I now see the next phase of this blog as focusing on proving reference materials, useful links, and occasional encouragement for parents and others who wish to see an end to schools being used to promote radical political views using concern over climate variation as the vehicle, and often 'sustainability' as the cloak. The facile use of fearful images and projections about the near future has been part of this, and deserves to be the first target of those concerned to let children grow up without such burdens being imposed on them by ruthless campaigners, or by naive followers convinced they are doing what has to be done.
The astonishing political success of eco-alarmism over the past few decades has been a dismal sight for anyone who has spotted the lack of substance behind so many of the claims and campaigns. The global warming one has been the most successful by far, and has arguably done the most harm as a result. The penetration of school curricula, both formal and informal, has been part of this 'success', and the prevalence of 'sustainability', so closely associated with climate alarmism, in tertiary educational institutions recognised in the recent NAS report* suggests that new waves of teachers and administrators will emerge to damage the mental and indeed physical and moral well-being of further generations of schoolchildren.
In Germany, the physicist Horst-Joachim Lüdecke has been talking of the 'sobering-up process' he thinks may be underway with regard to the excesses of renewable energy programmes there:
'Lüdecke thinks that the sobering-up process will take time because every political party has made green issues part of its platform. “Green is a very difficult colour to wash away,” the German physicist writes.'
Lüdecke
then explains the primary disadvantage of renewable energy: their low
energy density, i.e. meaning they require vast areas and that the
major ones are weather-dependent. The German EIKE professor does not
know how long the sobering-up process will take, citing the immense
power of an array of lobbies behind the green movement.
Lüdecke
also aims harsh words at Germany’s pompous and one-sided media:
Finally a word for the German media, here especially for the public TV and radio networks. They are rightly being compared by the current contemporaries to the conditions of former East Germany or even earlier times.”
At
the political level, Lüdecke blasts the atmosphere of intimidation
against people who have alternative views, who often are threatened
with physical violence from radical leftists groups.'
I fear something similar applies in schools. The standard leftist mentality that anyone who disagrees with them has to be malevolent and must be treated with contempt is part of the problem. I have been involved in a couple of unsuccessful attempts to get groups of people together to campaign against climate alarmism in schools, and I have concluded that I am not well-suited to that, nor at stimulating debate through this blog. I have therefore decided to concentrate on studying the details of one corner of climate science. The corner I have chosen is the Arctic in general, and Greenland in particular. I will simply be aiming to become much better informed about them, and in due course be ready to contribute when they are raised in support of political/educational goals.
I will keep this blog going however, by updating its reference pages from time to time, and with the occasional post. My hope is that some of those who will think of becoming more active against climate scaremongering, and other manipulation of children for radical political ends, will find useful information and ideas here to help them get started. Next month, I plan posts on two themes:
(1) some issues or tactics that seem to be emerging from 'the other side', and (2) some suggested reading for those thinking of getting involved to protect children from the threat of being misinformed, misled, and indeed scared by those who want to use them as footsoldiers in their war against industrial civilisation.
*'Sustainability is fast becoming the dominant ideology at colleges and universities in the United States, Britain, and many other parts of the Western world. It is an ideology that harms both the spirit and the substance of liberal education.'
http://www.nas.org/images/documents/NAS-Sustainability-Introduction.pdf
