The religion of environmentalism

This article was published in The News-Sentinel on January 1, 2010.

By Donna Volmerding

In 1543, scientist Nicholas Copernicus (1473-1543) stated that the earth and other planets rotate around the sun. Because his “heliocentric” theory defied 1,500 years of scientific tradition, his book was banned by the Vatican until 1835.
Astronomer and mathematician Galileo (1564-1642) believed the Copernican theory to be correct and stated so in 1632. He was tried before the Inquisition (a tribunal of the Roman Catholic Church to suppress heresy), declared guilty, forced to renounce his beliefs and placed under house arrest until his death.
As the world becomes more secular, the platitudes of the New Age religion of the far left — environmentalism — have replaced America’s origin in Judeo-Christianity. The environmental movement has gone way past its exemplary original intent — clean water, clean air, don’t pollute. Today, scientists who refuse to toe the line of global warming or climate change are ostracized, mocked and dismissed by the present-day equivalent of the Inquisition — the climate change true believers who will tolerate no other ideas.
Tens of thousands of scientists around the world have expressed doubts concerning the accuracy of climate change. “Climate changers” are befuddled by their inability to explain why the earth is not warming; 1998 was the last “warmest year on record.” And the polar bears? Their number has increased by five times since Al Gore first postulated their extinction. The earth has normal cycles of warming and cooling, just as it has for eons.
As thousands of e-mails from a British research center (the Hadley Climatic Research Unit) prove, climate changers have suppressed other voices, manipulated data, engaged in secrecy, threatened, lied and bullied.
Robert Tracinski, in “Climate Gate: The Fix is In,” reports that a prominent global-warming alarmist admits to using a statistical “trick” to “hide the decline” in temperatures.
“Confirming the earlier scandal about cherry-picked data,” Tracinski says, “the e-mails show CRU scientists conspiring to evade legal requests, under the Freedom of Information Act, for their underlying data.” The “peer review” process, having scientific papers reviewed by other scientists for publication in professional journals, has been corrupted, too. Tracinski warns of “a mechanism for an entrenched establishment to exclude legitimate challenges by simply refusing to give critics a hearing.”
However, the dangers of this intolerance have more ramifications than mere pontificating by true believers. Auto companies are fighting for their lives, constricted by draconian rules on emissions. Our clean coal-fired plants will be closed or taxed so excessively they can’t compete. Because almost 90 percent of Indiana’s electric power comes from coal, Hoosier taxpayers will suffer greatly if President Obama’s “cap and trade” bill passes.
We don’t have to do this. The United States has the largest energy reserves on Earth, according to a report from the Congressional Research Service, including oil, natural gas and coal.
“‘Our overwhelming coal, natural gas and oil resources represent tens of trillions of dollars in wealth and millions of American jobs,’ said Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), who, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), released the report. ‘Government policies that unnecessarily restrict or prevent our ability to responsibly produce these domestic resources are threatening, and could eventually undermine, our nation’s economic and national security.’”
“Climategate” has been dubbed by many as “a scam of biblical proportions.” If this is true, it has cost us billions of dollars and will cost trillions more. Let’s step back, take a deep breath and think things through. It will take time, so let’s not rush into global treaties, cap and trade legislation or any other climate-change bills until all voices can be heard. America’s future is at stake.