Federalist: Here’s Why Nobody's Kids Need To Be Scared About Climate Change
for so many reasons, especially when even a is rife with uncertainties and confounding cursory review of the history of the human variables. But a clear-headed review of the condition shows there’s cause not just for data we do understand shows that our clipressing onward, but for outright celebration. mate is likely to remain mild and manageable My son and his generation are fortunate while our resiliency to all manner of challengindeed to be born in the 21st century. Infant es will continue to improve. mortality is at its lowest rate in recorded Even if this doesn’t occur, even the most history, and life expectancy it’s highest, even in the Source: LifePowered poorest of countries. The Chronic fear of environmental doom.” proportion of people livWhat a burden for our children to bear hile there’s always work to be ing in extreme poverty has done, by essentially every mea- plummeted from nearly — especially when the future of humanity surement, the condition of half the global population is looking brighter than ever." humanity is strong and our future is brighter in 1980 to less than 10 perthan ever. cent today. Education and My eight-month-old son has the cutest literacy, equality of the sexes, and economic stringent anti-fossil fuel policies wouldn’t gummy grin. I know I’m biased — I’m sure freedom are better than ever. make a lick of difference. Eliminating all your kids are cute, too — but it fills me with In the Western world, we are far more like- American fossil fuel consumption by 2030 a joy I never imagined before becoming a ly to die from overconsumption and laziness would only reduce average temperatures at mom. Like most moms, I’m fiercely pro- than from war, natural disasters, or even the the end of the century by less than two-tenths tective. I take my maternal responsibilities most vicious infectious diseases. Indeed, it’s of a degree. seriously, balancing new experiences and hard to find a meaningful statistic that hasn’t The good news is that 96 percent fewer challenges with guarddramatically improved people die from climate-related disasters ing his health and safety. in recent decades. Yes, now than a century ago. Floods, droughts, Today’s children I want him to have the there’s plenty of work storms, wildfires, and extreme temperatures best chance at a healthy, still to be done, especially killed nearly 500,000 people globally in 1920. face an emotional fruitful, and joyful life. in developing countries, Today, that number is less than 50,000 and threat few have dealt Unfortunately, my but by essentially every falling. son and his generawith before: joy-sapping measurement, the condiWe are becoming more resilient to these tion face an emotional tion of humanity is strong natural disasters at a much faster rate than environmental alarmism." and our future is brighter to non-climate disasters like earthquakes and threat few have dealt with before: joy-sapthan ever. volcanoes. If climate change is really going to ping environmental alarmism permeating the On the climate, the news is similarly be catastrophic, why not become more adaptnews media, pop culture, and even our good. Although sensationalized reports about able as temperatures gradually rise? schools. In the end, however, climate cata- global warming usually present a stark future While pundits and politicians wring their strophists won’t succeed at wiping that ador- — “12 years left to live!” — and scary imag- hands about average temperatures rising by able grin off my son’s face. Here’s why. es of burning forests, these attention-grab- fractions of a degree, they’re missing the real In 2017, the American Psychological bing headlines aren’t lives being transAssociation published a report on “eco-anx- based on sound science. formed here and While pundits and iety,” defined as a “chronic fear of environ- Former Obama energy now by a level of politicians wring mental doom.” A recent article in the Lancet official Steven Koonin prosperity never medical journal recognizes the gravity of the describes the media and before seen in their hands about average problem, especially for children, and says it activist groups’ underhuman history, temperatures rising by will likely increase “stress-related problems standing of climate as thanks in large such as substance use disorders, anxiety dis- “drifting so far out of part to improved fractions of a degree, they’re orders, and depression.” touch with the actual access to affordmissing the real lives being A recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll science as to be absurdable, reliable shows less than one-third of American teen- ly, demonstrably false.” energy from fossil transformed here and now agers are optimistic about the planet’s future. Fundamentally fuels. by a level of prosperity never Children skip school for climate change pro- flawed data models proAs my son tests with cardboard signs bearing such bleak moted by climate activbefore seen in human history." grows and learns slogans as “Why should I study for a future I ism groups, including more about the won’t have?” and “We won’t die from old age. the United nations, significantly overestimate world, I won’t let alarmist hysteria smother We’ll die from climate change.” future warming because they’re skewed by his dimply grin and goofy giggle. Armed with How sad — and irresponsible — that their the unrealistic predictions used to design the real facts about the world, my family will parents, teachers, and the corporate media them — like a near-total global switch from go boldly with optimism and confidence into we depend on for information have forced natural gas to coal — that do not align with society and strive to leave it a better — not such misery on impressionable young minds. real-world energy trends. In simplistic terms, scarier — place. Saddling our next generation of leaders with they are “garbage in, garbage out.” the burden of fatalistic pessimism is wrong Like every scientific field, climate science This commentary originally appeared in The Federalist on May 3, 2021
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