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Green Is the Color of Hypocrisy
Whether or not policies aimed at environmental improvement are practical or wise has often been debated, yet the motivation of those who push for green legislation has rarely been doubted. However, a new innovation in carbon capture technology raises questions about the true purpose of the modern eco-movement.
Until recently, the standard cost of atmospheric decarbonization – that is, sucking CO2 out of the air – has been prohibitive at more than $600 per ton. A Canadian company, Carbon Engineering, has announced that it can now achieve this for the bargain-basement price of $94. Surely this is welcome news for those who wish to remake the world as a carbon-neutral enterprise? Apparently not.
The issue seems to be that such technology would allow for the continued use of fossil fuels, as the CO2 produced by such substances would effectively be taken out of the environmental equation. Liberty Nation’s Onar Åm writes:
"Dr. Dan Kammen, Professor of Energy at the University of California, Berkeley, said that 'Partnering with an oil company is absolutely a step in the wrong direction.' Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Stanford University, Dr. Mark Jacobsen, complained that 'You’re not stopping the fossil fuel industry; you’re actually promoting it.'"
It seems that despite mass-media campaigns against the dangers of a carbon-infused atmosphere, green lobbyists are perhaps more interested in destroying an industry, rather than making it environmentally sound. The co-chair of the U.N. International Panel on Climate Change’s Working Group III for “Mitigation of Climate Change,” Ottmar Edenhofer, said in a 2010 interview:
“We are effectively redistributing world wealth through climate policy. That the owners of coal and oil are not enthusiastic, is obvious. One has to free oneself from the illusion that international climate policy is environmental policy. This has almost nothing to do with environmental policy, with problems such as forest dying or the ozone hole.”
If the eco-champions are unwilling to embrace technological solutions to alleviate civilization's carbon footprint, we need to start asking ourselves if they are pushing change for environmental or ideological reasons.
What to Watch For
Now that the price of decarbonization is coming down to affordable levels and big investors like Bill Gates are getting involved, we can expect the narrative around climate change to start adapting. There’s a good chance that messaging will shift from the necessity of reducing carbon, to one of doing so responsibly and with a global view in mind. If we can’t roll it out worldwide, straight away, it’s probably racist.
Trump’s Assured Victory?
Reflecting on the polls and predictions in 2016, it’s difficult to take recent polling regarding a Biden landslide victory in 2020 without a hefty dash of salt. A Democrat-friendly media is making the case that it’s all but impossible for President Trump to win a second term in the White House. In fact, pretty much all the major polling has just about every other potential Democratic Party nominee trouncing the incumbent into a pile of right-wing dust. But perhaps they’ve got it wrong … again.
According to Liberty Nation’s Tim Donner, this is in part due to Trump himself – his approval ratings remain steady at around 50% – but mostly because of how presidents are elected: the Electoral College. Any way you cut the numbers, Trump seems destined to rake in at least the same 30 states he won in 2016. But what of those he narrowly missed? As Mr. Donner writes:
"The president stands a better-than-even chance in all of the competitive states he failed to carry last time around, including six states he lost narrowly — New Hampshire, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado — and two that currently seem like a stretch but could well follow national trends — Virginia and New Mexico. Ask yourself if you really believe that a far-left Democrat such as Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), who is currently nipping at the heels of the fading frontrunner Joe Biden, or a thoroughly unelectable scold, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), or a self-proclaimed socialist, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), can possibly prevail among a broad electorate in the midst of a prosperous economy. Trump has a realistic opportunity to sweep all eight states, worth another 50 electoral votes."
Even if Trump fails to carry Pennsylvania and Michigan this time around, he will still have 270 EC votes – the magic number. It would take a wild swing in fortunes for President Trump to lose the 2020 race, yet this is not the message being promoted by the majority media. If the Democrats want to mount a serious challenge, they need to start focusing on the states that have for too long been ignored.
What to Watch For
Several states are pushing to do away with the Electoral College, and some Democrat contenders are trying to convince America that it is an unfair system. Expect the legacy media to start asking: Just how democratic is the Electoral College? If – or when – Trump wins in 2020, this will be the new Russiagate with which to contend.
Washington Whispers & Other Juicy Tidbits
Be on the lookout for:
As tensions boil over in the war of words between Nancy Pelosi and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, will the Democratic Party be able to unite behind a single candidate?
Expect President Trump to take flak over losing yet another team member in Alexander Acosta. Rightly or wrongly, his administration has a seriously high turnover rate.
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