Years of Living Dangerously Series Debunked: Season 2, Episode 3

“The Uprooted”

We start off with New York Times journalist Thomas Friedman in Niger watching African to European migration. Queue the suspense background music. He wants to know how man-made climate change is affecting human migration.

We then move to Don Cheadle in a helicopter ride over California lamenting the dry season. Sigh. He says that he’s never seen it this dry. Double sigh. The land they fly over is barren land. Of course, it’s dry. There’s no reason to water barren land. But if you take that patch and put a mini city on it, you’ll definitely see abundant life thriving. Why? Because humans are capable of adapting their environment for their own benefit.

Cheadle talks with Felicia Marcus (chair of the State Water Resources Control Board). Together they lament the drought. Misery does love company. While the California drought is now over, [1] it’s still going on during the filming. Hence, we should look at it that way.

Is the drought destroying all life in California? No. Is it destroying Silicon Valley? Yah right. Is it destroying Hollywood and people who live lives of luxury? Of course not. But Cheadle, the directors, and the climate change movement want you to believe that it is.

And what does the climate change movement do to make you believe this lie? They show you images and videos of the poorest people. Try not to be fooled by this simple level of manipulation. The poor are already poor prior to the drought. While the drought can influence that level of poverty, it has no power to cause it. The cause is massive inequality in California.

If you ever go to Vancouver, British Columbia, the inequality is disturbing. You’ll see beautiful fit people buying lots of stuff in glamorous retail shops. And behind the stores, you’ll see homeless people pushing buggies. That disturbing level of inequality exists side by side and continues to this day.

Getting back to the documentary, Cheadle and Marcus are shocked that a reservoir is drying up. Sorry, but that happens. Cheadle says that this reservoir is one of California’s main water supplies. Sigh again. Using small reservoirs and lakes is not the proper way for people to get water. Desalinated ocean water (which California has in abundance) is the correct way. Intentionally choosing the wrong source is due to incompetence and arrogance.

Cheadle and Marcus fly over the small lake and lament the loss of water and says that this is what the future looks like because of man-made climate change. Sorry, but dry seasons are natural phenomena. It’s been happening for thousands of years and will continue to happen for thousands of years to come.

Of course, this will be in addition to massive rainfall and flooding as well. Does the massive rainfall in other areas dispel the notion of a dry season for climate change believers? No. They just claim that a warmer world causes extreme weather and label it as objective science. As I mention time and time again, I don’t envy the task of future generations to sort out all of our garbage ideological science in the 21st century.

Cheadle laments a possible megadrought lasting for decades. Can it happen? Yes. Anything in terms of weather is possible. But it’s unlikely. Claiming that a megadrought could happen soon is not objective science. It’s ideological junk science. Something that the climate change movement specializes in.

Claiming that it has an 80% chance of happening in this century is powerfully ideological and just fear mongering. But this is what the cast, directors, and producers are trying to sell. Fear. It’s amazing that the climate change movement is very much against Republican governments and religious believers when all of them specialize in fear mongering. Hilarious and tragic.

Cheadle says that there’s an 80% chance that California would be uninhabitable. Sigh. In reality, a dry season or desert means absolutely nothing to people of vision in the 21st century. When you have lots of sunshine and desalinated ocean water, you can make miracles happen.

And this is exactly what visionaries in Australia do. In the super dry heat of Australia, visionary people create greenhouses full of fresh produce. How? With a solar thermal plant providing energy and desalinated ocean water. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Back in a refugee shelter, Friedman asks the African refugees why they leave their homeland. They say that the land is unlivable with no rain. Sigh. What’s the solution? Desalinated ocean water throughout Africa. It’s not rocket science.

Can a desalinated infrastructure be built in Africa today? No. Why not? Because of massive corruption and killing. Hence, you have to get your religious and political crap in order before you can think about the economy and water desalination.

Oddly enough, I can imagine a ludicrous hypothetical scenario. I can see Africa drying up, with massive drought and no rain, causing most of the people to leave. I can see multinational corporations coming in there and buying the land for pennies and building massive infrastructure (including desalinated infrastructure). I can see them asking African governments to give them special rights to the land, not just property, but a quasi-state.

I see luxurious residential properties (all with armed guards of course). I see Africans being asked to come back to their land to be servants for these people. And in the future, I wouldn’t be surprised if these multinational corporations and their billionaire owners claim independence of the land and become a recognized separate country.

Good thing this hypothetical scenario has absolutely no basis in reality…right?

Allow me to be clear. The climate change movement wants to say that climate migration is now happening on a mass scale.It’s not. In terms of flooding, that’s due to land being near or at sea level. And living at sea level is not exactly the best long term idea. This isn’t climate migration. This is a lack of common sense.

In terms of droughts, desalinated ocean water via massive infrastructure will do. Of course, this can’t happen because of corruption at all levels of African governments. Hence, in this case, the real problem isn’t climate migration. It’s chronic government corruption that’s blocking economic progress and desalinated water infrastructure.

While the climate change movement, the cast, and the directors of this documentary want you to believe that climate migration is a real problem in the 21st century, the real problems (causes) are corruption, religion, and a lack of common sense. Try not to be fooled by the climate migration ideological manipulation.

Friedman meets up with Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council Jan Egeland who says that people are now 60% more likely to be displaced by natural disasters. I’m sorry, but that’s junk science. There are many people throughout the world that are born, live, and die in the same geographical area. People are usually displaced because of bad governance, corruption, incompetence, and arrogance.

Egeland goes on to claim ludicrous things such as the displacement of 200 million to one billion refugees in the future. These are just made up numbers that have no basis in science or facts.

Cheadle then takes a look at California’s agriculture sector and finds bone dry farms. Here’s an idea. Water the crops yourself instead of demanding Mother Nature do it for you. And where will farmers get the water from? Desalinated water plants, which are already operational in California with others along the way. [6]

But even without the desalinated water infrastructure, the drought has no significant impact on California crops. How do I know? Because I’m in Toronto. A good deal of my organic products come from California. And they’re not lacking in supply. Hence, if I’m not having a problem getting organic California crops in Toronto, Californians definitely don’t have a problem getting their own organic crops.

Cheadle talks to Tom Barcellos (a dairy farmer) about the lack of groundwater and drilling from 60 ft in the past to 800 ft today. For the love of god, please stop sucking out groundwater for your crops and/or drinking/showering. Petition your local county/municipality to use desalinated water.

Desalinated ocean water will never run out. Oceans will never go dry for the long term foreseeable future. People who are real environmentalists need to get off the climate change fear mongering bandwagon and start advocating for desalinated ocean water in every city, state, and country in the world. Or least in the developed nations first and then spreading to the developing ones.

Barcellos and Cheadle look into the future and claim that there could be a world without food. Yawn. Idiot population control people have been saying the same thing for decades. It’s now being repackaged under the banner of man-made climate change.

Again, grocery stores are not running out of food, nor are they close to doing so. Not with our 24 hr stores and massive distribution centers. But if you’d like, you can grow most of your own organic produce in your own backyard and use heated greenhouses in the winter. We’re even at the point where you can grow a few herbs and vegetables in your condo/apartment. [7]

I enjoy listening to Cheadle’s fear mongering claims. He would do well as a conspiracy theorist.

Cheadle then talks to small-scale farmers Adam and Gricelda Toledo who run an oat and alfalfa farm in the past but can’t do so today because of a lack of rainfall. What’s the source of their water? Groundwater. And that’s the real problem, not climate change. Again, environmentalists and farmers need to start advocating for desalinated ocean water for all farming needs. Perhaps then it can spread over to non-farming needs.

Back in Africa, Friedman goes to the Sahel zone (a geographic climate zone in Africa). He talks to Africans that are moving from the villages to the cities because of the lack of jobs. That’s not a climate change issue. That’s an economic issue that exists in all nations.

To my African friends, if you’re peace loving, come to Canada. We are abundant in everything you can think of (though Vancouver and Toronto housing will cost you a pretty penny). And come while Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party has a majority government. We have so much land that we don’t know what do to with it.

Back in California, the directors show clips of the hardships that the Toledo’s have to face in conserving water. Yah…no. People in developing nations would kill for their life. While living in areas that don’t have water and sewage pipelines isn’t easy, it’s manageable.

I manage while living in isolated Aboriginal communities in Canada for almost 3 years. But again, the larger issue is the lack of infrastructure. Farmers should petition their counties for access to piped water and sewage. It’s not like we don’t know how to do it. We’ve been doing it for over 100 years. It just takes vision, the will of the people, and taxpayer money well spent.

For an unknown reason, Cheadle is super scared of the food supply running out. Perhaps I can direct him to buy survival seed supplies from Alex Jones’ Infowars website. [8] He even has freeze dried beef and chicken. [9]

Cheadle goes to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to talk to Jay Famiglietti (a hydrologist) about the lack of groundwater. Famiglietti says that California agriculture is at risk. Sigh. Forgive the sighs, but while these episodes are only 40-50 minutes long, it takes about 4-6 times that length to do these articles. Why? Because the celebrities are spouting so much garbage that I have to call them out on it and show references to refute their claims. It’s not difficult but it takes a good deal of time.

Getting back to the issue, California agriculture is only at risk if you don’t water your crops. If California builds desalinated ocean water infrastructure for all farms, California agriculture will be secure for life.

Famiglietti shows Cheadle images of doomsday climate model predictions of a bone dry California. Perhaps we shouldn’t tell him that the drought in California is over. But then again, they most likely refuse to believe it in the present. Why?  Because climate change believers rely on ideology more than facts and science. It’s a shame that they don’t get along with their conservative brethren when both groups rely so heavily on unfalsifiable ideologies to guide their path.

Famiglietti says that Texas will run out of groundwater in 20-30 years. Queue the suspense background music. Umm…you can never run out of water when 71% of the planet is made up of water. Again, the environmental movement has to get off the climate change fear mongering bandwagon and hop on to the desalinated ocean water push across the world (or least in developed nations). And they should be anti-groundwater in the process.

It’s interesting to see Famiglietti feeding Cheadle’s insecurity about food and mass migration. I’m almost surprised that he doesn’t give him a bucket of Alex Jones’ survival foods. And no, I don’t have any financial affiliation with Alex Jones or Infowars. It’s just fun to bring it up because the whole situation is completely ludicrous. This scene is worthy of being in a Hollywood movie.

Famiglietti even says that he’s getting to the point of not sleeping well. And you didn’t believe me about climate change believers drugging themselves to sleep with pharmaceuticals. Though he doesn’t mention the drugging, it’s not too much of a stretch to think that he is.

Chealde then says that his kids’ future looks apocalyptic under climate change. I like how he says this while most likely driving a gas car. Again, climate change believers are completely out of touch in their claims, ideologies, actions, behaviors, and lifestyle.

Back in Africa, Friedman heads to Dirkou (just before the Libyan border). He talks to Dirkou Minister of Environment Adamou Chaifou about climate migration. Chaifou says that most people live on agriculture and how the desert is forever eroding their land. Here’s an idea. Start creating fertile land in the desert. Impossible you say? People are already doing it. [10][11]

But the cast, directors, and the climate change movement want to keep you in a state of environmental fear. These people are no better than scum Republicans governments that use fear to justify invasions and wars.

Chaifou says that with no other options, people in Africa may turn to religious extremism. Queue the national security issue of climate change. But that’s not a climate change issue. That’s an economic, political, religious, and technological issue.

Throwing climate change into the mix of causes is disingenuous. Ethical people don’t turn to terrorism when they’re desperate. They die holding their ideologies in their heart instead of living an unethical life. You tell me, which is the better path?

Cheadle then meets with California Governor Jerry Brown who paints a doomsday picture of California and the world unless we all band together to fight man-made climate change. People in the climate change movement like to see themselves as heroes. Scientists of the past who defend the science of visible minorities and women as inferior do the same.

Back in Africa, Friedman questions whether climate change is influencing extremism like Boko harem. No, it’s not. The real cause is Muslim ideologies. But Friedman doesn’t mention anything about Muslim ideologies as the main problem. That’s not accidental. That’s intentional. As Muslim extremists continue to perpetuate terrorism, liberal media outlets look stupid in refusing to use the term Muslim jihad or Islamic terrorism in order to be politically correct. How sad.

Friedman talks with Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Monique Barbut about the dry deserts and the food riots. Sorry, but this is due to corruption, incompetence, and lack of technology. Almost a century ago Dubai is just flat land and desert. Today, it’s a thriving tourist resort. How? Vision, willpower, and truckloads of oil money.

Just a note. Climate change believers who go to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for vacations or business don’t really believe in climate change. Why not? Because the UAE is created from generations of oil money. All of the renewable energy infrastructures that are now being created in the UAE is funded by oil money. It’s a contradiction for the climate change movement to have any ties (personal or professional) to companies in the UAE.

Back in California, Cheadle checks in on the Toledo’s and says that they have to move to a relative’s house to conserve water. When you hook up all farms to municipal water stations…then come talk to me. When you hook up all municipal water stations to desalinated ocean water plants…then come talk to me.

Cheadle meets up with billionaire climate philanthropist Tom Steyer. Cheadle says that Steyer’s group NextGen spends $2 million backing climate change bills. That’s nice. But during the 2016 US election cycle, he spends almost $90 million (USD) funding Clinton. [12] I don’t know what it feels like to burn $90 million, but I never want to find out.

Steyer says that oil companies are trying to scare people about California’s SB 350 bill (more renewable energy and cutting gasoline consumption in half by 2030). In reality, it’s the climate change movement and their climate change believers that are trying to scare everybody about a carbon/methane apocalypse.

Steyer claims that the truth is on their side with a warmer world. In reality, all they have is a warmer world better for everyone. And with proper vision, willpower, and money it can become great with innovative technology for energy and ocean water desalination.

But oil, coal, and natural gas corporations also have the truth on their side. The cost of everything will go up significantly and cause greater inequality throughout the world. Why? Because solar and wind energy aren’t efficient. Again, I refer you to Ontario’s horrible solar experiment (see Part 1 of 8: Season 2, Episode 1 – A Race Against Time).

In regards to Bill 350, California officials take out the gas consumption part in passing the bill. Why? Because of the oil lobby. No, that’s an influence. The oil lobby has no power to make legislation. The cause is Democrat state senators.

At the time and now, Democrats have a majority government in the California State Senate and the Assembly. And yet the state Democrats still gut the bill of any teeth. That’s on them. If Cheadle wants to blame anyone he can blame his California state senators for watering down the bill.

Back in Africa, Friedman is in Senegal and talks with Dr. Ousmane Ndiaye (a climate scientist). They talk about the heat in Senegal, and the hotter it gets the more water it needs. Yes, humans have known that for thousands of years. Please don’t make it sound like this is a shock or breaking news.

Again, corporations are growing crops in hydroponic greenhouses with solar energy and desalinated water. Even UAE officials are doing it. [13] If the Senegal government chooses not to invest in such technology, that’s their problem.

Back in California, the directors show images of barren farmland. For the love of god, just water your damn crops with desalinated ocean water. If it’s not available in your area, fight for it.

Cheadle shows the Toledo’s drastic water situation where Adam goes back and forth to get water from his parents. I’m sorry, but if you can’t manage $200-500 to fill your water tank, [14]that’s on you. You can’t blame nature or the government. While water and electricity should be free, in this world it’s not. It’s not fair, but that’s life. You adapt and keep moving forward.

Back in Africa, Friedman is attending a rap concert in Senegal. Kudos to him. I like when people relax and take in the culture. Well done. Later on, Friedman goes north to visit a Senegal village. While driving there he says that it’s a wasteland and repeats something that a migrant tells him. That the Earth doesn’t work here.

Yah…no. People say the same thing about the Middle East 100 year ago. And today the UAE is thriving. It just takes vision, willpower, and money. And there are many climate change believers with deep pockets.

Friedman says that there’s no air-conditioned escape for such people in Africa. Of course, there’s no escape. WE governments don’t want people in Africa to have a real industrial revolution. They want them weak, docile, and asking for help from WE governments (see Part 1 of 9: Season 1, Part 1 – Dry Season).

Back in California, the Toledo’s oat crops have failed.

Governor Jerry Brown travels to the Paris summit and says that we can increase the quality of our lives in a low carbon world. Sorry, but that’s nonsense. Perhaps all the elected officials in California’s senate and assembly can set an example by giving up their detached houses and all move into energy-efficient condos.

But they’re not going to do that. Why not? Because they don’t really believe in man-made climate change. They’re just riding the coattails of the climate change movement and winning public support to stay in office. Why? Because wielding power is an insatiable feeling. Once you experience it, you want more. And you never want to go back to not having power.

But in terms of energy, we’re on the cusp of nuclear fusion (the power of the sun). [15] [16] If we achieve it in the next decade we’ll have unlimited clean energy. While radiation exists, the half-life is manageable relative to nuclear fission. [17]

If we achieve the dream of nuclear fusion we can close all coal, natural gas, solar, geothermal, and wind power plants. It’s still questionable whether nuclear fusion can work in a mobile setting for cars, planes and/or ships.

Cheadle shows Jerry Brown pushing for climate change reforms at the Paris summit. I’m sorry, but if you want to make changes at the highest level, you have to fight for it. If Brown wants changes at the highest level, he’ll have to run for the office of the presidency.

Of course, being 79 years old in 2017, he would have little chance of winning. But kudos to him for being in office at 79. Of course, that doesn’t touch the record in Mississauga, Ontario with former Mayor Hazel McCallion. She retires as Mayor of Mississauga at 93 years of age. [18] Up yours, my American friends.

The Toledo’s sell their farm and says that it’s going to get worse for others and that there’s no reason to think that it’s going to get better. But…surprise the drought is officially over in April 2017. [1] Why? Because of record rainfall. And why don’t all of the climate change models predict this massive rainfall? Because climate change is not a falsifiable theory.

The climate model predictions for California are dead wrong. It’s just ideological science and fear mongering. It has no ability to predict anything with any level of accuracy. Contrary to what you may believe, the weather has too many variables to take into account. At our current level of development, we’re not even close to understanding short-term weather, let alone long term climate.

People who think that they understand weather/climate are deluding themselves. I recommend that you listen politely to such people as they speak and briskly walk away. These people are living in their ideological bubbles (especially during the 2016 US election).

You can’t help these people. I know that you may want to help them, but you can’t. They’re lost in their ideologies. In their mind, the drought will never be over. In their mind, man-made climate change is already killing us and will lead to the extinction of humanity.

Back in Africa, Friedman goes to another poor Senegal village to show viewers the effects of man-made climate change. Again, using the poorest people as an example is disingenuous. Why isn’t Friedman talking to people in the US during the summer? Because everyone’s having fun and enjoying life.

But that’s not what the climate change movement, cast, directors, and producers are selling in this documentary series. They’re selling an environmental apocalypse and fear to everyone. Again, that’s not accidental. That’s intentional.

References:

[1] The California drought is officially over, but next could be ‘around the corner’. Associated Press. April 7, 2017.

[2] Margolis, Jonathan. Growing food in the desert: is this the solution to the world’s food crises? Guardian. November 24, 2012.

[3] Klein, Alice. The first farm to grow veg in a desert using only sun and seawater. New Scientist. October 6, 2016.

[4] Smyth, Jamie. Entrepreneur brings agricultural technology to the Australian outback. Financial Times. November 15, 2016.

[5] Bryce, Emma. These farms use sun and seawater to grow crops in the arid Australian desert. Wired. February 14, 2017.

[6] Boxall, Bettina. A $1-billion desalination plant might be coming to Huntington Beach, but it will test California’s environmental rules. Los Angeles Times. December 16, 2016.

[7] Grant, Amanda. Here’s why urban gardening just got a whole lot easier. March 14, 2017. CBC News.

[8] Infowars Seed Center. Infowars.

[9] Infowars Emergency Survival Foods. Infowars.

[10] Willmott, Don. A Norwegian Company is Transforming Deserts Into Farmland. Smithsonian. March 6, 2015.

[11] Badenschier, Franziska. Growing veggies in the desert no longer a mirage. Deutsche Welle. August 20, 2013.

[12] Gajanan, Mahita. Billionaire Tom Steyer: There’s ‘No Limit’ to How Much I’ll Spend to Combat Donald Trump. Fortune. January 18, 2017.

[13] Bardsley, Daniel. From paddy fields to UAE deserts: The farmer growing rice using hydroponics. National UAE. August 29, 2015.

[14] Daniels, Jeff. California’s four-year drought starts a ‘water truck’ boom. CNBC. April 8, 2015.

[15] Nuclear fusion device’s 1st test with hydrogen declared a success. Associated Press. February 3, 2016.

[16] Dunne, Daisy. A step closer to LIMITLESS energy: UK’s latest nuclear fusion reactor could supply the grid with clean power by 2030. Daily Mail. April 28, 2017.

[17] Does fusion give off radiation? EUROfusion.

[18] Grewal, Sam. Hazel McCallion: this hurricane isn’t about to slow down. Toronto Star. October 13, 2014.