BY TODD ROYAL:

The current United States (US) environmental movement is dangerous for America and the world – because of how many times their predictions are wrong – which is normally 100% of the time. Patrick Moore and Michael Shellenberger are the notable exceptions; environmentalists who care about the environment, prosperity and people. But what we are currently living under is witnessing local areas and nations destroyed over ill-conceived environmental policy related to global warming/climate change (GWCC). Current, unabated flooding taking place seasonally in the US is over green insanity in the Missouri River Basin, Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota. This began when “Congress in 2004 under pressure from environmental organizations approved a revision to the Master Water Control Manual (MWCM).”

This allowed the U.S. Corps of Engineers to have the authority via the US Congress permission to flood eight states in the MWCM. The MWCM’s original mandate was flood control, but now the Corp “are utilizing dams in a way for which they were never designed – to attempt to mimic the natural cycles of the river through the season.” This environmental fragmentation of using emotion over reason has caused billions in damage and cost many lives and family destruction all in the name of “wild rivers” being returned to their natural habitat.

California suffered some of the worst wildfires in the State’s history in mid-2018. Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) is in bankruptcy over the damages where entire towns went up in flames over faulty electrical infrastructure and high winds, which led to devastating wildfire. But the real culprits causing this destruction were environmental regulations, green organizations and high-powered, faux environmentalists like Tom Steyer stopping excess brush and dead trees from being cleared throughout California cities, towns, forests and wilderness areas. However, top California state policymakers and political leaders have blamed:

“Climate change as an excuse for California’s recent wildfires and even criticized those addressing California’s poor forest management and community development policies as being a huge contributors to these wildfires.”

Rebuking state officials at all levels of California government a new February 22, 2019 California Department of Forest and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) report doesn’t include climate change as a leading cause for devastating wildfires. The report specifically noted:

“An epidemic of dead and dying trees, and the proliferation of new homes in the wildland urban interface (WUI) magnify the threat and place substantially more people and property at risk than in preceding decades.”

Blaming climate change is a false canard that doesn’t look at the complete incompetence of elected officials, environmental regulations and organizations that stand to profit from the GWCC narrative. The Cal Fire report clearly laid out priorities, which are:

“Suspending onerous regulatory requirements to use prescribed fires to thin out dense brush areas, set specific priorities for removal of dead trees, excessive forest undergrowth to reduce fuel (fire) and restore forest health. 35 specific high priority fuel reduction areas in state that cover more than 90,000 acres of forest land need immediate action.”

The report also identified 25 million acres of California wild lands are pegged at very high or extreme fire heat risk – over half the state – and estimations in the report put 15 million acres of California forest in some need of restoration. Since California is a one-party state (the US Democratic Party) and have significant campaign contributions and voting bloc-power from the GWCC movement and organizations that back this line of thinking it is doubtful much will be done with Cal Fire’s recommendations.

Forget the GWCC adult crowd when for years now a 9-year old boy, yes a 9-year old, is the one who began the ban-plastic-straw movement to the detriment of the global plastics industry. We are repeatedly told the US is causing a tsunami of plastic straws littering our oceans, rivers and drinkable waterways. That is false. The World Economic Forum did analysis on the issue and found:

“That more than 8 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year. Most of the plastic washed into the oceans, 90% of it come from just 10 rivers in Asia.”

The US environmental movement has embraced letting a child destroy the plastics industry. That is the epitome of today’s global and US-based environmental movement. Facts take a backseat if it pushes the GWCC story forward.

What is easily understood are the people, environmental organizations and government leaders who tout their green credentials are not telling the truth. Are they knowingly lying to gain money and power, because that seems to be the point in the entire GWCC crusade? Truth is relative and facts or sound policy that benefits affected constituencies and citizens is never taken into consideration. Claiming the US, Europe or other westernized countries are environmental hellholes all in the name of smearing capitalism or trying to sway continents such as Africa to use unreliable, intermittent renewable energy is the worse form of environmental practice. These lies halt “mining, logging, fossil fuels extraction and environmentalists condemn communities to poverty.”

But environmentalists rail against America, Trump, Republicans, oil companies, capitalism – when the pathetic irony is – “it’s not really about pollution or reducing CO2 emissions or solving the energy needs of the most needy and making the world cleaner and healthier.” American companies many times are the only way developing countries have access to better lives or have the resources to clean up environmental deprivations. Environmentalists should praise America and understand it is India and China that should truly scare the entire world for the damage both countries are doing to their countries and collective global health. America is the solution:

“Since 2005, U.S. carbon dioxide emissions have fallen by 758 million metric tons. It’s the largest decline of any country in the world, while China’s and India’s CO2 emissions mushroomed by 3 billion and 1 billion metric tons respectively.”

French philosopher and political activist, Jean Paul Sartre said: “A victory described in detail is indistinguishable from defeat.” For the environmental movement who are the winners and losers when it comes to energy and electricity? The energy debate is now a zero-sum game. Someone wins and someone loses. Instead of looking at all energy and electrical options – then putting forth balanced, reasonable energy policy without thinking about the next election cycle.