Climate Unchanged

Whatever happened to the climate crisis?

Every candidate seeking the Democratic nomination, including Harris, warned of the dangers posed by climate change. In fact, she dubbed the matter, “an existential threat to who we are as human beings” and announced she was, “prepared to get rid of the filibuster to pass a Green New Deal.” No ambiguity there. Fast forward to today, and the existential crisis is ignored. Wherever one lands on the climate change spectrum, the contradiction is hard to miss. What was once the biggest issue is now a non-issue, and there are three possible explanations. The first is cynical: climate change was never a crisis but an opportunity. Gas prices were in the $2 dollar a gallon range nationwide. The inflation rate was 1.7 percent. There were no wars in Ukraine or Israel. President Donald Trump enjoyed both popularity and success. Democrats needed an issue they could own. They needed a crisis to convince voters they deserved power. Labeling climate change “existential” gave it gravity and academic loftiness: Climate change is an enormous threat and only we are smart enough to realize it. Trump is too brash, too troglodytic, to care about something as esoteric yet profoundly serious as climate change. This was their plan. Inventing a crisis with solutions that would upend everyday life — no more combustible engines or red meat — just to win votes is very cynical, but it’s what Democrats did.

If there is no crisis, invent one...