Warren Buffet says when he’s evalutating a business he looks at the cash. How much cash is coming in, how much is going out, how much cash is in the bank. Just knowing that much about the man might tell you why he didn’t get caught up in the dot-com mania. In a different way, I’ve heard wise people say that when you see a lot of people involved in something, follow the money. Throughout my life I’ve noticed that while people will become motivated, sometimes religiously so, because of a personal belief or value system they have, oftentimes if you poke deeper you’ll find out that nothing motivates people to join a cause like money.
I believe this is the essence of the global warming movement, which I would prefer to call the “global warming industry,” because while some are involved because they truly believe, the movement would not exist were it not for those interested in the financial gain and power they derive from it.
And BTW, I’ve been inspired to write this because of Chris’ post on the global warming swindle.
Like Chris, I feel it necessary to add a disclaimer. I love nature. In fact, I think I love it more than most of the so-called “environmentalists” we see in the news. I grew up camping and hiking in the mountains. I used to want to be an oceanographer. Nature is still my favorite show on PBS. I grew up in Los Angeles and would like nothing more than to find ways to get rid of pollution. I think encouraging solar and wind power startups, even to the point of funding them with government dollars, is a great idea. I’m all for national parks, thinking green, preserving the rainforest (I lived in the Amazon jungle region of Brazil for two years), and saving the pandas (just watched a couple of documentaries on them last month, in fact).
What I am not for is allowing financially motivated groups hijack environmental causes for the purpose of making money and gaining power, and that is what I believe has happened with the global warming movement. While there are many well-intentioned individuals involved, I believe they have been tricked by others who are anything but concerned about the environment and who have adopted the creed of preserving the environment only as a way to line their wallets with more green and gain power.
One thing that really gets me about the global warming movement is that anyone who says “You know, this might be a problem, why don’t we examine the evidence?” is immediately discredited and branded as an idiotic, anti-environment, SUV-driving, psychopath. To even suggest that global warming is not a problem, or even to just suggest that while it is a problem it might not be man-made, is to risk the wrath of whoever is behind this movement. There is no room for intellectual debate. There is no room for an opposing view. And this atttitude alone is enough to make me wonder what is the real motivation here. Someone who really cares would be trying to convince others based on facts, but these people could care less about facts.
Now here’s a thought. Why don’t the global warming people focus on what everyone can agree on? I learned a long time ago that if you want a few things, and somebody else wants some things that are different, but some of the things you want are the same things that they want, then you cooperate on what you both want and worry about the other things later. With the global warming people there is no such attitude as far as I have seen. Every time I hear about global warming it’s being used in a political context to condemn someone, rather than a practical context in which something could actually be done.
Who are the big producers of Co2? It’s not the government, it’s certain types of businesses. Sure, the government passes regulations, but that takes a long time and can be difficult. Then once you’ve got something passed there’s the whole question of enforcement. I’ve heard some businesses talk about how they saved money by going green. Why aren’t environmentalists focusing on more ways that businesses can cut costs and save money while also helping reduce pollutants and protect the environment? Why aren’t there more cash contests to reward those who find ways to reduce the negative effects of humanity on the environment? $25M is a great start, but a lot more could be done, and engaging capitalist interest would go a lot farther than trying to get the government to legislate.
But you see, the global warming movement isn’t interested in just solving the “problem” if they can’t gain political power at the same time. Environmentalism in general and global warming in particular are just means to an end. If those problems were solved the same people would find a new problem as their vehicle towards what they really want, which is control and money.
Anyway, enough ranting. Watch at least the first five minutes of the movie.
