“The doom industry is alive and well despite a litany of failed predictions along the way…. Statism and statism alone can cause mass destruction and deaths, as proven in the 20th century…. The ‘insurance policy’ against this is a free society based on private property rights, voluntary exchange, and the rule of law.”
The world’s most viewed climate website (WUWT) contains a list of the exaggerated, failed apocalyptic predictions from neo-Malthusians in the last half century. So I was surprised to see this new prediction making the rounds.
Mark Campbell, “environmental journalist and communicator,” posted at his website: “Insurers Say Half the World Could Be Killed by Climate Change” (June 11, 2026). I learned of him and this prediction in a LinkedIn exchange where he protested against Michael Shellenberger’s “Caught Pushing an Apocalyptic Scenario They Knew Couldn’t Occur, Climate Scientists Are Now Claiming Their Policies Prevented It.”…
This week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a final rule:
EPA Finalizes Repeal of 2024 Power Plant Regulations, Delivering $300+ Billion in Savings, Proposes Repeal of All Remaining Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Power Plants
that will be followed by a public hearing 15 days after publication in the Federal Register, followed by a 45-day public comment period.
The press release triumphantly stated:
Trump EPA delivers reliable and affordable energy in the largest power sector deregulatory action in U.S. history
Released for maximum effect at the G20 Summit in Houston, Texas, the press release continued:
…… U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the repeal of the majority of the Biden administration’s greenhouse gas requirements for U.S. power plants, an action the agency projects will save $310 billion, and proposed rescinding every remaining greenhouse gas standard for the power sector.
Sam Belfied in his essay, “Climate Activism: ‘It Made Me Feel Like a Good Person’” (August 19, 2026), has a number of interesting insights on the motivations of climate campaigners given the intellectual case that their cause is both futile and wasteful. And ecologically damaging (think wind and solar industrialization). Excerpts follow verbatim; footnotes can be found in the original.
The following commentary and research findings suggest that climate ideology and activism are psychological compensatory responses to painful, emotional, subjective, and even existential aspects of the self. Specifically, the material suggests a deeper and collective psychological malaise, of which anxiety and distress about climate change are an expression, not the root cause….
The climate movement involves guilt, self-loathing and seeking redemption
In discussing the emotions motivating climate activists, commentators have proposed ‘guilt,’ ‘self-flagellation,’ ‘sin,’ ‘self-loathing’ , ‘conscience’, and seeking ‘atonement’ and ‘redemption.’…