It has been a while since I published a review by G. Tracy Mehan III, a frequent contributor to WaterWired, executive director for government affairs at the American Water Works Association and adjunct professor at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University. He writes great book reviews (and other things) so when he sends me something I post it. This review of Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All by Michael Shellenberger will be published in the November/December 2020 issue of the The Environmental Forum. I am guessing that this review might generate more controversy than most I post. But that is fine.
Download Apocalypse Never Review
Here are the first few paragraphs of his review:
A recent front-page headline in the New York Times stated, “Disastrous Wave of Climate Events Slams California. Scientists Fear Fires Are Just the Start.” Journalists Thomas Fuller and Christopher Flavelle, report that “multiple mega fires [are] burning more than three million acres.” They continue, “If climate change was a somewhat abstract notion a decade ago, it is all too real for Californians.”
These are certainly disastrous events; but Michael Shellenberger, author of Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All, demurs as to any linkage between the catastrophic fires in the Golden State and a changing climate. Actually, he rejects the notion entirely.
Shellenberger cites Jon Keeley, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist in California who has researched the topic for forty years: “We’ve looked at the history of climate and fire throughout the whole state, and through much of the state, particularly the western half of the state, we don’t see any relationship between past climates and the amount of the area burned in any given year.” Keeley and other colleagues modeled 37 different regions in the United States and found that “humans may not only influence fire regime but their presence can actually override, or swamp out, the effects of climate.” Indeed, the only statistically significant factors for the frequency and severity of fires, on an annual basis, were population and proximity to deve
Okay, now let's cut to the chase...
Shellenberger discounts a climate apocalypse, but supports nuclear as the primary solution for reconciling economic growth with environmental protection. Many environmentalists envision an apocalypse but discount nuclear energy. It is nothing if not an ironic turn of events.
Shellenberger and his colleagues started organizing pronuclear demonstrations in 30 cities around the world in 2019. Evidently, the cry of “Standup for Nuclear” is resonating in Germany. He was even invited to testify before Congress. Maybe nuclear power is nota lost cause. It should get a second look from the body politic.
Don't forget to read the material I left out. All good.
Excellent - enjoy!
“Never let anyone drive you crazy; it is nearby anyway and the walk is good for you.” - The Cheshire Cat
Recent Comments