Filed under: Etc., Carbon Offset
Would you call Al Gore a Nazi? The Association of British Drivers pretty much does
Governments often withhold the right to limit some forms of advertising that children may see, whether it's for cigarettes or R-rated movies.The idea is to protect young children while their minds are impressionable. The Association of British Drivers, though, thinks kids are getting the wrong impression over climate change, and has issued a statement comparing the UK government's Carbon Control program to Nazi techniques. Sadly, I'm not exaggerating.
Here's how the ABD puts it:
The 'Carbon Control' project, organised by the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce (RSA) ... presents as received wisdom the one sided message that climate change is totally man-made. Then, it relentlessly imparts the notion that lifestyle changes are essential to prevent catastrophic climate change. It does this in the hope that children will harangue their parents to reduce their 'carbon footprint' by using their cars less, and other ideologically motivated lifestyle changes.
An RSA press release issued on the 14th June 2007 described children as "influencers on their parents' decisions". This has worrying echoes of the way children were used to exert control over their parents in 1930's Germany.
(the full press release, which include a statement by the ABD Chairman saying carbon control is "mind control," is after the jump)
Now, we don't mind a bit of debate on climate issues. But to compare asking people to drive less with Nazi programs is going way beyond the pale. If you poke around the Carbon Control website, you'll see it's a fairly standard series of pages that asks students to be aware of the carbon they're putting into the air, and tries to get them to compete to reduce that amount. One-sided? Maybe. Nazi-like? Give me a break. Whatever merits the ABD's argument might have had go out the window for me when they make this comparison.
The only reason I can think that the ABD would make this outlandish claim is because they're sick of being ignored. Well guys, here's your attention. Let's see what other idiotic thing you say now that everyone's paying attention.
Oh, and the reason I added Al Gore's name to the headline of this story is because the ABD has little love for him, and has fought against schools showing "An Inconvenient Truth."
[Source: Association of British Drivers]
***Press Release follows***
The Association of British Drivers is very concerned about a government-backed scheme which targets children as young as seven with man-made climate change messages.The 'Carbon Control' project[1], organised by the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce (RSA[2]) is being run in cooperation with DEFRA (The Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs).
The project, which is also supported by Tesco, presents as received wisdom the one sided message that climate change is totally man-made. Then, it relentlessly imparts the notion that lifestyle changes are essential to prevent catastrophic climate change. It does this in the hope that children will harangue their parents to reduce their 'carbon footprint' by using their cars less, and other ideologically motivated lifestyle changes.
An RSA press release issued on the 14th June 2007 described children as "influencers on their parents' decisions". This has worrying echoes of the way children were used to exert control over their parents in 1930's Germany.
ABD Environment Spokesman Ben Adams said: "More and more adults are rightly becoming sceptical about the party line on climate change, and the "global warming industry" is resorting to increasingly desperate tactics to keep their scare story bandwagon rolling. Education is supposed to teach children to think for themselves - and to protect them from brainwashing on issues they cannot fully understand. We already have parents trying to prevent the uncritical showing of Al Gore's money-spinning, but scientifically dubious "Inconvenient Truth" as part of the National Curriculum, and parents will be similarly unimpressed by this latest tactic."
ABD Chairman Brian Gregory said: "This is not 'carbon control', this is 'mind control', and I am appalled that Tesco are participating in this exercise to turn the nation's children into political weapons against their own parents. I would urge Tesco to re-consider their involvement in this scheme, as they could well find that they alienate parents, who may decide to take their business elsewhere."
1 http://www.carboncontrol.org.uk/aboutus/default.aspa
2 www.rsa.org.uk
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Art Vatsky 3:36PM (6/20/2007)
People who live on islands had better listen very closely to global warming concerns. Also 7 year old kids are the most likely to experience the worst of global climate change. Perhaps society can't handle knowing what the future will be. It is a leap of faith.
Reply
Nils 3:42PM (6/20/2007)
So when toys get advertised, is it a nazi-practice? Cause kids sure know how to convince their parents to buy it.
Reply
Joseph 4:12PM (6/20/2007)
The whole "Save the Polar Bears" movement is purely because of how "cool" and "chic" it is to be eco-friendly. I question Al Gore's motives for his movie; did he make the movie purely out the goodnes of his heart?
However, I don't see much harm in all this superficial eco-friendly world of celebrities.
I mean what's gonna happen, kids are to environmentally conscious? I mean, it's rather obvious that there's a problem with every person in America putting 20 tons of CO2 in the air. So, any move to reduce pollution is good, no matter how superficial it is.
Reply
bioburner 7:33PM (6/20/2007)
Yes it is probbably true that the youngest generation will be impacted the most by global warming. There is nothing wrong with educating anyone regardless of their age. Jumping on Al Gore for voicing his opinion/beliefs is paramount to shooting the messenger. The people at ABD are part of a shrinking minority that beleive that CO2 doesn't cause global warming. From what I've seen on NOVA the "scientest" that claim CO2 does not cause global warming all get their "money" from oil, gas and coal companies. Makes you wounder where is Al Gore getting his money.
Reply
Domenick 6:45AM (6/21/2007)
I think people are rejecting the man-caused reason for global warming more and more. I keep hearing crap about the sun spot cycle or earth change patterns or how all the planets are warming.
I wish there were better communication from scientist explaining the hows and whys of global warming.
Reply
Chaz 7:27AM (11/12/2008)
There's plenty of material on the web, and much of it is perfectly straightforward. Don't get caught in the trap of listening to the Association of British Drivers: what the hell do they know about it?
Altarian1 6:59AM (6/21/2007)
Al Gore Vs Al Got(cher):"By the time it's all said(Al Gore) and done(Al Got) the Altairnative will be clear: Nanosafe, the power to be."
An Altairnative.com idea
Reply
Lee Roy Brandon III 9:06AM (6/21/2007)
Godwinned!
Reply
Alex 9:26AM (6/21/2007)
What an idiotic, head-in-the-sand position for the ABD to take! Sometimes our childern are better philosophers than us parents.....they speak the TRUTH because their minds are not clouded with issues of doubt and political considerations!
Reply
Scatter 9:47AM (6/21/2007)
I love the rantings of the ABD. They don't represent British drivers at all (the AA and RAC do a good job at that) so can be ignored but they do come up with some gems of which this is possibly the finest. Thanks for bringing it to our attention!
Reply
BILL 10:41AM (6/21/2007)
Well, this whole global warming situation is quite a challenge. On the one hand it is documented that the earth warms and cools regardless of what humans are doing at the time, On the other hand many humans have a strong desire to control their fellow humans - such stalwart citizens as Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and Saddam come to mind. Global Warming may walk and talk like a crisis, but that does not necessarily make it a crisis. We need to be very careful how and to who we grant authority while attempting to determine whether or not we can do anything about global warming. Of course the next question is what will we do about global cooling when it becomes evident? Make everybody buy Hummers and drive them 24 hours a day in shifts?
Reply
Paul Biggs 3:43AM (7/03/2007)
Who's winning the argument?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6263690.stm
'Scepticism' over climate claims
The public believes the effects of global warming on the climate are not as bad as politicians and scientists claim, a poll has suggested.
The Ipsos Mori poll of 2,032 adults - interviewed between 14 and 20 June - found 56% believed scientists were still questioning climate change.
There was a feeling the problem was exaggerated to make money, it found.
The Royal Society said most climate scientists believed humans were having an "unprecedented" effect on climate.
The survey suggested that terrorism, graffiti, crime and dog mess were all of more concern than climate change.
So that's why children are being brianwashed.
Reply
Andy Cunningham 4:01AM (7/03/2007)
According to the news this morning, 60% of people believe that climate change either isn't happening, or is being overstated to justify tax increases.
It was only 20 years ago we were worried about the next ice age.
Reply
Steve 5:37AM (7/03/2007)
Science is always about open, reasoned debate. The ABD are simply adding to the debate. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that and it should be encouraged.
Reply
Keith Peat 7:06AM (7/03/2007)
Any bloke making a fortune out of the Climate Change Industry and indoctrinating our kids too is dangerous. Ok let those who beleive in this twaddle make the changes they want. That should sort it. All the polls I read on the subject though show the debate is far from over and thankfully the majority think it's all a scam.
Keith
Reply
Keith Peat 8:59AM (7/03/2007)
Any person profiting from the M.M.G.W. industry should never have access to the minds of our children. What is sinister is that there is official repression of alternative science. Let those who believe this twaddle make all the changes they want; that should be enough. But stop dictating to the rest of us. Who said the planet as we like it is as it is supposed to be anyway?
This is why the polls show the majority of British people agree with the ABD on this.
Keith
Reply
bill 9:39AM (7/03/2007)
hi,
As an ABD memmber and with some significant doubt about the cause of global warming (although the two dont go hand in hand! ). I however really do believe Al Gore will bring about a total collapse in the global warming theory .
In fact I wonder if the other side (the likes of abd) paid him so we would all become non believers. He uses far to many descriptive adjectives to continunally ram home his points. A little like an over enthusiastic young and inexperienced car sales man.
with best regards :)
Reply
Nigel Humphries 10:02AM (7/03/2007)
I love the way this site makes the jump from the ABD's perfectly valid drawn parallel with Nazi education techniques (which used children to police their parents in their own homes) to an imaginery accusation that Al Gore is a Nazi!
This is exactly the sort of intuitative leap that drives climate alarmism - turning a fraction of a degree of warming into predictions of catastrophe - so I suppose I should not be surprised!
Why cant you people stick to the facts and learn to differentiate an attack on an argument from an attack on a person? Thats because the facts dont support your position so personal innuendo is all you have left.....
Nigel Humphries
ABD Spokesman
Reply
chaz 7:37AM (11/13/2008)
You started it, Nigel. If you can't take it, don't dish it out.
Roger Savage 9:52PM (7/03/2007)
From what I've seen, schools are indeed becoming brainwashing camps. Certainly, political correctness is rife. If they're going promote Al Gore's side of the story in schools, they should also offer an alternative viewpoint (maybe Channel 4's Great Global Warming Swindle) and let the kids decide/debate the issue. Otherwise, offer neither view. I think the ABD's view is fair comment. After all, if Al Gore is entitled to his viewpoint, so is the ABD.
It's also ironic that Tesco is involved in carbon control considering the amount of goods they bring in from China. Somewhat hypocritical. They should stick to selling groceries and stay out of politics.
Perhaps this forum should also note that certain greens believe that those that don't go along with their way of thinking should face Nuremberg-style trials for their sins. Now that's warped. Check out Melanie Phillips' excellent article:
http://www.melaniephillips.com/diary/?p=1357
Man-made climate change theory is being used as a tool by those who seek control, power and money.
Who would believe that people could be conned into believing they can help change the weather and should have to be restricted and charged for the privilege.
Reply