…. When it comes to exposures like that of Fukushima, the question is: What is the relative magnitude of the increased risk from Fukushima compared to our baseline cancer risk? Despite our fears, it is quite small.” More on cancer risks here.

Economics & Energy

There Goes Obama Again, Misleading About the Energy Industry (Lawrence Kudlow, Investor’s Business Daily, 3/30/12)
President Obama, in his war against fossil fuels, presents misleading statements about the fossil fuel energy industry. He presents the industry as a lightly taxed, highly subsidized crony monstrosity, though it is one of the most heavily taxed industries in America. Gasoline’s expense is due largely to inadequate means of getting supply to markets—means hampered by government regulation. Taxation, while high, is not the predominant factor. Neither are oil companies’ profits, which on a percentage basis are lower than many industries’. The solution? Reduce regulation and allow all energy reserves to be developed. Politicians stand in the way. It is likely the economy will take a turn for the worse with the high price of oil.

Religion & Ethics

Lying About Green Jobs Now (Charles Payne, Townhall.com, 3/27/12)
“[T]he U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its first report ever on the number of green jobs in America.… The … report is riddled with lies. [T]he absurdity of all this is you could actually drive a bus running on fossil fuel and still be considered a green worker.” Wind, solar, geothermal, and bio-mass energy jobs make up only 4,300 out of 67,500 reported “Green” jobs. The rest go to hydro or nuclear power.

NASA scientist: climate change is a moral issue on a par with slavery (Severin Carrell, The Guardian, 4/6/2012)
Full-time global warming alarmist and NASA scientist James Hansen, speaking Tuesday, April 10, in Scotland where he received the Edinburgh Medal for contribution to science, called for a worldwide tax on all carbon emissions, equating the moral imperative of his cause with that of abolishing slavery. In addressing such ethical, political, and economic issues he is, of course, speaking squarely within the bounds of his scientific expertise—M.S. in astronomy, Ph.D. in physics focused on radiative transfer. “Hansen told the Guardian that the latest climate models had shown the planet was on the brink of an emergency”—precisely what he’s been saying since 1988, though global temperature stubbornly refuses to rise to match to his models’ forecasts. Yes, this moral prophet is the same James Hansen who claimed to be censored by the U.S. government despite speaking and writing publicly hundreds of times, possibly in violation of his NASA contract; called for trials for fossil fuel corporation chiefs for “high crimes against humanity and nature”; and received over $1.6 million in speaking fees for work related to and often expressly for NASA but failed to report it as required by law. But he will lecture the world on morality.

Law, Regulation, & Litigation

Green Is Taking Us for a Ride (Marita Noon, Townhall.com, 3/26/12)
The hypocrisy apparent in environmentalists’ treatment of animals is most acutely seen in their selective destruction of certain owl species that are predominant in an area where endangered owls have been introduced. Jobs lost, people dead from disease, permanent pre-industrial societies, all of these mean nothing to environmentalists. This is the third in a three-part series by Marita Noon. Parts one and two were featured in the March 28 Cornwall newsletter, under Religion & Ethics.

Climategate Heads to Court (S. Fred Singer, American Thinker, 4/5/12)
Michael “Hockey Stick” Mann, formerly of the University of Virginia [UVA], is embroiled in legal battles about his infamous graph that purported to show unprecedented and extreme 20th-century warming and to erase the Medieval Warm Period. Critics charge that Mann deliberately withheld contrary evidence. Claiming exemption from Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act because of academic freedom, UVA refuses to release Mann’s data. But because UVA is tax funded, the American Tradition Institute claims in a lawsuit, it is subject to the FOIA, and if there were doubt of that, its release of the data to Mann himself after his departure vitiates UVA’s claim, since, as a 1983 Virginia attorney general’s opinion held, “once a public body disseminates any record, ‘those records lose the exemption accorded by’ FOIA,” and, as federal judicial precedent holds, "selective disclosure ... is offensive to the purposes underlying the FOIA and intolerable as a matter of policy.”

Politics & Debate

Treasury OIG: Watchdog Pussyfoots Around Solyndra Debacle (Marlo Lewis, Globalwarming.org, 4/6/12)
When Solyndra defaulted on its half-billion dollar federally guaranteed loan in September 2011, people looked toward the Department of Energy for explanation of how things could go so wrong. Little has come of the issue because many involved have been dragging their heels to produce requested documents. Suspicion that the Obama Administration was well aware of the high risk grew when it was found that DOE ignored many warnings. Now the Treasury’s Office of Inspector General has released an audit confirming the loan-guarantee approval process was rushed and poorly executed. This has been one of many failures of the solar industry involving federal loans. More here.

Can Republicans Play the Green Card? (Patrick Michaels, Forbes, 4/2/12)
As radical environmental policies increasingly represent political suicide one wonders if some Republican hopefuls for POTUS have the clout to capitalize on this given their own histories.

Recommended Sites and Newsletters

E. Calvin Beisner, Ph.D., Founder and National Spokesman
Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation

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