Heads in Sand

Climate change activists.  Coffs Harbour
15 February 2015

Satire has long been a tool of political and social protest.  It is also an art form, deriving from the Latin word satura – literally, a full dish.  For the Romans it came to mean a “literary dish” in which the foibles and vices of opponents were expounded.

Today it still retains a literary aspect; it has also come to be a means by which human behaviours that are considered stupid or fallacious can be exposed in humorous and public ways.  Often it will point out the absurdity of those human behaviours and in doing so, provoke recognition in those observing.

In recent months a number of climate change activists have placed their heads in the sand to mock the denial or scepticism of many of the world’s leaders and others when it comes to climate change.  The action points out how a number of these leaders are at odds not only with the science, but often with public opinion.

Politicians are often heard with their heads in the sand.  The Prime Minister of Australia, Tony Abbot, once exclaimed that the science behind climate change was “absolute crap.”  He has since gone on to verbally, at least, make amends for that comment.  Many though, consider that his governments policies and actions on climate change remain firmly in the “head in sand” camp.  He’s not the only one though; consider these statements:

• “My view is that we don’t know what’s causing climate change on this planet.” – Mitt Romney, ex US Presidential candidate.
• “These global warming studies [are] a bunch of snake oil science” – Sarah Palin, influential US politician and possible Presidential nominee.
• “With all of the hysteria, all of the fear, all of the phony science, could it be that man-made global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people? It sure sounds like it” – US Senator, James Inhofe.
• “Facts have been disputed; reports have been discredited; and communities have been divided over the arguments, assumptions, conclusions, and indeed, the very existence of human-induced climate change.” – Bob Baldwin, Australian Parliamentary Secretary to Ministry of the Environment.

And it is not just politicians and their advisers that have their heads in the sand.  There are business leaders, media moguls, musicians, novelists and even a noted botanist.

• “Record low temperatures and massive amounts of snow. Where the hell is GLOBAL WARMING?” – Recent tweet by Donald Trump.
• “In terms of the world's temperature going up, the worst, the most alarmist things have said ... 3°C in 100 years. At the very most one of those will come from man-made, be man-made” – Rupert Murdoch, owner of News Corp.
• “Global warming is a fraud.” – Ted Nugent, musician.
• (Environmental organisations are) “fomenting false fears in order to promote agendas and raise money.” – Michael Crichton, author of “Jurassic Park.”
• “Global warming — at least the modern nightmare vision — is a myth” – David Bellamy, noted botanist.

These statements not only deny climate change, but show a wilful disregard and ignorance of the science.  Statements such as these have been debunked many times, yet they are still made.  It is little wonder that our leaders and public figures come in for ridicule through the use of public satire and mockery.

Indeed, cynically, one could be inclined to suggest that it is just as well that desertification is increasing because of (and also contributing to) climate change.  Without so much sand, where will all these deniers place their heads?