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And that in Europe, no less!

Veteran journalist Ulli Kulke (DIE WELT) has a finger on the pulse of the climate issue in Europe. In his latest blog piece here, he tells us that the latest readings are barely detectable.

Public’s concern on end-of-world claims is worn out. (Flood on Java (c.1865-1876) by Raden Saleh: Public domain graphic)

Recently the Climate Vulnerability Monitor, a public study on the impact of climate change worldwide, was released. Needless to say the report was chock full with doom and gloom scenarios, and pleas to world to act now to curb climate change.

It was supposed to thrust the climate change issue back to the forefront and to spur global leaders into immediate action. So what was Europe’s reaction to the Climate Vulnerability Monitor? Yawn.

Kulke writes:

Actually, the new, much ballyhooed study on the imminent end-of-the-world is not worth mentioning. We’ve seen too many of these over the last years, with one being more dubious than the other. At times one could almost feel pity for the authors because nobody really paid attention to them, at least not here in these parts, and that is significant. And all this despite the most super-horror scenarios for the coming decades when it comes to climate change, reaching the highest levels, the UN in New York, from the highest persons, including state and government leaders, also including various NGOs such as Oxfam.”

Recall that the report projects 100 million directly climate-related deaths by 2030, and a litany of other horrors should we fail to act. Yet Kulke oberserves that major media outlets in Germany hardly gave the report the time of day. One can only speculate on the reasons behind this. Perhaps the public has grown tired and unbelieving of the “climate catastrophe”, or perhaps the public is realizing that it’s about poor countries playing the victim role in a bid to push through a vast redistribution scheme (see video at the above link). Kulke writes:

One thing that’s clear is the high level of wearout that scenarios and visions of horror are having with the public.”

Crying wolf may work a couple of times, but after dozens of times, the messenger quickly diminishes and soon gets regarded as the town fool. The Climate Vulnerability Report authors are just the latest fools and nobody is listensing to them. There are other problems out there that are pressing – and real! The financial crisis, to name one.

Kulke sums it up:

No one is interested in the big study. Over the last few days, climate change has been mentioned in the papers more in relationship with the imminent threat to field mice and reindeer. At least that was something new. If it’s really true, that’s a completely different question. Next time.”