A shoutout to Science 2.0 founder Hank Campbell: A moving target for energy activists

We at ACSH do not deal with climate-related issues it is beyond our scope. But ACSH friend and founder of the immensely popular blog Science 2.0 site has no such reservations. However, Campbell's take on climate change has nothing to do with whether it is occurring, and, if so, what is causing it. It is about groups that want to eliminate the use of fossil fuels, using climate change as one handy excuse, and the tactics that they use in doing so. Campbell is never one to shy away from taking on scientific hypocrisy, and his June 5th piece entitled Now That Natural Gas Is Working, Methane Is Being Called More Damaging Than CO2 does just that in no uncertain terms. For example, he says, In 2007, after a marketing blitz for climate change during much of 2006 and the release of a new UN IPCC report, mentioning that methane had 23X the global warming effect of CO2 would get you shouted down and sternly reminded that CO2 lasts far longer. That is absolutely correct. Yet recently, twice in [recent weeks], two papers warned us that methane will cause global warming regardless of CO2. Campbell asks What changed ? And this is where it gets interesting. Nothing has changed, except for the culprit, and this is simply because activists have reframed the discussion. Natural gas, which has long been seen as the ultimate fuel for saving the environment, has suddenly become the bad guy. Why is this so? Discussing the reduction of carbon dioxide since 2006, Campbell says, Well, CO2 emissions went down, and it wasn't due to the $72 billion in taxpayer money which included solar panel subsidies or the afterthought of wind power or the other get-rich-quick schemes in alternative energy we have tried since 2009. He continues, The big change instead came because America switched to natural gas, and that was thanks to science and the free market. Due to that switch, energy emissions haven't looked this good in 20 years. Coal emissions haven't looked this good in 30 years." We encourage you to read his thought provoking piece, which can be found here.