Four hundred years ago, the Catholic Church found Galileo Galilei “vehemently suspect of heresy” and sentenced him to house arrest for the remainder of his life. His offending thoughts and book were banned, as were all future books he might consider writing. His crime? Suggesting that the Earth was not the centre of the universe.

Today’s scientists are modern-day Galileos, viciously attacked at every turn by deniers with half-truths and outright falsehoods. Today’s Inquisitors are the Deniers, their church Market Fundamentalism, and they worship the Almighty Dollar. Ultimately, their true religion is the same as it was 400 years ago for the Roman Catholic Church: Power, Privilege, Prestige. And, now as then, the Inquisitors are terrified by the implications of a scientific discovery because it threatens their position. Continue reading →

To some, this seems ridiculous. To others, however, it is eminently reasonable. Let me explain why the charges are justified, and why Rex Tillerson.

The Case for Prosecution

In a post on Celsias.com, I laid out the case:

If climate change can reasonably be expected to cause severe consequences, including large-scale loss of material goods, wealth, land, livelihood, and life; and

In a previous and apparently somewhat controversial article, I laid out what individuals are likely to do as despair and anger rise over climate inaction. I was not recommending these actions, but some readers interpreted it that way and seemed very threatened by what desperate individuals will do. We must also consider what nations are liable to do, especially those right on the front lines of climate change. Many nations will be desperate – they are literally in a life-or-death situation – and some are certain to take drastic action.

Useless Actions

Also known as symbolic actions, these have on effect on someone who really doesn’t care what you think of him. I have previously described the actions of the developed nations as predatory, in that they will still be talking long after the poor countries have devolved into climate chaos. Continue reading →

I interviewed Elizabeth May yesterday on my “Climate Change Reality Radio Show,” Breakin’ Ice, and she’s certainly a smart cookie. By far the most knowledgeable of the federal leaders on global warming, greening the economy, and so on, she’s also the only one who ‘gets’ the danger of climate change. I’ll post back when the podcast is available.

But there is one critical thing she doesn’t get, and neither do most well-meaning people: Those she is up against have a different morality. I have called it the Predator Morality, as it accurately describes the behaviour of the deniers and free market fundamentalists. Think about the Canadian Harper government; these are people who wrote a secret manual on subverting our democratic system. Do you really think they are going to negotiate in good faith or that their word can be trusted?These are people who put ideology before their own children. Calling them predators is not name-calling; it is an accurate description of their observed behaviour.

To a predator, all truth is relative because Might Makes Right. Predators believe that he with the power makes the rules, and therefore the only thing that matters or is true is the truth as he sees it. To a predator, it is not wrong to lie to achieve power or other goals. It is perfectly acceptable to sacrifice others for your good; they were obviously weaker. If inconvenient scientific ‘facts’ arise, then they should be suppressed and the blasphemous scientists discredited or fired. Continue reading →