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And you thought a virus caused the pandemic

15 Apr 2020 | News Roundup

When the coronavirus pandemic became serious, veteran alarmist Gavin Schmidt took credit for having warned us. Well, yes. Just about the wrong thing, in the wrong way, with the wrong tone. But at least he didn’t blame the pandemic on climate change, as did Vijay Kolinjivadi of the Institute of Development Policy at the University of Antwerp, saying: “Both have their roots in the world’s current economic model – that of the pursuit of infinite growth at the expense of the environment on which our survival depends – and both are deadly and disruptive. In fact, one may argue that the pandemic is part of climate change…” As to how greenhouse gases got those pangolins, civet cats, bats and so on into their cages at the Wuhan market, the details remain to be worked out.

There’s a certain monotony to the herd of pandemic-climate warning Schadenfreude pieces, including Jennifer Good in the Hamilton Spectator saying, well, exactly what you’d expect. “The foundations of a voracious endless growth economy — fossil fuels — are destabilizing the planet’s fundamental functioning; the burning of fossil fuels is destroying what allows us to survive. For decades, environmentalists, scientists and Indigenous people have tried to sound the climate change crisis alarm…. Even after decades of research and warnings, climate change struggles to be seen as the devastating and deadly crisis that it is. Yet the burning of fossil fuels is destabilizing the very foundations of life on the planet.”

How wonderful, then, that the economy is locked down, energy use has cratered and peoples’ livelihoods have been destroyed. “‘Flatten the curve’ has become COVID-19 parlance…. Climate change scientists, activists, Indigenous people have all tried to tell us for decades to flatten the CO2 curve.” And what an opportunity has now arisen: “COVID-19 has shown us what the global community is capable of when we take a crisis seriously, including examples of actions and restraints that have actually lowered CO2 emissions. In her 2019 address to the U.S. Congress, activist Greta Thunberg called climate change ‘the biggest crisis humanity has ever faced.’ COVID-19 does not change this designation, but it does show us what taking action can look like.”

We would phrase it differently: COVID-19 has shown us what the global community is capable of when we face a serious crisis. That no one would rationally consider comparable actions for reducing greenhouse gases is because it is not a serious crisis.

At least it wasn’t until, according to Dr. Kolinjivadi, climate change caused the pandemic. Or maybe capitalism caused the pandemic and the climate crisis together: “it is clear to the majority across the world that climate change is happening as a result of human activity – namely industrial production” which “disrupts ecological cycles… This same process is also responsible for COVID-19 and other outbreaks. The need for more natural resources has forced humans to encroach on various natural habitats and expose themselves to yet unknown pathogens.”

Right. So does that mean COVID-19, SARS, Ebola, Zika and all the rest came from the industrial heartland of the United States? No, oddly enough. But let’s not quibble. “In the case of COVID-19, it is suspected that the virus was transmitted to humans at a ‘wet market’ in the city of Wuhan, where wildlife was being sold... The origin of the virus makes it a perfect example of the way capitalism commodifies life to turn it into profit can directly endanger human life.” Yes, if only they’d been ruled by communists, none of this would have happened.

Still, there’s a silver lining. “The rapid response to COVID-19 around the world illustrates the remarkable capacity of society to put the emergency brake on ‘business-as-usual’ simply by acting in the moment. It shows that we can take radical action if we want to. Lockdowns across the world have already resulted in a significant drop in greenhouse gas emissions and pollutants.” Nor does the reality of the economic collapse dampen his enthusiasm for the climate utopia it puts him in mind of. “We need a just climate transition which ensures the protection of the poor and most vulnerable and which is integrated into our pandemic response. This would not only reverse the climate disaster we are already living in but also minimise the risk of new pandemics like the current one breaking out. The just climate transition should involve economic reforms to introduce ‘planned degrowth’ that puts the wellbeing of people over profit margins.”

So making people poorer puts their well-being first. Just don’t tell them. And then we get “The first step towards that is ensuring the stimulus packages that governments are announcing across the world are not wasted on bailing out corporations.” Well sure. Who needs corporations in the Wutopia to come? Though apparently some new ones might be OK. “We should demand that government funds are instead allocated to decentralised renewable energy production in order to start implementing the Green New Deal and create new meaningful jobs amid the post-COVID-19 economic crisis.” And while we’re at it: “In parallel, we should ensure the provision of universal healthcare and free education, the extension of social protection for all vulnerable populations and the prioritisation of affordable housing.”

Not all alarmists are clinking the champagne glasses. Dr. Kate Marvel, a prominent climate alarmist, said in a Tweet about COVID-19 and climate change: “I cannot believe I have to say this, but no, there is no "silver lining" for the climate in a global pandemic.” Nor, let us point out, is there a silver lining for the global pandemic in the climate.

13 comments on “And you thought a virus caused the pandemic”

  1. It is not COVID-19. It is the Wuhan bat virus. We must continuously remind people of the barbaric cultural practices which result in pandemics, and lead to the extinction and torture of bears, tigers, rhinos, etc. in the preparation of "traditional Chinese medicine."
    Also, the Wuhan Seafood Market did not sell bats or bat soup. It is disputed that there were even pangolins sold there.

  2. What would it take to make those climate idiots go and learn some basic actual science about carbon dioxide and what it really does in the atmosphere? I suppose pigs will fly before the scientific facts (which are not complicated) are general public knowledge.

  3. Your humour is appreciated and cathartic!
    But I'd wager that many readers don't realize that your tongue is firmly in your cheek. I suggest you start using emojis and exclamation points ;‑)!!

  4. I like that they are being more open about stating that this is not about the climate, it is about having a communist utopia headed out of the UN. The honesty is refreshing. That could be the downfall of the movement.

  5. This article provides a great "linking"perspective of how the minds of extreme leftists are thinking. How neatly the rationale was created to once again point to humans and our desire to raise our standards of living as evil and disastrous to mother Gaia earth. The Left's distorted view of justice and equality fails to see that by dramatically reducing production and output that many people will suffer and probably die. They don't want the 3rd world countries, many that still don't have clean water, reliable energy, or enough to eat, to industrialize, or strive to improve their lives to 2nd world standards let alone 1st world standards. What a tremendous crock of hypocrisy!!!

    It may come as a surprise, but this world view is entirely consistent with Agenda 21 and Agenda 2030; manifestos created by the UN and signed by most the nations of the world, and over 2,000 state and counties in the US. Just go to UN.com and search and you will find both laid out in great detail. Surprise, one of their goals is to reduce global population to only 500M! That means that about 94% of us unlucky ones won't make it into the dystopian world that these Agendas are trying to create thru subtle innocuous changes, that ultimately will end in violence and revolution.

  6. Many think this COVID-19 virus should be called the Chinese Communist Party virus and some scientists see evidence of human tampering with it, though others dispute this. It is interesting to note that our ancestors before the last Flood judgement were probably messing around with the human genome as well. [ In my book on the UFO phenomenon, I look at the evidence for advanced science before the Flood . Yes, there's a lot of evidence that this disaster happened!.] That's why many ancient cultures have stories about 1/2 man 1/2 beast creatures. The story goes it came originally from the Wuhan fresh air market from droppings of bats. The virrus was then transferred to humans. At least that's China's story.
    So far the numbers of deaths are a lot smaller than the Spanish Flu of 1918. What we have to fear is the fear of the CCP virus that is driving many believers and unbelievers right now. That is bringing about economic collapse and it will get worse if we don't stop overreacting.

  7. "Rev."
    That "qualification" says everything you need to know about the reliability of the content...
    "Faith is what you have when you substitute emotion for evidence."

  8. The CCP would like us to believe the virus originated in bats sold in the wet market, but it's an odd coincidence that the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a biohazard level 4 facility with a poor safety track record located a short distance from the wet market, just happened to be doing research on coronavirus transmission in bats at the time of the outbreak.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/how-did-covid-19-begin-its-initial-origin-story-is-shaky/2020/04/02/1475d488-7521-11ea-87da-77a8136c1a6d_story.html

  9. “The rapid response to COVID-19 around the world illustrates the remarkable capacity of society to put the emergency brake on ‘business-as-usual’ simply by acting in the moment. It shows that we can take radical action if we want to. Lockdowns across the world have already resulted in a significant drop in greenhouse gas emissions and pollutants.”
    I wonder what the reactions will be when the bill comes in.

  10. Thylacine writes: " "Rev." That "qualification" says everything you need to know about the reliability of the content... Faith is what you have when you substitute emotion for evidence. "
    False argument which begs the question. Why and how does it "tell you everything you need to know"? If does ONLY if you have already made up your mind... ie: you're prejudiced and you have already ruled-out the possibility that any "Rev" might have something true to say.
    Thylacine no doubt has "faith" in "PhD" and like "qualifications". Thylacine takes "on trust" what experts and "scientists" tell him/her. But, "science" simple means "knowledge". A "scientist" is a "know-ist". That's all. Pure and simple.
    A qualification does not guarantee the truth of a proposition. An assertion does not guarantee is truthfulness, either.
    Thylacine would benefit by reading-up on epistemology, the scientific method and some logic before spouting such ignorant, prejudiced claptrap.

  11. Rest assured, Alex P-A, I have read more epistemology, scientific method, logic than you have. I have multiple advanced degrees from some of the most well-known universities in the world. But you need to understand that every comment isn't a thesis.

  12. My comment below refers to the never-ending vilification of man-made CO2 as the single element that is going to bring about earth’s environmental apocalypse.

    The Covid-19 pandemic is a new bewildering virus infection that is confusing with its manifestations in all the infected populations. Lots of models and speculation at this point. But like other infections and conditions, we will never know everything about them. Measles, Ebola, malaria, influenza, autism, multiple sclerosis, cancer, cerebral palsy and all other infections and conditions present complex puzzles. Sure we have created fairly effective vaccines for some of them and antibiotics and chemotherapeutics for others. But our knowledge of the infections and conditions is not even close to being complete.

    The point I want to make here is that the earth’s energy system is a million times more complex than that of the complexity of an infectious agent or disease condition, yet some climate scientists have concluded, without reservation, that CO2 is causing man-made global warming and the earth to be inhabitable within a few decades. Those climate scientists must really think they are brilliant.

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