Some very rich white Americans flew to Glasgow, Scotland, in greenhouse gas-spewing airplanes earlier this month to tell us how they're going to save the world from climate change. They were the usual suspects: President Joe Biden, his Climate Czar John Kerry, former Vice President Al Gore, and Microsoft founder Bill Gates, among others.
These elite, privileged Americans told the rest of us how to save the world by eliminating fossil fuels, driving electric vehicles, throwing away gas-powered equipment and eating fake meat in order to combat bovine flatulence. They gave us their unsolicited advice while riding around Glasgow in long, gas-powered motorcades. Biden won the motorcade prize by parading around in a royal procession that was more than 50 vehicles long. Instead of apologizing to the world for leaving the Paris Climate Accords, Biden should have apologized to the Scottish people for snarling traffic for miles around.
After delivering their speeches, these elitist Americans flew back home, spewing more noxious greenhouse gases into the atmosphere along the way. Some of those speeches were so long and boring that much of the audience fell asleep, including Biden at one point. White House spokespersons were quick to explain that "he was just resting his eyes." Whew, what a relief!
Before you accuse me of being a climate change denier, let me state clearly that I believe climate change is real, but I don't think anyone knows for sure what the human contribution to this issue is. The Glasgow summit didn't help us understand what's really going on because speakers offered conflicting views about climate change and two of the biggest polluters in the world – China and Russia – weren't there.
The Wall Street Journal called the Glasgow conference "the climate summit to nowhere," asserting that "it's incongruous bordering on bizarre to organize a summit like this while Europe is battening down for a winter fuel crisis (and) President Biden is begging OPEC to produce more oil." The Journal opined that "the summit underscores the disconnect between the rhetoric over climate and what the world's publics are willing to do about it." Washington Examiner columnist Eric Felten went even further, calling Glasgow "an orgy of apocalyptic rubbish."
While global elitists were meeting in luxurious climate-controlled conference rooms, street protesters slammed the summit as "business as usual." Swedish teenage climate extremist Greta Thunberg, 18, was there to scream about how conference delegates were destroying the world for future generations. She called the summit "a two-week celebration of business as usual and blah-blah-blah." I agree with Thunberg for a change.
Last week former President Obama was in Glasgow to predict that the Biden administration will eventually get its $555 billion climate package through Congress. Meanwhile, progressives said that isn't nearly enough money to save the world, which seems to be our responsibility. The liberal New Republic described the package as "Biden's incredible shrinking climate plan," and a few far-left activists are planning to stage a hunger strike outside the White House. This is what's happening in America as Biden's approval ratings sink below 40 percent, even lower than ex-President Trump's ratings at this point in his presidency.
The U.S. was energy independent when Biden took office in January. But now, due to his war on fossil fuels, gas costs $4 per gallon or more, and we're begging OPEC to produce more oil. Go figure!
Here in Carson, you can save the planet by signing up for "green dining." That's where you suck your Keto shake through a reusable metal straw. As for me, I'm headed to the Cracker Box for a chicken fried steak with extra gravy.
Guy W. Farmer is a retired U.S. Foreign Service officer.
