06 Jan Why is the ACEA Necessary?
Issues involving the climate, energy, and the environment in general can be confusing for many Americans. With mountains of misleading information from a variety of sources, it is incredibly difficult for the average citizen to know whom to believe, and what sources are credible. People want to be good stewards of the environment, but they also want to separate facts from fiction.
This is increasingly difficult, however. For several decades, there has been a steady increase in the volume and scope of “mis-education” which normalizes radical environmentalism into a form of an ideology into itself. The public naturally cares about the environment and wants to be good stewards of our planet, as it should. However, when misinformation is disseminated, it can turn into a ubiquitous flow of pseudo-scientific data that serves as justification for irrational ideas ultimately designed to redistribute wealth and alter our way of life in ways that are profoundly unnecessary.
This is of particular concern in our K-12 schools and our universities and can be hard to undo. Those that question the “ideology” are labeled as “deniers” for objecting to any part of this agenda.
The mainstream media, of course, is part of the reason for the lack of knowledge. Society today has become so fast-paced and addicted to instant gratification that we now expect the flow of information to be boiled down to short, distilled tidbits of data that are quickly and easily digested. Taking a deep dive into any subject, particularly those which require more specialization and scrutiny, becomes inconvenient.
This “sound-bite” society makes it much easier for those with views that push alarmism to sway public opinion. People take information on global warming and renewable energy at face value, without putting much thought into what they are being told. Plus, if a subject is too complex, people tend to tune out and either dismiss it as too hard to understand, or too much work to deal with. This attitude has allowed radical environmentalism to thrive to the point lawmakers are now making destructive public policy based on false premises.
Climate change is now considered to be the biggest threat to our nation by many on the left, and even a few on the right. This level of alarmism is the product of almost 60 years of a disinformation campaign that has been met with little pushback, particularly from effective sources that could have the ability to win hearts and minds.
This void must be filled, and that’s why the ACEA is necessary.. Education is the key to turning our country around and deconstructing the prevarications that perpetuate the radical leftists that would usurp our freedoms and our constitution.
The future of our country depends on how we meet the challenges of our energy needs going forward. Do we chase inefficient, non-dispatchable, and costly forms of energy, or do we focus on technology that actually provides the solutions we need?
By putting climate and energy in proper context, we can make sound decisions about our future that will ensure our prosperity, and meet the concerns of our environment, without bankrupting future generations. Through a variety of methods, the Academy for Climate & Energy Analysis has a unique ability to be a leader in this important educational endeavor.