Press "Enter" to skip to content

Opinion: COVID-19 has muddled the struggle for globalism and control of carbon

Holy cow, in less than a month an evil virus has reshaped the world we live in. In 1918, the Spanish Flu raged as our ancestors fought the battles of World War I. Perhaps the death and destruction of the war overshadowed the pain caused by that pandemic.

Climate change — aka global warming — not war, provides the backdrop for today’s pandemic. No doubt many climate alarmists will claim climate change is worse than WWI, or even WWII. Some will say it’s on the verge of becoming the worst calamity in recorded history.

For this discussion, globalism will be defined as the transfer of certain powers of individual nations to a body of stateless bureaucrats.

Within the camp of climate alarmism has evolved a frenetic effort to promote globalism with the goal of reducing, or even eliminating, greenhouse gas emissions to save our planet. Some of those globalization advocates are merely seeking political power or financial gain. Others truly believe planet earth is on the brink of hellfire destruction.

It has been said, “Whoever controls the carbon controls the world.” Globalism and worldwide restrictions on carbon are, of necessity, intrinsically connected. The alarmists believe global governance must be established to align the world’s 195 nations. Examples of such organizations are the Paris Climate Accord, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and even the World Health Organization which has already declared climate change the No. 1 threat to global health. The EU is a more encompassing example with its five separate institutions designed to force member nations to toe the line.

Ironically, climate alarmists, globalists, and backers of the Green New Deal are seeing their hope for ambitious carbon reductions delivered via a pandemic. Air travel is at a standstill. The highways are empty. Manufacturing is screeching to a halt, and fossil fuel consumption is dwindling fast — just what proponents of the Green New Deal dreamed of.

Well before the COVID-19 pandemic, globalism was already suffering some serious setbacks: Brexit finally happened. Nationalist presidents were elected in the U.S. and Brazil. And several European countries have become increasingly dissatisfied with the EU’s control of their national affairs.

Now the Pale Horse has come knocking at our front gate, and the world was caught off-guard.

National borders are being closed here and around the globe. Travelers are scrambling to get back to their native land. The World Health Organization has offered some guidance, but nations are being left to their own devices. Globalism, practically overnight, has become passé.

So what does the future hold? When the virus has been defeated and the world economy rebounds, will the climate change movement regain its fervor? Will the globalization movement be irreparably damaged?

I dare not speculate, but the world is never going to be the same. I do know that.


EDITOR’S NOTE: For up-to-date information on coronavirus, check with the CDC and DHSS.