CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

Image: NASA Hubble Space Telescope.

According to Professor Kevin Anderson, one of the world’s most respected climate scientists, and based upon a 30-year uninterrupted trendline: “We are headed for 3°C-4°C of warming across this century, an absolute climate catastrophe for all species, including our own” unless society takes drastic action soon to challenge climate change in an all-out global unified fashion, human extinction on ‘some level’, whether partial or complete, is on the agenda; it’s for real, no turning away. Alas, the world’s current course “is the headlight” at the far end of the tunnel.

The issue of climate change leaves many people cold. They either don’t want to face it or feel it’s a problem that’ll somehow, due to American exceptionalism, or some other similar crazed mythological belief, be fixed, no worries, ignore it! Due to this type of confusion, climate change, as a concept, has serious problems. The words “climate change” turn people away like the yellowed pages of an old book’s musty odor. It’s clichéd, tired, hackneyed, worn out and one of the biggest targets of abuse in the English language. So, little wonder that the words spark confusion, distrust, or anger, or in many cases, just turn away, who needs it? Accordingly, Eight of the Top Online Shows Are Spreading Climate Misinformation, Yale Climate Connections d/d April 21, 2025, and often backed by large advertising budgets, as a new breed of climate denial gains popularity.

The level of misinformation in social media is so prevalent that it’s a wonder anybody believes climate change is a real threat to human existence. More to the point, who really wants to believe that anyway? Human extinction, on some level, balderdash! It’s preposterous! No, so sorry, the truth is: It’s not preposterous! It’s already a well-established trend.

The climate story has certain benchmarks that have already exposed a lot about where things are headed. A benchmark is “a standard point of reference.” The key benchmarks for analytical purposes: (1) actual scientifically measured climate change over time (2) actual effectiveness of mitigation of climate change. These benchmarks have been analyzed by one of the world’s most respected climate scientists and addressed for public view on YouTube: “Climate Change: Where We Are Headed” is the title of a YouTube address by Kevin Anderson. A recent update to “Where We Are Headed” is found in his January 2026 speech entitled: “A Velvet Or Violent Climate Revolution: Which Will We Chose.” rejecting naïve, techno-optimistic narratives, the talk........

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