The alarmists in the climate change community are giving us two new things to fear. Redheads, we are now told, could become extinct. And “curvy” people will become the exception, as the rest of the population starves due to a lack of “natural” food.
Both claims are ludicrous and easily refuted — and show just how desperate the global warming crowd has become to scare unconvinced people into accepting their demands.
“The red hair gene could be on the way out as it is thought to be a response to cloudy weather in Scotland, something which the country could see less and less of,” the (London) Independent reported last week. “A gene mutation that yields red hair and pale skin which is more sensitive to light leaves DNA in skill cells more prone to sun damage and cancer, and if predictions of rising temperatures are correct evolution might cause it to regress.”
“The selective pressure asserted in this tale is that redheads exist as an adaptation to cloudy weather in Scotland,” counters Adam Rutherford, editor of the science journal Nature. “Alas, there is scant evidence for that — scientists are still debating if the red-hair gene or, indeed, any of the genes that affect skin, hair and eye color, spread because of a lack of sunlight, or because of some sort of mate preference, or just by off-chance.”
He points out the source of the endangered redhead claim isn’t a scientist at all — it’s the head of a Scottish genetic testing company, which is selling DNA tests and will tell you if you have the redhead gene for just a few more dollars.
Next is the claim that skinny will be the new hefty, and hefty the new skinny. The source of this claim is supermodel and television entrepreneur Tyra Banks.
“As I look into the future, I see radical changes in both how people ‘attain beauty,’ and how the world perceives beauty,” Banks writes in the Wall Street Journal. “In general, I believe, traditional beauty will be less valuable — and more uniqueness will be heralded.”
In addition to pervasive plastic surgery and personal robots, Banks predicts that fat will be in.
“Global warming will threaten our crops so natural food will be scarce,” she writes. “Hourglass, curvy bodies will be the aspirational beauty standard, representing that those women have access to bounties of fulfilling yet healthy food, which means they are affluent.”
Let’s set aside all other problems with that statement and focus on the global warming claim. The problem is that plants like high levels of carbon dioxide and warmer weather.
If global warming is, in fact, occurring, that’s a win for crops.
All other things being equal, there will be more food available, not less.
“Escalating greenhouse gas levels may significantly boost production of fruits and seeds in crops such as wheat, rice, and soybeans, according to a recent study,” National Geographic reported as early as 2002.
Recent polls show that Americans remain skeptical about climate change claims. When the claims are this silly, is it any wonder?