DOE Report Says ‘Climate Change’ Is Not Apocalyptical

It’s nice when we have people who are not hysterics and doomsday cultists doing reports

The Department of Energy Just Admitted Climate Change May Not Be Catastrophic

A new report from the Department of Energy concludes that, yes, the climate is changing and humans contribute to it—but no, it’s not necessarily the impending catastrophe we’ve been warned about. In another era, an agency charting this kind of middle course would be unremarkable. Today, it feels revolutionary.

The debate over climate change and responses has become so polarized that acknowledging the problem of human-driven warming without accepting a narrative that can sound apocalyptic invites attacks from all sides. I understand that the findings are controversial and hope climate scientists debate every detail. Considering the upside of getting this issue right, you would think more people would encourage open debate.

That is exactly what led energy analyst Travis Fisher of the Cato Institute to return briefly to the administration and help organize the Climate Working Group, which generated the report. Like many of us who read from outside our ideological circles, Fisher was frustrated that many members of the left treat climate-crisis dissent as a thought crime, while many on the right still dismiss climate change as a joke.

I don’t treat the mostly natural changes to the climate as a joke, I treat the Cult of Climastrology as a joke. A scary, authoritarian, doomsday joke. Once again I’ll note that I do believe Mankind plays a part, most via UHI and land use, with a smattering of greenhouse gasses.

What does the report say? In a nutshell, as Fisher puts it: “Climate science—let alone climate policy—is far more nuanced than the summaries for policymakers (produced by previous government efforts) would have you believe.”

The report affirms that greenhouse gases are warming the planet but tempers several claims. For example, the authors found no convincing evidence that U.S. hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, or droughts have become more frequent or intense in recent decades, despite what you’d gather from headlines. This debate will continue, as it should, with many related dimensions to consider. But at least there is now high-profile evidence on record to give a say to reasonable experts who disagree with other more alarmed perspectives.

A tiny increase from those GHGs.

Another finding in the report is that drastic policies meant to reduce warming could do more economic harm than good, and that even the most heavy-handed climate policy can’t make much of a difference. Even if we eliminated all U.S. emissions, the authors argue, it would have an “undetectably small” effect on global temperatures. Far from denying climate change, this perspective puts it into context and reminds us that sometimes the strongest medicines can hurt more than the disease.

But, that’s not the point of those policies. They are meant to install authoritarian governments which control everyone’s lives. A soft control, but, a control nonetheless. That’s it.

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