A convenient truth

The "debate" over man-made climate change has, for a long time, not been about science, potential threats to the environment or anything of the sort. The debate has instead turned into a fierce battle over political intervention on the free market. Leftists pick those science data and speculations that indicate that man is having devastating effect on Earth's climate, and use it to suggest a bigger government, heavier taxes and stricter regulations. Those to the right play the opposite game, also plucking those science research and speculations that fit their cause - that of a smaller State and freeer market.

As uninteresting as this is, I sometimes feel myself forced to enter the "scientific" debate about potential human-induced climate change to fight the statist propaganda. One tool to help me do that are reports like these, Positive Environmentalism: A Convenient Truth:

Wealth is vital if we are to adapt, and help poor countries adapt, to climate change if that becomes necessary. And wealth is also essential to the development of those new technologies that truly have the potential to set us free from environmental danger.

The tone of the report is not the one of unlimited optimism or denial of "potential" climate change. Instead, the approach is this: If any climate change is on its way (or already in progress), then the correct way to handle it is not to keep mankind down with regulations, taxation and other State interference, but to focus on that which will allow mankind to become wealthier and in that way give a bigger proportion of mankind the necessary means to survive and be comfortable in the new, upcoming climate.

It's not my favorite thing in the world to argue for freedom on these terms, but I guess it is useful while the Leftist-environmental movement is slowly being exposed as the statist-movement it is, and its agendas exposed as just another way to expand the State and strangle the free market.