U.N. Climate-Change Alarms Cast Little Light on Heat

The Pope derides those who have “blind faith” in technological advances as a solution to climate change. Instead, his encyclical declares that the world must stop consuming so much. That, he says, will help the poor people who stand to be affected most by global warming. That is troubling, because technical innovation is exactly what we need more of.

Looking back on more than 20 years of climate agitation, two themes emerge: a stubborn unwillingness by campaigners to acknowledge any inconvenient science, and ever-shifting favorite stories, first elevated and then dropped by the wayside.

For years, climate campaigners have claimed that our food supply is under grave threat from climate change caused by excessive fossil fuel use. Ironically, the war in the Middle East is highlighting the much bigger food challenge for the world: Not having enough access to fossil fuels to make fertilizer.

Fears of climate-driven food collapse are vastly overstated, while policies aimed at rapidly curbing fossil fuel use risk making food more expensive and less accessible, especially for the world’s poorest.