EDITORIAL: Boulder scientists warn of ‘climate change catastrophism’ | Opinion

Enough with climate-change scare tactics. They hurt people, possibly more than they will suffer from climate change.

This is our takeaway from a letter written by a climate scientist in Canada and two leading climate scientists in Boulder, widely considered the “Silicon Valley of Environmental Sciences.”

The city is home to the National Center for Atmospheric Research, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Earth System Research Laboratories, the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and dozens of scientific nonprofits dedicated to studying the climate.

Nature magazine listed the University of Colorado in Boulder seventh among the world’s “Top 10 institutions for Earth and environmental sciences in 2018.”

In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists warn of too much focus by the scientific community on unlikely worst-case scenarios — including imminent extinction of human life — rather than more plausible outcomes that fall between Armageddon on one extreme and “no worries” on the other.

Alarmism, they explain, leads to impossible goals of ending fossil fuel consumption by midcentury, social disarray and mental health problems.

Perhaps most troubling, scientists warning against alarmism raised concerns about the mental health of young people who believe the world will end soon — long before educations and healthy lifestyles pay off.

“Climate catastrophism may be contributing to the youth mental health crisis,” they wrote. “In a recent international youth survey, 45% reported thoughts of climate change negatively affecting their daily lives and functioning, and 40% reported being hesitant to have children.”

A 2020 survey by the American Psychological Association supports their concern.

“Nearly half of those age 18-34 (47%) say the stress they feel about climate change affects their daily lives,” said Arthur Evans Jr., Ph.D., the Psychological Association’s chief executive officer.

Most people in and around Boulder remember the death of prominent Boulder resident Wynn Bruce, who set himself ablaze on Earth Day this year in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. He reportedly killed himself to protest climate change.

“What I do not want to happen is that young people start thinking about self-immolation,” said a close friend of Bruce, as quoted in The New York Times.

Aggressive climate-change policies are also causing low-income Americans to go hungry as the cost of traditional fuels spike and lead to broad-based inflation.

Indeed, the climate is changing. Society needs to address it with real solutions. None of those solutions benefit from needless and counterproductive catastrophizing that harms humanity.

We will best address climate change by sticking with the science, embracing achievable policies and avoiding histrionics.

The Gazette Editorial Board