You might remember when Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.) held up and tossed a snowball during a Senate session in February of 2015 to "prove" that global warming was not negatively impacting climate. Or when Marjorie Taylor Green argued in June of 2022 that global warming is positive for the earth because the planet is greener, there is more food, and fossil fuels were extracted and available to heat homes, all saving lives. As usual, there is absolutely no evidence, just opinion.
You know how you can tell when children (or adults) are making things up, when the answers are vague and generalizing, yet with a tone of condescending confidence in their illogical literal logics. Well, MTG could give a masterclass to kindergarteners. Perhaps MTG found a way to fit the triangle in the square and has not looked back since.
Well, the literal reading of the Bible–I mean climate data–has made another appearance on the Senate floor. During a recent Senate Budget Committee Hearing, "Under the Weather: Diagnosing the Health Costs of Climate Change," Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) is the latest politician to ground their analysis of climate change in the kindergarten level logic that argues people in cold climates will benefit from global warming. Johnson also does not seem to grasp that state, national, and continental borders do not function to stop clouds, storms, earthquakes, fires, and other climate events. You can check out the video clip of Johnson's higher-order thinking here.
Perhaps Inhofe, Green, Johnson, and their ilk should subscribe to Season 3 of the "Temperature Check" podcast to learn more and expand their analytical perspective.
"Grist is excited to introduce Temperature Check, a new show about climate, race, and culture. 2020 has been a year of reckoning with racial justice on a global scale, while another global crisis – climate change – continues to grow. But these two stories are actually one and the same: climate justice is racial justice. Join us and host Andrew Simon each week as we talk to inspiring leaders, changemakers, and journalists about the overlaps between climate change and social justice, and how unsung leaders in pop culture are reimagining a better, more just planet."
"Season 3 is all about pivot points: How does a special education teacher nearing retirement become a renowned environmental justice advocate? What leads a climate journalist to become an electrician, or a corporate executive to create a mobility-justice nonprofit? We asked six climate and justice leaders to share their stories of changing course in their lives or careers in order to bring meaningful change to their communities."
