Why do climate alarmists oppose climate solutions?

April 3, 2019

Trent England

The BBC today carries a story about new technology that extracts CO2 from the air.

"British Columbia-based Carbon Engineering has shown that it can extract CO2 in a cost-effective way.

"It has now been boosted by $68m in new investment from Chevron, Occidental and coal giant BHP.

"But climate campaigners are worried...."

Whatever you think about the climate, changes, or causation is irrelevant. The point is this technology could reduce CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere. For people who believe that the earth faces catastrophic global warming caused by the greenhouse effect, this is a solution.

So why are they worried? The BBC quotes a spokesman for a climate alarmist group and a climate protester. Both admit what some have long suspected—it isn't about the climate. It's about opposition to the use of fossil fuels and perhaps even energy in general (access to energy is a facet of wealth, after all). According to the protester,

"We have a moral responsibility to reduce our consumption on a large scale. We need to reflect deeply on how we live our lives and whether everyone can have access to the things we have, and fairness, so we can all live a good life."

In other words, he has a vision of what is the good life. He wants to impose that vision on everyone else. That vision does not include modern conveniences like abundant energy. "Climate change" is a convenient threat to help drive public sentiment and public policy in his preferred direction. But the climate is not the issue.