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Doomsday or the end times have been predicted by many people for centuries. Though once unique to religions or cults, in modern times it is the religious cult of the environmental movement that has been predicting mankind’s demise for the past half-century.

This began with Paul Ehrlich’s 1968 book The Population Bomb which predicted mass starvation of humans in the 1970s and 80s due to overpopulation unless radical population control was introduced.

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Population Bomb original cover and author Paul Ehrlich today

Fast forward to today and mass famine from natural events is a thing of the past with crop yields doubling or quadrupling in places such as India, Southeast Asia, and Latin America with billions of people lifted out of poverty.

The initial environmental doomsday predictions gave way to the global warming or greenhouse effect doom prediction, now called climate change. It has dominated politics and the media in the 21st century, every climate doom deadline has passed, ordinary people notice this hence they are no longer voting for governments that wish to take economically destructive action to reduce carbon dioxade emissions.

Rewind just one year we had the most fanatical climate change doomsday cult out on the streets of our western cities Extinction Rebellion blocking traffic. Their prophet was Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg. We apparently had 11 years to save the world according to Green New Deal proponent US House Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Climate Activism in the Coronavirus Era

The climate change doomsdayers lost much of their momentum and media coverage when the coronavirus pandemic arrived in the western world. But very quickly the climate cheerleaders switched their support to the coronavirus lockdown, perhaps due to the fact that both lockdowns and climate action lead to the destruction of western economies and capitalism.

But climate change doom propaganda and policies have only been rested during the coronavirus pandemic. After Australia’s initial wave of coronavirus cases local far-leftist groups imported Black Lives Matter 2.0 onto Australian city streets.

Despite heavy coronavirus restrictions on mass gatherings still in place in each state and territory in early June Black Lives Matter rallies took place in all jurisdictions. The fact that governments and police (particularly Victoria) failed to enforce restrictions and fine attendees it spurred the return of leftists protests to our stress for their usual grab bag of causes.

Along with the return of free the refugees protest Extinction Rebellion also made a return to the streets of Melbourne on June 20 calling for climate change concerns to return to the front of people’s mind as the world recovers (as they thought at the time) from the coronavirus pandemic.

Three members were arrested by only fined $330 for refusing to obey police instructions, which is a significantly less than the $1652 coronavirus restrictions breach fines in Victoria.

Queensland being at CovidSafe stage three of easing restrictions with gatherings of up to 100 allowed has seen the city of Brisbane return as the Australian home of Extinction Rebellion traffic disruption activism. On July 21 activists blocked peak hour traffic with what they called a ‘seven-minute swarm’ Sandgate Road in inner-city Albion.

Extinction Rebellion at this ‘swarm’ that the climate crisis would kill more people than the coronavirus. They demanded a binding ‘citizen’s assembly’ who would decide how to get the earth to net-zero emissions by 2025. Of course, they won over no followers during this ‘swarm’ delaying people on the roads.

Mainstream Media Returns to Climate Coverage

60 Minutes Australia aired a segment on melting permafrost its July 18 program which was recorded in Alaska before the coronavirus pandemic. It was labelled a wildcard giant sleeper in the climate change challenge.

The reason why such melting permafrost or frozen earth is now being reported on as a potential climate change ‘wildcard’ is due to the carbon-rich vegetation and dead animals which if melted can unleash more greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide and methane into the earth’s atmosphere/

The way that 60 Minutes sexed up this new climate threat was by accompanying Professor Katey Walter Anthony to the Alaskan permafrost to set the methane under the ice on fire for the cameras.

Methane is 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide in warming the atmosphere and apparently it is so powerful the Alaskan methane could even affect Australia’s climate. We were told this could contribute to an estimated temperature increase of four or five degrees by 2100.

Greta Thunberg Still Screaming

The coronavirus pandemic saw Swedish climate idol Greta Thunberg message of mass extinction hollow out. In 2019 she was elevated to speaking at the United Nations and named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year.

The pandemic destroyed Greta Inc and Greta the prophet. Eager to keep in the media she claimed she likely had coronavirus because she had a cold and was self-isolating in her native Sweden.

Following her self diagnosed coronavirus Greta reinvented herself as a virology expert. She was invited to appear on a CNN Town Hall on May 14th titled Coronavirus Facts and Fears.

During this CNN Town Hall Greta simply recycled her climate change doom message of listening to the experts and scientists in the context of the coronavirus. Apparently that is her only sole ability, saying to people listen to science and experts.

But on July 22 with her native Sweden having flattened the coronavirus curve, not through lockdowns but through herd immunity and taking care of the vulnerable she was back to full-time climate doom messaging on the CBS Late Show with Stephen Colbert at Home.

Greta also has a new buzz phrase to tell Stephen that humanity was “Setting Fire To The Boat” Instead Of Facing The Climate Crisis (maybe Greta watched the 60 Minutes permafrost methane firelighting?)

Climate Politics Continue

Despite western governments in 2020 adopting a saviour complex during the coronavirus pandemic, there was still time for elected politicians and parties to still discuss emissions reductions targets. The Federal Labor Party with not much to do in Opposition is still debating whether to dump its 2019 election policy of a 45% emissions reduction target.

The state counterpart in government in Victoria has delayed a decision on future emissions reduction targets as with the stage 4 coronavirus lockdown and associated business closures the state can’t afford to cripple its industries or energy sector any further.

New Doom Always Promoted

As the coronavirus second wave continues to sweep the world, politicians and the media are focused on promoting further doom about the virus and drumming into people needing to live in a new normal. But the messengers and prophets of doom will either return to climate ‘mass extinction’ or use something else. History shows that if one doomsday scenario fails to continue to scare the populace they move onto another.

Author Details
Tim Wilms is the Founder and Editor in Chief of https://theunshackled.net. the Host of Tim’s News Explosion, the WilmsFront interview program and The Theorists with Andy Nolch. He based in Melbourne, Australia where he also conducts field reports.
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Tim Wilms is the Founder and Editor in Chief of https://theunshackled.net. the Host of Tim’s News Explosion, the WilmsFront interview program and The Theorists with Andy Nolch. He based in Melbourne, Australia where he also conducts field reports.