Graphic:Free 3D Business Men Marching Concept, resized; Author:Lumaxart; Lic.:CC BY-SA 2.0
The modern climate panic is less about science and more about control. As Richard Lindzen, a scientist writing in American Mind, outlines, the supposed “scientific consensus” on climate change is a manufactured narrative wielded by political elites to consolidate power, extract wealth, and impose radical policies on the working and middle classes. Like past abuses of science—eugenics, race ideology, and Lysenkoism—climate alarmism exploits public ignorance to demand conformity, suppress dissent, and advance an ideological agenda.
True science thrives on inquiry and debate, yet the climate narrative insists on blind acceptance. Politicians and bureaucrats, not scientists, have driven this agenda, leveraging CO2 as the perfect villain: an unavoidable byproduct of human life. Even though CO2 is a minor greenhouse gas with minimal warming potential, flawed models and exaggerated feedback mechanisms have been used to stoke fear and justify draconian policies.
The roots of this hysteria lie in the long march through institutions. Decades of ideological capture have turned academia, professional societies, and even corporations into echo chambers of climate orthodoxy. Foundations like the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations fund compliant researchers, while government agencies like the EPA and NGOs like the Natural Resources Defense Council push policies that enrich elites and impoverish everyone else.
Meanwhile, ordinary people bear the brunt of the climate regime. “Net Zero” policies have driven up energy costs, crippled industries, and condemned billions in developing countries to poverty. Western economies spiral into decline while adversaries like China revel in our self-inflicted wounds. The climate narrative, propped up by absurd claims of existential threat, feeds despair among our youth and enables authoritarian overreach.
As Lindzen reminds us, Voltaire’s warning rings true: “Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” The climate consensus is not science—it’s a political weapon. America must awaken to this reality before the march toward economic and cultural suicide becomes irreversible.
This post originally appeared at https://www.phyllisschlafly.com/constitution/free-speech/climate-change-manufactured-consensus/
Phyllis Schlafly