Week 18: Wealthy Flee, Middle Class Ignorance, and Poor Pay the Price

Dear all,

Here are some lessons learned:

• The wealthiest people in the world, 300 of them, plan to either leave this place or build bunkers to save themselves. Lately, they have also been hiring armies to protect them.

• The middle classes of the Western world do not care about climate change or its physical consequences, as they know they can’t afford a ticket to Mars and are busy Instagramming their latest vacation or restaurant visit, hoping that interest rates will go down.

• Poor people know they will pay for this, and they cannot do anything about it except have more kids, hoping that some of them may survive to be poor.

• Climate change is not a financial risk. How can something that has no value be a financial risk?

• Democracy is a farce. Military power is everything.

• Most people on this planet accept feudalism before changing anything that could improve life for themselves and their offspring.

• Identity politics is a narcotic for the masses.

• Corporate clergy runs politicians. It always has and always will.

• You can buy people, opinions, sentiments, countries, legal systems, and you can buy happiness.

• Fear and greed are far more likable qualities than love and compassion.

• War is always good for business.

During a recent hearing in the US Congress, accusations of "denial, disinformation, and doublespeak" were leveled against the world's largest oil companies regarding their knowledge of climate change. The investigation, spanning three years and conducted by Democrats from the House Oversight and Senate Budget committees, brought to light internal documents showing the companies' awareness of the environmental impacts of fossil fuel consumption.

"Big Oil’s denial, disinformation, and doublespeak — all in service of their campaign to deceive the public about the enormous climate crisis we are in and the role that Big Oil has played in bringing it about," said Jamie Raskin, a prominent Democrat on the House Oversight committee.