Over the weekend, Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested during an interview that climate change represented an “existential challenge” to humanity that is on par with the threat of nuclear war. Experts say Blinken’s comments along with others by those on the Left regarding climate change are inaccurate and are causing undo harm by creating alarmism and fear among the public.
When asked by “60 Minutes Australia’s” Amelia Adams whether Vladimir Putin’s recent threat of nuclear war or climate change was “the greater threat to humanity,” Blinken responded, “Well, you can’t, I think, have a hierarchy. There are some things that are front and center — the wolf at the door — including potential conflict, but there’s no doubt that climate represents an existential challenge to all of us.”
But climate experts are warning that much of the rhetoric surrounding the perceived threat posed by climate change has become overheated. During an interview over the weekend, Jim Skea, the newly appointed head of the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), observed that if global temperatures rise by 1.5 degrees Celsius — the international community's current nominal target — “[w]e should not despair and fall into a state of shock.” Skea went on to observe that “[i]f you constantly communicate the message that we are all doomed to extinction, then that paralyzes people and prevents them from taking the necessary steps to get a grip on climate change.”
Blinken is not the only Biden administration official who does not appear to be taking this advice. During a climate summit on May 10, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry discussed his thoughts on the agriculture industry’s impact on the climate, remarking, “Agriculture contributes about 33% of all the emissions of the world. … And we can’t get to net zero — we don’t get this job done — unless agriculture is front and center as part of the solution.” He went on to say, “You just can’t continue to both warm the planet, while also expecting to feed it. It doesn’t work. … So we have to reduce emissions from the food system.”
Experts say that this kind of alarmism is not only misplaced but highly misleading. Studies have shown that warming temperatures have led to increased crop production in certain parts of the world. In India, increased rains and warming oceans have led to consecutive years of record crop production in recent years. As the Cornwall Alliance’s Vijay Jayaraj wrote in 2021:
“Contrary to popular media claims, present CO2 concentrations and temperatures have helped plant growth — including food crops — globally, as attested by scientific studies. So, the notion that climate change will disrupt global food crop production is false. If anything, climate change has aided plant growth and has been the perfect ally for farmers worldwide.”
Observers are also pointing to worrying signs that left-wing activists on the global stage could use climate change as a pretext for authorizing widespread societal lockdowns. In a recently unearthed interview from 2020, Nicole Schwab, the daughter of World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab, remarked during a panel discussion:
“This [COVID] crisis has shown us that first of all, things can shift very rapidly when we put our minds to it and when we feel the immediate emergency to our livelihoods. And second, that clearly the system … that we had before is not sustainable. So I see it as a tremendous opportunity to really have this ‘Great Reset’ and to use [these] huge flows of money — to use the increased levers that policymakers have today — in a way that was not possible before to create a change that is not incremental, but that we can look back and we can say this is the moment where we really started to position nature at the core of the economy.”
David Closson, director of the Center for Biblical Worldview at Family Research Council, urged believers not to give in to fear perpetuated by those in positions of power but to keep world events in perspective with God’s sovereignty.
“Ultimately, Christians believe that God is sovereign and that His sovereignty encompasses every aspect of existence, including our planet,” he told The Washington Stand. “While recognizing God’s sovereignty does not absolve Christians of the need to be responsible stewards, it does remind us that we shouldn’t give in to alarmism over things that are out of our control. God is a good God and He calls us not to be fearful. Like on any issue, when Christians think about climate change or global warming, they ought to be wise and discerning, act wisely, and trust God.”
Dan Hart is senior editor at The Washington Stand.
