Issue Tool Kit: Fighting Against Climate Alarmism
This column will arm you to challenge the very premise used by the left to justify taxation and regulation under the banner of saving the planet.
The Misuse of an Unrealistic Extreme Model in California’s Climate Policies
Here in California, the left’s global warming obsession has morphed into a crusade of unscientific extremism, wielding RCP 8.5 as a blunt instrument to justify oppressive policies. RCP 8.5 is a so-called “doomsday” or “worst case” climate scenario, built on unrealistic, extreme assumptions like skyrocketing coal use and a 12-billion-person planet. It is not science—it’s a scare tactic. The left uses it to ram through radical measures, growing the government’s chokehold on our lives. Last month, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order titled "Restoring Gold Standard Science," directing federal agencies to “…adopt transparent, rigorous, and reproducible scientific standards to guide research and policy, aiming to enhance integrity and innovation.” This order moves America away from using an unrealistic and extreme model and toward using provable science and realistic models.
RCP 8.5 Explained: RCP 8.5 is a climate modeling scenario that projects extreme warming based on high greenhouse gas emissions, assuming rapid population growth to 12 billion, heavy reliance on coal, and limited technological progress. Critics argue that it’s an unrealistic “worst-case” scenario used to exaggerate climate impacts and justify aggressive policies despite this being an implausible pathway.
Draconian Policies and Their Real-World Impact
The left’s climate dogma has saddled Californians with draconian policies rooted in manipulated science: sky-high carbon taxes crushing small businesses; bans on gas-powered cars and appliances, forcing costly electric alternatives; burdensome emissions disclosures driving companies out of state; and zero-emission mandates. Meanwhile, if you buy into their mania, wildfires that emitted 127 million metric tons of carbon in 2020 alone, mock their futile regulations. These policies don’t save the planet—they shrink our wallets and freedoms, all to feed progressive dreams of control.
The Extreme Model as a Tool for Fear and Overreach
RCP 8.5’s apocalyptic predictions are a deliberate distortion, inflating fear to license government overreach. The left’s playbook—silencing dissent, rigging data, and hyping unlikely scenarios—has turned science into a political cudgel. They label skeptics “deniers,” pressure researchers to conform, and push models even sympathetic scientists call implausible. Former President Biden’s agencies, like the National Marine Fisheries Service, peddled baseless “worst-case” projections, nearly killing Maine’s lobster industry until courts intervened. Here in California, we’ve seen similar abuse, with agencies like the California Air Resources Board leaning on RCP 8.5 to justify job-killing rules and de facto massive tax increases.
The "Scientific Gold Standard" Executive Order: A Return to Reason
The "Scientific Gold Standard" Executive Order is a shift to truth and prudence. It undoes Biden's earlier policies, which had enabled this politicized science, and demands transparency, reproducibility, and objective peer review. By revealing RCP 8.5's unrealistic extremism and demanding a "weight of scientific evidence" approach, it restricts the left's ability to weaponize science. Agencies must now acknowledge uncertainties and rule out overhyped scenarios, ensuring that decisions are made based on reality rather than ideology. This is a blow to California's progressive elite, who've long leveraged fear to further their power.
The True Motive Behind the Climate Crusade
The left’s climate crusade isn’t about saving California—it’s about controlling it. Their unscientific extremism, from RCP 8.5 to suffocating regulations, sacrifices our economy and liberty on the altar of progressive ideology.