For a long time the common name for the greatest challenge of our generation was “global warming” — in fact, it must have been twenty years or more. We all knew what it was and groaned every time the boring old subject was raised.
Then, maybe a decade or so back, just when people were starting to notice that warming had hit some speed restriction, the name seemed to morph into “climate change”. This was a new name and suddenly climate change was the bogyman. Then, of course, it was all on for young and old — every darn piece of weather was being caused by man-made “climate change”.
Do you remember the first time you heard extra cold weather being blamed on climate change (global warming by another name)? It was the most absurd thing you’d ever heard. You rolled your eyes and glanced quizzically at your mate, saying “I guess that’s science for you!”
It may indeed have been convenient to change its name to escape the hurtful criticism you invite by blaming warming for cold, but it wasn’t a new name. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is a treaty that was being organised in 1990. Its name and wording was developed through the 1980s, so it’s been in place going on 40 years.
Perhaps some far-sighted social justice warrior in the UN foresaw a future problem in calling it global warming if the climate didn’t play ball. But I think it’s more likely some self-important left-wing apparatchik tried to lend a little dignity to the infinitely conceited (not to mention deeply uncertain) venture of controlling the climate and they were fortunate it offered an exit when the temperature failed.
So it’s a complete misnomer, for human gaseous emissions won’t cool anything, but the name climate change is at least not new.
Though the whole affair still stinks.
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