When I was in third grade, it was the nineteen seventies. In social studies, there was a picture in the book, a black and white sketch.
It showed the last tree on Earth, a swing hanging from it, and a long line of children waiting to swing on it. This was said to be because of the failure of our government ot regulate big businesses, and the coming Ice Age that would soon be upon us.
Our teacher, Mrs. Yates, was a fervent Democrat - and ask yourselves why we in the third grade should have ever needed to know that.
She also gravely informed us that none of us would ever be able to drive a car, because by the time we were old enough, all the oil and gas on Earth would be gone. Because, you guessed it, government wasn't saving us from big business.
Later in High School, while I was learning to drive on a car that ran on gasoline that the world still had in abundance, equally fervent and politically motivated teachers told us all about global warming, and how the government's failure to regulate big business would have the Earth a foodless cinder before our kids could grow up.
What are the lessons that I learned from all that, now that I'm all grown up, a fifty year old armchair anarchist, who's politics, if translated into normal terms, would be considered "left-leaning libertarian"?
1. Teachers do not need to express their political opinions in school.
2. The reason the same type of teachers are now railing about "climate change" is because they finally learned that they don't have a clue "what" change is coming, just that they're very sure "that" a change is coming.
3. The scientists they cite probably are right, this time at least, just like Peter was telling the truth the last time he cried "Wolf!"
4. And that while I believe climate change is coming, I cannot give too much grief to conservatives who deny it, because I know they were raised on the same politically motivated lies I was raised on.
LIberals, please note that since the current "solutions" offered are the same - more taxes and more regulations - that it's natural for some to dare to imagine that such is really the only point to the repeated cries of "Tiger...no Lion! No, bear! No, wolf!"
Liberals, please realize that if your only solution is "Let's do everything to make tech and industry more expensive, thus as less people can afford to use it, Earth will be saved!", that's going to be a tough sell.
This may surprise you, but poor people can't afford $40,000 hybrid cars, and organic foods and solar panels that cost more than their rented homes. And the poor know this. And they know that you who speak the loudest about it can afford it.
And they aren't willing to live even worse off so you can feel warm and cozy about Mother Earth. A "Mother Earth", by the way, who is not a "mother", not even sentient, and thus could care less whether "she" is a frozen ball, a burnt out husk, or anything else.
Now, all that said, there are two lessons for the conservative republicans.
1. Peter was actually telling the truth the last time.
2. You're just parroting the BS soundbites of Corporate America, who unsurprisingly, do not wish to be taxed and regulated more whether it is false...or real.
Final lesson for all:
Ultimately, climate change can only be cured by more tech. Any other "solution" is going to result in some given percentage of poor people dying. Because when you make energy more expensive, the pain accumulates at the bottom.
The rich can afford the hybrid car. You can afford a higher utility bill..but it hurts a bit.
The food bank for the poor can't afford another refrigerator.
And the village clinic overseas closes for not being able to Go Green.
You think everyone "doing their part" means "belt tightening in a good cause". It really means "sacrificing the weak" because we'd rather use governmental force now then trust in advances in tech later.
