Kerry’s statements reflect the moral failings of climate extremism

Last week, John Kerry told a Harvard audience how he thinks we need to address climate change: “We need to get people to behave as if this really is a major transitional challenge to the whole planet.”

Climate change policy too often reflects a mindset of using government to change how people behave, such as imposing limits or bans on the sale of new gas-powered cars.

And this arrogance doesn’t know geographical bounds, with a desire to tell people in other countries how to live their lives. This is reflected in yet another Kerry statement at Harvard: “People in Africa who don’t have electricity need to choose the right kind of electricity.”

So, people in Africa without electricity, don’t prioritize meeting basic needs such as cooling your home over what John Kerry thinks is the right sort of electricity.

His statements are absurd to most people, but too many policymakers didn’t get that memo. Unfortunately, it’s not just one person making wacky statements. Kerry isn’t an exception when it comes to climate policy extremism. In fact, he’s a spokesperson for the extremist vision. The Biden administration literally made him our country’s climate envoy to share this vision to the world.
 
Extremist policies treat climate change as the worst of our problems, with little to no regard if those policies exacerbate other problems, including what most people deem more important or pressing concerns – like reduced access to affordable, reliable electricity for the poor, increased consumer costs, and restrictions on the freedom to choose the cars we drive and the appliances we use.

Extremists ignore the reality of costs and tradeoffs. They are also out of touch with the concerns of Americans. Climate change is a low priority for most Americans, with it being ranked 17th out of 21 national issues included in a 2023 Pew Research Survey.

It’s unacceptable to directly and knowingly exacerbate problems now, like energy poverty, for the sake of a speculative and marginal benefit in the future – i.e. little to no measurable effect on global temperatures. Yet this is what the climate extremists are pushing.

The Heritage Foundation, using a clone of the U.S. Energy Information Administration model, found, “Even assuming that the Earth’s temperatures are highly sensitive to [greenhouse gas] emissions, eliminating all U.S. emissions would mitigate global temperatures by less than 0.2 degrees Celsius by 2100.”

If eliminating all emissions would have a miniscule effect, then the numerous climate policies’ effect on global temperatures would be so small that it likely wouldn’t be measurable. All pain, no gain.

A fundamental flaw that underlies climate extremism is a failure to recognize or appreciate that humans will adapt and innovate to address future challenges, including any problems connected to climate change. They don’t appreciate that humans, as the late economist Julian Simon argued, are the ultimate resource. Extremists apply the same scare tactics and pessimism about humans regarding climate change that many on the far left incorrectly applied to population growth.

To solve problems, policymakers must prioritize policies that embrace economic freedom and allow for people to have greater opportunities to improve their lives. This won’t happen under policies that hamper economic growth, limit freedom, and reduce innovation.

Policymakers need to remember that advancing human prosperity today isn’t an obstacle but a prerequisite for a better future.