Part 1 has been extended to Part 2. Part 1 grew larger than WordPress can accommodate in a single post, the same problem I discovered on the original Covid hypocrites list. Too many hypocrites!
Climate Activists Argue for Property Destruction and Acts of Violence
Malm argues that while the majority of climate action should remain non-violent, no social sea change — from the suffragettes to the Civil Rights Movement — has succeeded through completely peaceful activism. “We shouldn’t engage in assassinations or terrorism, or use arms and things like that,” he says. “But until that line or boundary, we need virtually everything … all the way up to sabotage and property destruction.”
Should the Climate Movement Embrace Property Destruction? – Bloomberg
To this end, they go around slashing SUV tires. Sounds productive. This means more oil will be consumed to manufacture new tires, the old tires will go to a landfill – and time, expense and more oil will be consumed towing the vehicles off to repair. Yes, that makes sense because you care about the climate.
They oppose democracy and the use of conventional facts and logic arguments to persuade others to adopt their agenda. Instead (see Part 1 for their own words on this) they believe they need only 3% of the population behind them to force change and mandates on the other 97%. In other words, they directly oppose democracy and favor authoritarian dictatorships ruled by a tiny technocratic elite – who are clearly smarter than you and I. If you disagree you must be banished, canceled, and be labeled a Nazi white supremacist climate denier. That’s the sum of their intellectual firepower argument on this.
The climate elite believe destroying others’ property and ending democracy are appropriate measures. This screen capture is from the Bloomberg News main page, taken on January 1, 2023:
And the adults demonstrate middle school behaviors once again in 2023: Climate change protesters target famous sculpture at National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC (msn.com) USA Today notes they make demands based on threats of more criminal acts against the people – to get attention. They believe a minority can force change on the majority – because democracy sucks. Instead of trying facts and logic and persuasive argument, they hold the public hostage is the way to enforce their viewpoint. The protestors believe they and they alone should be in charge. Your views, and harms to you do not matter. There is only one solution and it is the protestors solution. Down with Democracy!
“Last Generation”/”Letzte Generation”
Adults with the behavior of six-year-olds, representing the “Last Generation”, a supposed environmental group in Germany, destroyed the “Monument of Fundamental Rights” near the Parliament building.
“It [the monument] stands as a reminder to respect our fundamental rights,” she added — including the right to freedom of expression and assembly that they [activists] themselves enjoyed.
Anger As Climate Activists Smear German Monument | Barron’s (barrons.com)
These adults with the behavior of six-year olds have done this before: Climate Activists Throw ‘Black, Oily Liquid’ at a Klimt Painting in Vienna in Second Attack in the City in a Week (artnet.com)
Besides being childish, none of this behavior leads to a reduction in carbon emissions. Further, these activists are opposed to democracy itself. They are anti-democracy and pro-authoritarian governments.
Their actions have also led to many become disenchanted with climate change activists and reducing carbon emissions.
Elite stay in “ecofriendly” Luxury Hotels Throughout the World
Because they can fly everywhere and spend $500 to $1000/night and you cannot. As long as the new luxury hotels brand themselves as eco-friendly, you’re all good! And aren’t they so virtuous?
This is not even a parody:
Surrounding myself with nature in a secluded spot, away from life’s stressors but with creature comforts, sits high on my travel wish list, which is entirely the point of this “landscape hotel” in Alaska. Borealis Basecamp was a trendsetter with its glass-ceiling igloos, but the latest glass cube additions take it up a notch. Lie in your queen-size bed and watch an epic aurora borealis light show through 10-feet-high floor-to-ceiling windows in tiny homes tucked in Alaska’s wild forests. The cubes are spaced out so you’ll feel like you’re the only guest around. Add a hot shower with heated towels, flushable toilet and a steaming cup of cocoa and it’s easy to imagine not wanting to be anywhere but here. Two-night packages start at $1,793 per person.
German Climate Activists Skip Their Court Trial … and Fly 7,000 miles to Vacation in Bali
Climate movement defends members who flew to Bali and skipped trial (telegraph.co.uk) (Paid link)
Alternate link: Climate movement defends members who flew to Bali and skipped trial (archive.is)
Yannick and Luisa S. skipped attending their trial where they are accused of past crimes – and instead flew 7,000 miles to Bali for a “vacation”. (They have since claimed they did not go to Bali – but to Thailand – because Luisa long dreamed of going there – want to bet she has traveled all over the world? They then blame “everyone else” and say we should not blame climate activists for their hypocrisy.)
Many in Germany pointed to their hypocrisy of demanding others make sacrifices while they fly about the world. Indeed, these hypocrites have shut down air transport because, they say, air transport is evil.
The Letzte Generation children stamp their feet like six-year-olds and glue themselves to streets to shut down traffic. In November 2022, the group stopped an emergency vehicle responding to an injured cyclist that was involved in a collision with a truck. The cyclist died in a hospital, after the delay.
Like all activists, they are self-centered, arrogant narcissists opposed to democracy, who demand everyone agree with them – or else. Whiny little brats that block roadways to prevent people from getting to work – such as scientists and engineers working on climate solutions, and health care workers saving lives. They are funded by Getty (see part 1).
Like all these activists, they are self-centered hypocrites – do as I say but not as I do, they tell us. Because they are more righteous than you, you stupid peon. It’s ok for them to fly 7,000 miles on vacation to avoid going to trial – but if you fly, shame on you. Their two faced double standard has enraged the people of Germany, say reports.
Nicole Systrom, CIO Galvanize Climate Solutions
Her history from college studies on ward has been focused on “urgent climate change solutions” to this “essential threat“. She also has an extensive dozen+ year history of domestic and global air travel to multiple continents documented on her Instagram page (she is married to the co-founder of Instagram) including Europe, Brazil, Japan, China and other locations. As best I can tell, she has not told others to avoid flying, at least, so not as hypocritical as others on these pages.
European Council President Charles Michel
European Council President “…regularly covers the short distance from Brussels to Paris or Strasbourg to Brussels on a private jet.” In fact, 64% of his travel is via private jet, including private jet flights to climate conferences. But he’s on top of climate actions by you, just not by him: “We have a climatic gun to our head. We are living on borrowed time,” he said, before adding: “We are, and will remain, champions of climate action.”
Senator Diane Feinstein
From her web site (May 2023) climate change is really, really important:
Senator Feinstein has a proven record of fighting to protect our climate and eliminate harmful greenhouse gases. California knows all too well the dangers that climate changes poses. From worsening wildfires to longer droughts, we’re already experiencing the negative effects of climate change. Senator Feinstein supports reducing our carbon footprint through efficient technologies, reducing vehicle emissions to zero and investing in renewable energy sources.
She has a short booklet on the topic (PDF file).
In her own words: “Diesel trucks and airplanes are two of the largest sources of carbon emissions“
In May of 2023, she flew back to Washington, DC by private jet.
Dianne Feinstein, one of the nation’s wealthiest senators, often flies on her husband’s private jet from Washington to California, and has reportedly offered rides on the jet to other Western senators
How the President, Cabinet Officials, Congress and First Family Fly – The Points Guy
Because she’s a Senator and you are not. If you note this hypocrisy, you are the one peddling misinformation, and are probably a Nazi sympathizer – so shut up plebeian!
Rep. Nancy Pelosi
2022: Pelosi spent almost $500K on private jets since October 2020
“Flying on a private jet is probably the worst thing you can do for the environment,” T&E aviation director Andrew Murphy said in the report. “And yet, super-rich super polluters are flying around like there’s no climate crisis.”
2023: Pelosi continues massive private jet spending after relinquishing leadership post (yahoo.com)
2023: Pelosi reaches $700K in gas-guzzling private jet payments despite pushing green energy
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg
Private jets are wrong when other people do it – Buttigieg has criticized others for traveling on private jets but it’s fine for him to do it: Sec. Buttigieg insists use of private planes more efficient, saves money, for some DOT travel. But it’s okay because he worries about climate change a lot and vowed to fight for NetZero emissions.
His staff argues he uses commercial flights and only uses private jets when it is a more efficient use of his time. Because his time is important and yours is not. Know your place plebeian!
Update: Except when he and family member flew to the Netherlands for a sports event honoring injured military members – on what is basically a private military jet. Because he can and you can’t.
Elon Musk
Musk is famous for his founding of Tesla, building electric vehicles, solar panels and large-scale battery banks.
He is a prolific business jet flyer: Elon Musk’s Private Jet Travels More Than Some of the Richest US Billionaires (bloomberg.com)
In 2022, his jet flew 171 private flights equivalent to flying around the planet over 12 times.
But remember, as long are you are talking about climate change (Bill Gates, etc) taking pictures of the environment (artists bemoaning climate change while traveling around the world), or just saying you care, the lifestyle changes that you demand of everyone else need not apply to you – because you are more virtuous!
Gosia Wozniaka, The Oregonian
She is the “environmental justice reporter” for The Oregonian newspaper. One recent story tells us Oregon lacks sufficient electricity generation but we should
- replace wood stoves with electric furnaces
- buy an electric vehicle to replace gas vehicles
- replace your home’s gas furnace with a heat pump
- replace your gas stove/oven with an electric one
- install solar panels (which are not very efficient west of the Cascades due to frequent cloud cover all year) – I have solar PV on my home but I live east of the Cascades where the weather is more favorable to electricity generation
Curious – what distinguishes reporting from evangelism? This is not a report on events – this an opinion column telling us how to live our lives in 2023.
What would these “improvements” cost a typical home owner in Oregon?
- Cost of a new electric furnace installation varies widely: $1,500 to $9,500; may require installation of 220v line, may require electric panel upgrade which can add low thousands of $s in cost.
- Cost of replacing a gas furnace with a heat pump: $4,000 to $12,000. If using fuel oil, decommissioning the fuel tank can cost thousands of $s.
- Cost of replacing a gas stove with an electric stove: $400 to $2,000. Cost of running a new 220v line for our kitchen cost just over $1,000, where we had to do that several years ago, which is in addition to the cost of the new electric stove and installation.
- She did not mention it, but presumably one should replace a gas water heater with an electric water heater or even newer heat pump electric water heaters (2x to 3x more expensive than traditional water heaters).
- Cost of solar PV: Our small system, half the size of most of our neighbors’ systems, was about $18,000 before tax credits. Cost of our neighbors’ systems was about $30,000 before tax credits. Because we heat our home using local wood pellets, our overall electricity use is about half that of our neighbors, who heat with electricity.
- Cost of an EV comparable to a mid-range ICE vehicle: $50,000. Costs of adding an EV charging station is variable and depends on proximity to electric panel and having a circuit available for a 220 line. This can cost low hundreds to low thousands of dollars.
- Electric cooking, heating and water heating cost up to 6x to 8x more per month to operate. Since these are the largest consumers of electricity in a home, this can easily double the monthly electric bill. (Our household energy use runs about 10-15 KWH/day – however, if we turn on the electric furnace heat pump in the cold season (4 season climate with winter time snow), our electricity demand, typically, increases to about 75 KWh / day, which increases the potential electric bill for those not on solar PV. The increase would depend on local rates, but could add $9 to $27/day in costs; gas usually costs half of that.)
The cost of these alterations to your home, not including the purchase of an EV, could readily reach $50,000. Throw in an EV and we are at $100+k. How sustainable is this for the general population, when the same newspaper tells us inflation is out of control and everyone is struggling financially? How much sunk lifetime energy and emissions costs of old appliances are thrown away?
Maybe you get a 5-10% subsidy in the form of the government giving your future tax money back to you today.
I suspect she is a very nice person, very talented at what she does and is a good reporter, but per her own web page, she appears to fly back and forth between Europe and the US frequently and likely enjoys dual citizenship privileges. She refers to herself in her Twitter bio as a “world citizen”.
Wozniacka was born in Poland when it was still a communist country. Her family became refugees in France when she was 12 years old, just a year before the Germans dismantled the Berlin Wall. Two years later, unable to stop moving, the family immigrated to the United States. Wozniacka has studied and worked on both continents and is often on the road between the two. She is fluent in English, Polish, Spanish and French (which means immersion in those cultures from likely having lived in such countries) and received her Master’s degree from the Graduate School of Journalism at UC Berkeley. She also spent a year training in long-form narrative writing at the Institute of Reportage in Warsaw, Poland.
GOSIA WOZNIACKA | journalist
She returned from the U.S. to go to college in Poland, then pursued more education back in the U.S., then returned to Poland later for another program – and as she notes, “is often on the road between the two”. She has done reporting from Central America and India, as well as Europe and the U.S. While she has not – yet – advocated everyone else should not fly – this seems a bit at odds with “environmental justice” that advocates we cut our carbon emissions to zero.
Reminder that per the standard of elite environmental communicators, the rest of us are not supposed to be traveling.
Somehow, it is always ok for the elite and the elite environmentalists to travel the world – and the most successful do so by private jet while telling the rest of us to stay home. Since they are global and we are not, they are the elite. Frequent global travel is always fine if you document how awful the world is and how climate change is destroying life on the planet.
Davos World Economic Forum 2023
Of course, they did: The rich and powerful flocked to Davos via private jet to discuss climate change, study finds (yahoo.com)
At the elite confab, they are telling us to not travel and some participants have said we should all eat vegetarian food in the future – or fake meat products – while they travel and enjoy foods (even meat!) flown in from throughout the world, prepared by top chefs. But it’s okay, all of this is just conspiracy theory say the media overlords, even though WEF had posted past items on their web site suggesting these changes to society.
At Davos, everything is always in “crisis”. (“Crisis” has become the go-to word for propagandists – just search Google news for “crisis” – and everything is a crisis): “it’s more that so many Davos attendees arrive with an ambitious plan to save the world, and that plan to save the world usually involves making the rest of us change to fit their visions.” A “crisis” gives an excuse to let the global elite run wild – because it is all for our own best interests. Of course.
Taylor Swift
Michael Bloomberg
According to a 2020 article in Vanity Fair, Michael Bloomberg owns eight houses in New York state alone, and “he also reportedly owns several properties in London, Florida, Colorado, and Bermuda.” Thus, Bloomberg may own a dozen houses. How many of those houses have gas stoves? I’ll make a wild guess and bet that it’s more than one. Oh, and according to Vanity Fair, while he was mayor of New York, Bloomberg “was known to spend weekends” at his house in Bermuda, “traveling back and forth on private jets.” And what is fueling those private jets? I’m guessing here, but it’s probably not organic quinoa.
The Billionaires Behind The Gas Bans – Robert Bryce (substack.com)
Laurene Powell Jobs
Forbes recently reported that Jobs owns a Gulfstream G650 (list price about $66 million) that burns about 500 gallons of jet fuel per hour. When not zooming around on her jet, she also spends time on a $120 million yacht called the Venus says The Billionaires Behind The Gas Bans – Robert Bryce (substack.com)
This private jet travel is fully justified because (a) she’s important and you are not, and (b) she’s pro-climatecrisis and has donated $3.5 billion to climate action group The Waverley Street Foundation. From their web site, it is unclear what they do and how it would impact the climate. I cannot find anything concrete that they are doing to have an impact on climate. But there is a lot of word salad talk.
Jeff Bezos
Bezos reportedly owns two Gulfstream G-650ERs. After Bezos flew to the 2021 climate meeting in Glasgow, a representative from the Bezos Earth Fund told Business Insider that all was well because the billionaire “uses sustainable aviation fuel, and offsets all carbon emissions from his flights.”
Note – billionaires can readily afford to purchase what are widely regarded as scam carbon offsets. You can’t. But they use this to justify their carbon footprints the size of a planet.
The Billionaires Behind The Gas Bans – Robert Bryce (substack.com)
Bill Gates – Again.
After traveling around Australia by private jet – to discuss climate change – as of February 22, 2023, he’s headed off to India, via private jet – to discuss climate change.
Yesterday I read (see down below) that a group of scientists proposes we should ration food, energy and travel to protect the planet. The news article referred to Climate Lock Downs. You can be certain such nonsensical and unsustainable rules will never apply to them, because surely, they are doing God’s work.
Climate Jet Setter John Kerry – Again
In addition to Kerry’s government travel, the climate official in 2019 took a private jet to a climate conference in Iceland, a decision he defended in an infamous spat with a local reporter. “It’s the only choice for somebody like me who is traveling the world to win this battle,” Kerry said at the time. Kerry went on to quietly sell his family’s private jet to a New York City hedge fund amid accusations of environmental hypocrisy, Fox News reported Wednesday.
Note the Buttigieg argument – sometimes it’s important and efficient for me to fly on a private jet while I tell the rest of you to remain in your residential lockdown. Because being efficient for your travel is wrong for you but right for him. So fuck off you stupid little peon. If you need to go somewhere, take the 72-hour train to Chicago, or the 10-day ship across the Atlantic. But only if you have a really important, elite-approved reason for travel.
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
Here is how climatecrisis enthusiast Rep. Swalwell lives his life:
Swalwell has consistently used donor funds on limousines, flights, yachts, and posh hotels, including internationally.
Eric Swalwell spent more campaign cash on travel and luxury accommodations than Nancy Pelosi | Fox News
He calls the climatecrisis “climate chaos”. But by his own actions, he is a climatehypocrite.
He is exempt from the limits he will be impose on your life choices. He’s more important than you.
Scientists Say We Must Go to Climate Rationing and Lockdowns
This is the typical celebrity scientist technocratic elite’s solution – it is unsustainable and will accomplish nothing other than actual harms. And 100% guaranteed coddled affluent elite scientists will be exempt.
This is based on a belief that (a) models are correct (see Disease Models for your answer on that), and (b) we can manage the climate as effectively as we managed Covid (which is to say, a 100% failure).
Juxtaposed Headlines of the Day
CNBC, March 30, 2023
Private jet flights, mostly short runs, rose to over one half million in Europe in 2022.
The most popular destinations for private jet flights in Europe in 2022 were the French Riviera city of Nice, France’s capital of Paris and Switzerland’s second-most populous city of Geneva.
The passengers on these flights promote climate change lock downs for you but not for them.
After A While
After a while, you get the impression that “climate change” has nothing to do with the climate and everything to do with a predetermined goal of a future controlled by technocratic elite authoritarians. Their primary solutions to climate control are heavy handed, in opposition to democracy and freedom – and in favor of rule by elite authoritarians. This is not how we should be solving big problems – but it works for the elite.
The hypocrisy on display is stunning: they intend to impose draconian measures on everyone except themselves.
I have no way to know if climate change is real or not. The last 3 years of public health nonsense, dueling experts, inconsistent, contradictory, and incoherent messaging caused me and many others to distrust Experts. I do not believe The Experts understand the damage wrought by authoritative statements and actions that proved to be completely wrong. I have zero confidence that governments will act on climate change in away that is beneficial – as with Covid, where public health NPIs had little impact, government actions on climate will have little impact but will likely create significant harms.
Research shows that Expert projections about the future are virtually always wrong – in fact, worse than random guessing.
The Experts are setting us up for policy disaster – just as we saw with Covid. Because they know better than all of us. They are elite. We are just stupid people.
As explained at the end of Part 1, I have assumed that human induced climate change is real and I have been doing everything I can do to reduce my carbon footprint. BUT – when the promoters of climate change have carbon footprints the size of planetary systems, have multiple mansions and demand the rest of us ruin our lives – while they gallivant about the globe in private jets – it does not look like they believe one word of what they are proclaiming.
The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, for example, proposes we should each be limited to one round trip air flight per two years. This will never apply to the elite of the world. (Never mind that this is infeasible, unsustainable and would cause immense harm while accomplishing nothing.)
This is not a persuasive argument for us to sacrifice our lives so billionaires can invest in companies selling government mandated products and services that will enrich the billionaires (ala Pfizer and Covid). It looks like Animal Farm where everyone is equal but some are more equal than others – or may be just communism as nearly all solutions revolve around turning our lives over to unelected technocratic elite, since they are smarter than us (just like public health and Covid, right?)
If climate change is real, then everyone should be equal.
Messaging should focus on solutions and hope – not fear, doom and gloom causing massive mental health problems worldwide.
Solutions must be oriented towards being practical and sustainable. Never flying again, never driving again, locking yourself in your own home for the rest of eternity is not sustainable and will not lead to a better future for anyone and will not make one bit of difference to the global climate. Yet this is the climate lockdown mindset, which worked so well for Covid (not).
Labeling anyone who asks questions as a “climate denier” is the propaganda technique of name calling and intentionally links any skeptic with “holocaust denier” – this is by design.
This is identical to what occurred when people disagreed with Ehrlich’s Population Bomb theories, which were wrong the day they were written. His theories became a meme where everyone knew he was right (based on the appeal to authority argumentative form) and those who disagreed were canceled and thrown off the bus. In the 1970s and 1980s, he did the talk show circuits and his wrong ideas were widely disseminated, while the few you said he was wrong, were canceled.
I will continue to do my part to seek out continuous efficiency improvements – in a way that is sustainable. I will not, however, live my life in a cave, freezing in the darkness, and nor should you.
[…] Link to Part 2: Climate Hypocrites (there is more!) […]