By Joseph Curl
First it was called “global warming.” Then there was that inconvenient period in the 1990s and early 2000s when the average global temperature actually fell.
So the alarmists rebranded global warming as “climate change” – and the mainstream media quickly picked up the term. Forget that Earth’s climate has been changing for billions of years.
Now, though, the alarmists think that “climate change” is not as alarming as it could be, and one is pushing new terms like “global meltdown” and “climate collapse.”
“As a professional namer, I create names for companies, products and services,” Aaron Hall writes in AdAge. “After the global climate strike this past September, I found myself thinking about the terms ‘climate change’ and ‘global warming.’ Are these scientific terms too neutral? Do they do enough to grab attention and inspire people to take action?”
Hall says the terms “Global Meltdown” or “Global Melting,” deliver the right level of alarm. “The names signal that ice caps are melting, but also create a more visceral image in the mind – that real feeling of ‘melting’ when it’s too hot outside. A meltdown is a disastrous event that draws from the ultimate terror of a nuclear meltdown, an apt metaphor for global destruction.”
He also says “Climate Collapse” and “Climate Chaos” are properly alarming, too.
“Good brand names instill a clear message or even a direct call to action. Perhaps that’s why climate change isn’t powerful enough: ‘Change’ sounds so neutral. However, there’s nothing neutral about collapse or chaos. Both are states of events that you absolutely want to avoid. They ask each of us to do what it takes to avoid collapsing or descending into chaos.” Hall also likes the alliteration – “a naming trick proven to enhance memorability.”
Then there’s “Boiling Point” and “Melting Point.”
“They refer to a tipping point that we’re catapulting toward and must find a way to avert. Because a boiling point is the point at which liquid vaporizes, it brings forth imagery of rivers, lakes and oceans boiling and disappearing. ‘Melting Point’ paints a clear picture of solid matter melting. As glaciers melt and disappear, so does our way of life.”
And of course there’s the old favorite, “Scorched Earth,” a term that already has a specific meaning but, hey, maybe it can be rebranded.
“It’s time to take the gloves off and stop pretending. Sometimes a brand name needs to be hyperbolic to truly capture hearts and minds. If we don’t take massive action now, Earth will be uninhabitable – an irreversible barren wasteland. Plants and animals will die. Humans won’t be able to survive extreme weather like floods, droughts, and fires. If we don’t change, we won’t even be able to spend time outside. ‘Scorched Earth’ paints the direst picture of what’s to come and what we must avoid and is likely the edgiest brand name from our exploration,” Hall writes.
Language is the new tool of climate alarmists. Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old climate activist from Sweden, said last week that the climate crisis is caused by “racist … systems of oppression.”
“The climate crisis is not just about the environment. It is a crisis of human rights, of justice, and of political will. Colonial, racist, and patriarchal systems of oppression have created and fueled it. We need to dismantle them all. Our political leaders can no longer shirk their responsibilities,” she wrote with two other far-left climate activists in an op-ed Friday.
“Politicians and fossil-fuel companies have known about climate change for decades,” she wrote, adding, “yet the politicians let the profiteers continue to exploit our planet’s resources and destroy its ecosystems in a quest for quick cash that threatens our very existence.”