Gaia Capitalist

“How to profit and prosper from global climate change” is the subject of an International Weather, Commodity and Real Estate seminar (Coeur d’Alene, ID) with keynote speakers Cliff Harris, self-taught climatologist, and local TV news station meteorologist Randy Mann who holds a degree in geography. They contend that planetary climate changes are only incidentally due to manmade pollution but are instead a phase in a long-term weather cycle that covers eons of time. Another speaker, author Robert Felix argues from his book “Not By Fire, But By Ice” that the earth is more likely to experience an ice age “beginning any day”.

Although the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a report (Feb. 2, 2007) stating that global warming is real and that there’s a 90% certainty that human activity is to blame, Harris and Mann, who together operate a climatology service, say they simply want to present their evidence and provide advice to businesses on how to profit during times of extreme weather.

According to an article in the Spokesman Review newspaper (Feb. 26, 200), Harris has been studying the weather since he was nine years old and he bases his predictions on a wide variety of scientific resources and historical records. “He’s also a devout Christian and believes the Bible is loaded with clues on predicting the weather.”

Although Harris stresses that he believes “global warming” as a theory is exaggerated, he does believe, however, in a period of extreme global warming. “That will be in The Tribulation period … and for those us believers, we’re looking forward to it.”

“I believe this planet is a breathing entity, made by God, to clean itself, adjust itself.” Harris said in the article by James Hagengruber. This would be The Rapture. The premise of this argument appears to be: human beings are not responsible for climate change because it is part of God’s greater Plan, therefore investing in costly forms of clean energy is not necessary or useful. In addition, curtailing business and the economy by demanding reductions of carbon dioxide emissions is actually counter-productive. Instead, Harris asserts, our limited resources should be devoted to” ending poverty, curing diseases or providing universal health care”.

Until that happens, how best for Christians to profit and prosper from the coming Tribulation? Put your money where your faith is …to find out Harris’ and Mann’s suggestions and advice I’d have to pay $20 and actually go to the seminar.

I can imagine, though, they might say something like this: Buy real estate (especially apartment buildings) away from the coasts, invest in companies that sell generators, bottled water, food rations, ice, guns. When the ocean levels rise and coastal communities are flooded, those smart enough to hold inland real estate can make a killing off of displaced evacuees and homeless fellow Americans.

When massive tornadoes take out entire states and regions, the price of necessary emergency commodities like ice, generators and food and guns will be at a premium. According to thinkers like Harris and Mann, good Christians prepare for the looming planetary catastrophe prophesied by the Bible by investing in those kinds of businesses that can capitalize on the inevitable natural disasters. Good old American capitalism at it’s best combined with a new theology based on Christian’s self-proclaimed entitlement to profit and prosperity.

Does this mean find a way to profit from everyone, everything, everywhere, all the time? Buy a flashlight for $10, sell it for $50 when people are desperate for light. After the hurricane, buy truckloads of water and drive around your destroyed hometown and sell off cases to the highest bidders. Clever people can easily make 1000% profit off their injured and thirsty neighbors in time of disasters.

Is this the American Christian Evangelical stand on climate change? That “global warming” isn’t real? And, even though they admit the globe is warming, humans have nothing to do with it since it’s really God’s plan as prophesied in the Bible. The predicted natural disasters and the suffering of millions of people caused by extreme weather are simply part of the Agony of the Tribulation.

I can only surmise, according to this argument, born-again Christians believe they are entitled to profit and prosper from God’s handiwork while sinners and non-believers will suffer their due. Global warming is a good thing, something to exploit not try to prevent.

In fact, if they “look forward” to The Tribulation, why not hasten it by dumping more carbons into the atmosphere, encourage more businesses to invest in fossil fuel? Don’t update aging factories that pollute our air and contaminate our water, allow the aging flood systems throughout our country to break down and fail, reduce funding for emergency services.

Isn’t this exactly what our United States government has been doing these last six years?  GC  02-27-07  10:54