The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released the first part of its latest report on manmade climate change Friday prompting one meteorologist to take to Twitter and make a number of dramatic pronouncements.
Eric Holthaus is a meteorologist that has worked for the Wall Street Journal and currently writes for Quartz and works for Weathermob, a new weather-related startup.
In the first part of its forthcoming AR5 assessment, the IPCC attempts to make the case that man is the driving factor in the earth’s climate. Like previous reports, “Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis” pins most of the blame for a warming planet on man and carbon dioxide emissions.
"It is extremely likely that human influence has been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century," the agency said in a press release.
The findings in the report were apparently too much for Holthaus to handle. On Twitter, he made a number of proclamations starting with, “I just broke down in tears in boarding area at SFO while on phone with my wife. I've never cried because of a science report before.”
Following in three separate tweets, Holthaus explained that, “This has to be the last flight I ever take. I'm committing right now to stop flying. It's not worth the climate. We all have to do everything we can, every day to reverse CO2 emissions. There is no other way that makes sense. All of our energy...each one of us...should be devoted to this issue. Nothing else matters. It's a zero sum game.”
Explaining his decision to not use airplanes as a mode of travel, the meteorologist continued saying the reason for the decision is the same reason he is a vegetarian – his carbon footprint.
Holthaus went on to say he was considering not having children.
“No children, happy to go extinct, which in and of itself, carries a certain sadness,” he tweeted. That was followed by a link to a website that claims that having a baby will generate 9,441 metric tons of CO2.
“Another thing I'm considering: World Vasectomy Day is on October 18, 2013,” Holthaus continued.
While garnering a lot of attention in a very short time, Holthaus’ proclamation follows on the heels of other climate change alarmists that have made similar statements.
Former Vice President Al Gore is well known for using hyperbole to prompt action on global warming, most recently making claims about a fictitious 'Category 6' hurricane. NASA’s James Hansen has also taken to the forefront of AGW advocacy.
Despite this, belief in manmade climate change continues to drop among the American public.
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