In their zeal to rid the world of so-called anthropogenic climate change, many climate hysterics are guilty of a little bit of hypocrisy on the subject. While many celebrities and politicians are quick to tell us how we need to act in order to avert the worst effects of climate change, they are often lacking in their own personal behavior.
The world’s foremost carbon-credit salesman Al Gore, for instance, is guilty of maintaining a 10,000-square-foot home in Tennessee. A 2017 analysis done by the National Center for Public Policy Research showed that, even after several “green” upgrades such as solar panels and geothermal heating, Gore’s mansion consumed more than 20 times the electricity of the average American household.
“Gore guzzles more electricity in one year than the average American family uses in 21 years,” the report claimed.
So, with climate hypocrites such as Gore at the forefront of the climate-change cult, those true believers who actually do as they say are sort of rare.
Peter Kalmus, a climate modeler and activist who works with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and UCLA, wants you to know he, personally, has not boarded an airplane since 2012. Claiming that boarding that aircraft made him feel physically ill and that he was “stealing” from his children’s future, Kalmus vowed that he would never fly again.
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Kalmus was so proud of his new lifestyle, which included bicycling, growing his own food, and a vegetarian diet, he even wrote about his wonderful new life in his book Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution.
“I was shaking people by the lapels, posting screeds on Facebook, not really getting anywhere,” Kalmus told French news agency AFP recently. “Eventually, it dawned on me that I should maybe bring my own actions into alignment with my beliefs.”
At least Kalmus admits that his climate-change position is rooted in “beliefs.”
Tarek Maassarani, who describes himself as a “practitioner and educator in conflict resolution and peacebuilding,” has gone even further to prove his own love of Earth. Maassarani has taken his own climate-friendly lifestyle to extremes.
Maassarani has no residence; instead he lives in the homes of various friends after leaving a co-housing community two years ago. He has chosen to avoid buying any new products due to the energy-intensive nature of their production, instead relying on hand-me-downs from other people. Maassarani admits, “I sort of extend the life of things well past what most people would do.”
A typical meal for Maassarani comes from the garbage can or from leftovers at buffets from conferences that he attends. He describes himself as a “supply-and-demand vegan,” who will consume meat when other options aren’t available.
“I don’t buy animal products, I try not to create any demand signal for animal products,” he said.
In the old days, we might have referred to Maassarani as a mooch, if not a full-out hobo. Nowadays, he is seen as someone who is “climate friendly.”
But aren’t Maassarani’s meals and even his hand-me-downs the product of our “wasteful” society?
“I’m aware of course that if the excesses weren’t there, [this lifestyle] wouldn’t work, but then again the problem wouldn’t be here.”
While many celebrities and politicians tout the need for a complete cultural transformation in order to forestall the effects of man-made global warming, they seem to always fall short in finding the ability to rid themselves of today’s modern conveniences. They call attention to their veganism and eco-friendly products, yet still travel in private jets in order to avoid us, the little people.
You’ve got to give people like Kalmus and Maassarani credit. They are truly trying to lead a lifestyle that tracks with their climate-cult beliefs.
Image: nito100 via iStock / Getty Images Plus
