Climate change activists are now arguing that simply owning a dog can increase a person’s carbon footprint.
A <a href="https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/4/6/pgaf191/8159053?login=false">finding</a> published in PNAS Nexus says that, supposedly, people overestimate the climate benefits of activities like recycling or switching light bulbs. At the same time, they underestimate other beneficial impacts, such as taking fewer flights.
“We think, ‘I have to recycle this and it will help the planet,’” Madalina Vlasceanu, an assistant professor of environmental social sciences at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, <a href="https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_climate_messaging_can_backfire_and_how_to_improve_it">told</a> the Greater Good Magazine. “It’s less likely you will hear that if you fly less, that’s the best you can possibly do, lifestyle-wise.”
Another “underestimated” benefit is cutting back on beef intake. According to <a href="https://earth.org/environmental-impact-of-pets/">Earth.org</a>, pets’ meat consumption accounts for 64 million tons of annual carbon dioxide emissions in the United States. That adds up to 25-30% of the environmental impact of meat intake.
In a list of ideas on how to reduce one’s carbon footprint that includes switching to public transport and eating poultry instead of beef, Greater Good Magazine suggested people “opt out of getting a dog.”
Man’s best friend is just the latest victim of climate activists’ propaganda. To them, owning a dog is an activity even dedicated climate change sympathizers engage in without realizing it, and they blame people who aren’t fully dedicated to the cause for furthering these issues.
“People will engage in lifestyle changes when they think it’s easy to do. It’s less important to them if it’s effective,” Vlasceanu said. “For collective action, it is more important to people that the action they engage in will actually result in a meaningful change.”
Though it seems like a lost cause to try and convince people to radically change their lifestyle so it fits a fear-based narrative, activists are not letting up.
“In order to meaningfully address climate change, experts have agreed that we will need lifestyle change and collective action,” Vlasceanu said. “Both of these have to work together. This is a critical part of the pathway to net zero.&#8221;

Templates

Climate Activists Really Don’t Want You To Have A Dog

Animals

Climate Change

Global Warming

Social Issues

U.S.

A recent <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08751-3__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!2LALwW8yKFqPNNaA4xXEG09tMo1LJOZHia3Jgm7nU6ZE2ryt10HNdFNWxTyNT2EeduoQsiTJDKD96FyneHnhD7cM$">study</a> published in the academic journal Nature has been making headlines, claiming that if it were not for major oil and gas companies producing energy between 1991 and 2020, the world would be $28 trillion richer.
Study authors Christopher Callahan, a Stanford University postdoctoral scientist, and Justin Mankin, a Dartmouth College geography professor, authored the study, which was never peer-reviewed and uses a laughably absurd methodology developed by activists whose goal is to do the pseudo-science grunt work for climate change lawsuits against energy producers.
Single events <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/chapter/chapter-11/__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!2LALwW8yKFqPNNaA4xXEG09tMo1LJOZHia3Jgm7nU6ZE2ryt10HNdFNWxTyNT2EeduoQsiTJDKD96FyneCyPoFvO$">cannot</a> be attributed to climate change. Nevertheless, the study goes far beyond the ridiculous in its attempt not only to pin blame solely on individual energy producers but to attach a specific dollar amount to each company. Using dubious assumptions and their unsound “end-to-end” methodology, the authors cooked up an implausible correlation between individual companies and singular weather events alleged to have been caused or exacerbated by global warming. The bogus conclusions are then broken up into specific price tags and assigned to various energy producers.
Chevron, for example, is accused of being responsible for “heat-related losses” totaling $3.6 trillion from 1991 to 2020. Damages assigned to ExxonMobil amounted to $1.91 trillion during the same period, while the tally for Saudi Aramco came to $2.05 trillion. Together, the study blames the world’s energy producers for $28 trillion in damages. It would be an understatement to say that neither the study, nor its underlying assumptions, nor its conclusions should be accorded any credibility.
Given the elaborate contortions necessary to arrive at the study’s obviously preconceived conclusions, one might wonder what the motivation was to concoct it in the first place. The authors leave an enormous clue in their acknowledgements, in which they lavish <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08751-3*Ack1__;Iw!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!2LALwW8yKFqPNNaA4xXEG09tMo1LJOZHia3Jgm7nU6ZE2ryt10HNdFNWxTyNT2EeduoQsiTJDKD96FyneHYs_i-c$">praise</a> upon individuals associated with the notorious law firm Sher Edling LLP for their help with the study. Sher Edling was created for the sole purpose of waging lawfare with the intent to financially destroy energy companies. While Sher Edling has worked with states and municipalities in initiating dozens of lawsuits attempting to set climate policy in courtrooms, none to date have been successful.
If just one of the firm’s lawsuits succeeds, it is expected to take up to a 30% chunk of an award estimated to be in the billions of dollars. Because the firm is <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/freebeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2024.10.07-Sher-Edling-Memo.pdf__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!2LALwW8yKFqPNNaA4xXEG09tMo1LJOZHia3Jgm7nU6ZE2ryt10HNdFNWxTyNT2EeduoQsiTJDKD96FyneMLb-kWH$">bankrolled</a> by millions of dollars in dark money funneled through far-Left organizations, its attacks are limitless — and so is its ability to buy studies supporting its conclusions and the fat payday they covet. Sher Edling has acknowledged commissioning made-for-litigation studies before. Named partner Vic Sher described working with scientist-for-hire Richard Heede during a 2017 talk at UCLA. That study, much like the new Nature research, purports to connect major energy providers with specific emissions activity.
A more honest study would have acknowledged the truly beneficial role that energy plays in our economy and everyday lives. We depend on fossil fuel energy for everything from the quality of our lives to our national security. It is so dependable that we rarely even consider that everything we eat, wear, buy, or sell depends on energy. It’s there to take us places and to cool and heat our homes. Smart devices, paint, asphalt, and plastic containers are just a few objects in our daily lives made from petroleum. The study would be more credible if it concluded the truth: that fossil fuels have contributed trillions of dollars in value and made human flourishing possible.
Several legacy news outlets — many of which <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/justthenews.com/politics-policy/energy/media-provide-no-scrutiny-study-claiming-oil-companies-made-world-28__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!2LALwW8yKFqPNNaA4xXEG09tMo1LJOZHia3Jgm7nU6ZE2ryt10HNdFNWxTyNT2EeduoQsiTJDKD96FyneDRJ0tH9$">accept funds from anti-fossil fuel advocacy organizations</a> to write about global warming — reported on the Nature study while failing to note its utterly discrediting connection to Sher Edling. As we move into the warmer summer weather, we can expect more such studies and uncritical news stories.
Studies lacking basic integrity like the one published in Nature are why President Trump’s recent executive order “<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/05/restoring-gold-standard-science/__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!2LALwW8yKFqPNNaA4xXEG09tMo1LJOZHia3Jgm7nU6ZE2ryt10HNdFNWxTyNT2EeduoQsiTJDKD96FyneCG8TS0c$">Restoring Gold Standard Science</a>” is so timely and important. That standard holds that reproducibility, rigor, and unbiased peer review must be maintained. It demands that federal decisions be informed by only the most credible, reliable, and impartial scientific evidence available. Absolutely nothing about the Nature study meets the gold standard of science.
* * *
The Honorable Jason Isaac is the Founder and CEO of the American Energy Institute, a trade organization that unapologetically champions free markets and American energy. Previously, he served four terms in the Texas House of Representatives.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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Senate Lawmakers Return To Capitol Hill After The Weekend

Made-For-Court Climate Study Completely Fails Science Gold Standard

Court

ExxonMobil

Ivy League

Oil and Gas

Oil companies

Opinion

The New York Times, in its inexhaustible capacity to load an argument when attacking institutions it loathes, did it once again, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/29/climate/oil-companies-wrongful-death-lawsuit-heat-dome.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leaving out key information</a> when covering a ridiculous lawsuit targeting the major oil companies of the Western Hemisphere.
The <a href="https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/Leon_v_Exxon_Complaint.pdf">lawsuit</a> brought by Misti Leon after the death of her mother, Juliana Leon, accuses oil companies of causing Juliana’s death in 2021 because of their contribution to climate change. Juliana, 65, died in her car on June 28, 2021, from hyperthermia. The lawsuit names Exxon, British Petroleum, Chevron, Shell, Conoco, and Phillips 66 oil companies, as well as the Olympic Pipe Company, because of their contribution to climate change.
“The day Julie died was the hottest day ever recorded in Washington with temperatures in Seattle, where Julie died, peaking around 108°F. It was the third consecutive day above 100°F, and record nighttime temperatures prevented the built environment from being able to dissipate the heat it had absorbed throughout the day. In effect, Seattle had turned into an oven,” the lawsuit claims. “This heat was deadly, particularly for those who were unable to escape the heat or were otherwise vulnerable to excessive temperatures.”
“The heat dome that scorched the Pacific Northwest in 2021 would have been &#8216;virtually impossible&#8217; were it not for man-made climate change, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/07/climate/climate-change-heat-wave.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to researchers</a> with World Weather Attribution, an international group of scientists and meteorologists,&#8221; The New York Times wrote. &#8220;Around the world, extreme heat has emerged as one of the deadliest manifestations of a warming planet.”
Yet the Times never mentions some salient points regarding Leon’s death, even though they&#8217;re included in the lawsuit.
One: Two weeks before her death, doctors performed bariatric surgery on her; she had been on a liquid diet ever since. Two: The day of her death, she was returning from a doctor’s appointment where they told her she could resume eating solid foods. The Times never mentions that the car’s air conditioning broke, prompting Leon to roll down the windows and pull over to the side of the road. Three: Weather forecasts said the heat would be intense that day.
But as was pointed out by research meteorologist Ryan Maue, who issued a <a href="https://x.com/RyanMaue/status/1928226566313595142" target="_blank" rel="noopener">thread</a> on X about the lawsuit, “The research study that concluded this heat wave event was ‘virtually impossible’ without climate change does not provide an analysis of all ‘heat dome’ events from the past 2,000 years — instead focusing on model data since 1950.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The research study that concluded this heat wave event was &quot;virtually impossible&quot; without climate change does not provide an analysis of all &quot;heat dome&quot; events from the past 2,000 years &#8212; instead focusing on model data since 1950. <a href="https://t.co/wArrgiOkCz">https://t.co/wArrgiOkCz</a>
&mdash; Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanMaue/status/1928226566313595142?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Additionally, a <a href="https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/wefo/39/2/WAF-D-23-0154.1.xml" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> of the Pacific Northwest heat wave between June 25-30, 2021, asserted:
<blockquote>
Several factors came together to produce this extreme event: a record-breaking midtropospheric ridge over British Columbia in the optimal location, record-breaking midtropospheric temperatures, strong subsidence in the lower atmosphere, low-level easterly flow that produced downslope warming on regional terrain and the removal of cooler marine air, an approaching low-level trough that enhanced downslope flow, the occurrence at a time of maximum insolation, and drier-than-normal soil moisture. 
It is shown that all-time-record temperatures have not become more frequent and that annual high temperatures only increased at the rate of baseline global warming. Although anthropogenic warming may have contributed as much as 1°C to the event, there is little evidence of further amplification from increasing greenhouse gases. Weather forecasts were excellent for this event, with highly accurate predictions of the extreme temperatures.
</blockquote>
“Ms. Leon was first approached in late 2023 by a nonprofit group, the Center for Climate Integrity, which helps assemble and promote cases against big oil and gas companies,” the Times admitted.

New York Times Headquarters in New York City

NY Times Covers Crazy Climate Change Lawsuit Targeting Oil Companies, But Leaves Out Key Evidence

Seattle

The New York Times

A liberal Christian group is targeting the fossil fuel industry, encouraging members fight &#8220;climate disinformation&#8221; and sue financial institutions over their involvement in the so-called climate crisis.
The World Council of Churches, a group of over 352 churches around the world, published a <a href="https://www.oikoumene.org/sites/default/files/2025-03/Hope%20for%20Children%20Web_0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">handbook</a> in March encouraging strategic lawsuits against financial institutions it accuses of fueling climate changes. In the handbook, the group — which soft-pedals Christian teachings on abortion and sexuality — argues that Christians should be actively involved in radical climate activism.
&#8220;As we analyse the current climate crisis, it becomes increasingly clear that advocacy alone is insufficient,&#8221; Julio Murray, an Anglican bishop from Panama, writes.
&#8220;Despite decades of effort, CO2 emissions continue to rise dramatically, mainly driven by the relentless expansion of fossil fuel industries. The urgency of this moment demands that we engage with the law not merely as a tool but as a moral imperative to safeguard human lives and uphold justice.&#8221;
The promotion of activist lawsuits comes as many financial institutions have started to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/win-for-freedom-house-republicans-celebrate-exodus-of-companies-from-climate-cartel?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=‘Win+For+Freedom’%3A+House+Republicans+Celebrate+Exodus+Of+Companies+From+‘Climate+Cartel’" target="_blank" rel="noopener">back away</a> from climate policies. Groups pushing the decarbonization of the economy have seen an exodus of major asset managers from their ranks. This has been prompted by action from Republican lawmakers, who have pushed for answers on how these companies have colluded to target the coal and gas industries.
Called &#8220;Hope for Children Through Climate Justice: Legal Tools to Hold Financiers Accountable,&#8221; the handbook <a href="https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/publications/hope-for-children-through-climate-justice#:~:text=Developed%20by%20the%20Churches%27%20Commitments,crisis%20and%20protect%20the%20rights" target="_blank" rel="noopener">retails</a> for $20 &#8211; a digital version can be viewed or downloaded from the WCC website free of charge.
It lists potential targets of litigation as commercial and investment banks, asset managers and pension funds, insurers, credit ratings agencies, central banks, financial regulators, private equity and venture capital, large institutional investors, and sovereign wealth funds. 
The guide recommends using children as the face of the lawsuits. 
The goal of the lawsuits, according to the handbook, would be &#8220;disrupting a vast number of fossil fuel firms.&#8221;
&#8220;Strategic climate litigation targeting financial actors can reduce finance flows to fossil fuel companies, leading to a reduction in fossil fuel extraction and consumption and declining GHG emissions,&#8221; the handbook says. &#8220;Climate litigation that holds financial actors accountable can be a circuit breaker, securing binding outcomes not currently achieved by voluntary emission reduction initiatives.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_924625" style="width: 1613px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-924625" class="size-full wp-image-924625" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-23-at-10.00.11%E2%80%AFAM.png" alt="" width="1603" height="1059" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-23-at-10.00.11%E2%80%AFAM.png 1603w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-23-at-10.00.11%E2%80%AFAM-300x198.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-23-at-10.00.11%E2%80%AFAM-872x576.png 872w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-23-at-10.00.11%E2%80%AFAM-768x507.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-23-at-10.00.11%E2%80%AFAM-1536x1015.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1603px) 100vw, 1603px" />WCC Handbook.</div>
<div id="attachment_924733" style="width: 1900px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-924733" class="size-full wp-image-924733" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-23-at-12.01.07%E2%80%AFPM.png" alt="" width="1890" height="1383" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-23-at-12.01.07%E2%80%AFPM.png 1890w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-23-at-12.01.07%E2%80%AFPM-300x220.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-23-at-12.01.07%E2%80%AFPM-787x576.png 787w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-23-at-12.01.07%E2%80%AFPM-768x562.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-23-at-12.01.07%E2%80%AFPM-1536x1124.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1890px) 100vw, 1890px" />WCC handbook.</div>
&#8220;Financial institutions play a central role in either enabling or mitigating climate change due to their substantial investments in and power over fossil fuel projects,&#8221; the handbook says. &#8220;Legal accountability for &#8216;financed emissions&#8217; could reduce fossil fuel investments and promote cleaner energy alternatives.&#8221;
The World Council of Churches previously urged the International Criminal Court “to consider legal reforms that address the current impunity surrounding climate disinformation.” The handbook addresses the court directly, saying there is a &#8220;need to tackle climate disinformation and its direct link to the ongoing financing of fossil fuels.&#8221;
After publication, the World Council of Churches told The Daily Wire that it was the &#8220;broadest and most inclusive among the many organized expressions of the modern ecumenical movement&#8221; and that it provided its member churches a &#8220;unique space&#8221; to &#8220;speak, act, worship and work together, challenge and support each other, share and debate with each other.&#8221;
It also said that its climate activism was fueled by a heritage of churches gathering together to address social issues.
&#8220;With this heritage in mind, it is impossible for the WCC not to address the climate crisis &#8211; the greatest challenge to God’s precious and unique Creation,&#8221; the organization said. &#8220;The intergenerational injustice entailed in failing to address the human drivers of this crisis greatly amplifies our responsibility as Christians and as stewards and caretakers of God’s Creation.&#8221;
Jason Isaac, the CEO of the American Energy Institute, told The Daily Wire that the handbook shows radical climate activists using Christianity for political purposes.
&#8220;It’s tragic to see faith hijacked by climate extremists,&#8221; he said. &#8220;This handbook encourages weaponizing the legal system against banks that are simply supporting the energy sources that power modern life and alleviate poverty. Christians should be stewards of truth — not tools for a fringe agenda that threatens human flourishing.&#8221;
Conservatives criticized the council during Holy Week for <a href="https://www.oikoumene.org/news/training-shows-climate-justice-a-moral-imperative-for-churches" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posting</a> an article claiming that &#8220;climate justice&#8221; is a &#8220;moral imperative for churches.&#8221;
While the Christian group uses Bible verses to defend many of its positions on &#8220;climate justice,&#8221; the organization takes a much less definitive tact on issues of unborn life and biblical views of sexuality. For example, a <a href="https://www.oikoumene.org/sites/default/files/2024-12/Love%2C%20Justice%2C%20and%20Reproductive%20Health%20Web_0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resource</a> from the World Council of Churches on &#8220;Love, Justice, and Reproductive Health,&#8221; seems to endorse abortion when it wrote &#8220;almost one-third of maternal deaths could be averted if all women wishing to avoid pregnancy could access modern methods of contraception, safe abortions, and safe post-abortion care.&#8221;
Another <a href="https://oikoumene.org/sites/default/files/2022-08/Conversations_on_the_Pilgrim_Way_Web.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resource</a> on sexuality says that the United Church of Canada&#8217;s &#8220;commitment to inclusion&#8221; requires the acceptance of ministers and clergy who are &#8220;gay, lesbians, or transgendered persons.&#8221;
The World Council of Christian Churches if funded largely by its members, but also receives significant funding from government sources. The European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, <a href="https://www.oikoumene.org/sites/default/files/2024-07/Financial%20Report%202023_Web.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contributed</a> over $238,000 to the organization. It also took $106,186 from the German Federal Foreign Office and $4,259 from the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, according to its most recent financial report.
This piece was updated on June 4 to include comment from the World Council of Churches.

TOPSHOT-KENYA-CLIMATE-DEMO

Liberal Christian Group Urges Legal Warfare Against Fossil Fuels, ‘Climate Disinformation’

Christianity

Fossil Fuels

Climate activists vandalized the iconic Wall Street Bull with green graffiti declaring &#8220;Greed = Death,” but quickly scrubbed it clean before police officers arrived at the scene.
Members of the environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion defaced the bronze statue early Monday during an Earth Day demonstration, the New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/04/22/us-news/wall-street-bull-painted-over-by-environmental-activists-who-cleaned-up-when-cops-came/">reported</a>.
The vandals spray-painted their organization&#8217;s symbol alongside the anti-capitalist messaging on the bull while hysterically reciting climate alarmist slogans.
The activists also attempted to create an image of the bull defecating on a cutout of Earth by hanging debris-filled brown stockings near the rear of the statue.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
NOW: &quot;Greed=Death&quot; tagged on the Charging Bull in NYSE by Climate activists with Extinction Rebellion, on the National Earth Day. <a href="https://t.co/qtEoZmD4jd">pic.twitter.com/qtEoZmD4jd</a>
&mdash; Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScooterCasterNY/status/1914662322397733103?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The group took credit for the act on X, <a href="https://x.com/XR_NYC/status/1914703015270879295">writing</a>, “Good morning from the resistance. We came to Wall Street to call out the bullshit. Bullshit told by the 1% who gamble with our futures. Bullshit to bailouts for those who wrecked our economy. #GreedIsDeath #ActNow.”
“We spoke the truth, we called them out — and the city&#8217;s elite laughed. But the joke isn’t so funny now, when it’s their stocks and wealth getting screwed.”
After one cop <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/04/22/earth-day-activists-deface-wall-st-charging-bull-then-clean-it-up/">ordered</a> an activist sitting on the bull&#8217;s neck to dismount, the activists seemed to panic, hastily scrubbing away their graffiti before more police officers even approached the scene, according to the New York Daily News.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Wall Street Bull painted over by environmental activists — who frantically cleaned it up when cops came <a href="https://t.co/ldkrDngmM4">https://t.co/ldkrDngmM4</a> <a href="https://t.co/rBPiqR3if2">pic.twitter.com/rBPiqR3if2</a>
&mdash; New York Post (@nypost) <a href="https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1914714834785960125?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As more cops arrived on the scene, they casually watched as the activists finished cleaning their graffiti off the bull, making no immediate arrests.
The 7,100-pound Wall Street Bull, installed in 1989, has long been a symbol of American financial prosperity and a frequent target for anti-capitalist protesters.
The bull has repeatedly been targeted by left-wing protesters, who see the statue as a symbol of corporate “greed” and the evils of capitalism.
In 2019, a Dallas man <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/2019/09/07/wall-streets-iconic-charging-bull-statue-bashed-by-angry-texas-man/">bashed</a> what appeared to be a heavy silver guitar into the statue while screaming “F**k Trump!,” damaging one of its horns before he was arrested by the NYPD.

Earth Day Protestors Vandalize Iconic Wall St Bull Statue

Climate Activists Deface Wall Street Bull — Then Panic And Clean It Before Cops Come

Earth Day

Environmentalism

Vandalism

Wall Street

Over the past decade, the climate change movement has morphed into a social and political juggernaut that has weakened and exploited America’s institutions. Its success stemmed from two strengths: it fused science with ideology, creating a quasi-religious fervor — think Just Stop Oil or Extinction Rebellion.
The climate movement also won over the legacy media, which thrives on fear, sensationalism, and a bias toward statism. This alliance resonated with those favoring bigger government and tapped into a primal fear of looming catastrophe — a narrative amplified by widespread ignorance of energy and climate systems. For power-hungry politicians, climate catastrophism became their golden ticket to more influence and control.
Backed by legacy media cheerleaders and an academia dominated by Left-leaning statists, the movement snowballed, especially among the young.  Recent debates and polling shifts suggest some improvement in public understanding, but the damage has been substantial. 
The climate change story, however, rests on shaky scientific and moral ground. The climate has always fluctuated — warming and cooling in cycles — and always will. CO₂, while a greenhouse gas, is a minor player compared to water vapor and solar activity — not the villain it’s painted to be. History shows species thrive in warmer periods and struggle in colder ones.
As Bjorn Lomborg points out, over the past century, climate-related deaths have <a href="https://x.com/BjornLomborg/status/1885310861264199688" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plummeted by 99%,</a> with cold still claiming more lives than heat. The science simply doesn’t support the panic.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Your risk of dying from climate-related disasters dropped 99% since 1920. 
This is because richer societies are much more resilient to disasters 
Read more in my peer-reviewed article: <a href="https://t.co/CC0h7JKIKv">https://t.co/CC0h7JKIKv</a> <a href="https://t.co/hQPpXF2AS2">pic.twitter.com/hQPpXF2AS2</a>
&mdash; Bjorn Lomborg (@BjornLomborg) <a href="https://twitter.com/BjornLomborg/status/1885310861264199688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Morally, it’s worse. Billions of people <a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/12-06-2024-progress-on-basic-energy-access-reverses-for-first-time-in-a-decade?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lack access to affordable, reliable energy</a> — a right most Americans enjoy as part of the fortunate one billion. Denying them the cheapest energy sources available, all in pursuit of carbon cuts, is the real injustice. The post-election pivot to prioritize energy access and human well-being over obsessive emissions reductions is a welcome return to reason.
This moral blindness is often cloaked in self-righteous virtue. The climate movement preaches sacrifice while demanding subsidies, mandates, and central planning. It calls for collective responsibility while punishing prosperity. It seeks compliance, not progress; narrative control, not truth. In true Orwellian fashion, freedom becomes pollution, and servitude is sold as sustainability.
The damage wrought by this movement was magnified by the erosion of institutional integrity. In the corporate world, where I operate, our duty is clear: maximize value for investors, as Milton Friedman argued. Property rights demand it. Yet leaders have grown lax, allowing political Trojan horses like ESG and DEI to infiltrate and hijack companies — and their shareholder’s property — for ideological ends. Banks and firms fell in line, abandoning their core mission. The pursuit of shareholder value was replaced with pandering to fashionable causes, often disconnected from performance or accountability.
Academia has suffered similar rot, even my alma mater, the University of Texas. Take the lazy use of terms like “green,” “clean,” and “sustainable” to describe solar and wind energy. Dig into the facts: mining rare earths and manufacturing these technologies are dirty processes, often tied to child labor in Africa, and far from sustainable without heavy subsidies. Describing them as ‘green’ or ‘clean’ is more than misleading, it’s a lie. Our institutions should have been bulwarks against this coercion, but they buckled. The guardians of inquiry and meritocracy became mouthpieces for activist orthodoxy.
The 2024 election and its aftermath signal that we’ve weathered the climate movement’s storm. Now what? At Atlas Energy Solutions, our chairman’s “<a href="https://www.atlas.energy/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Chairmans-Letter-on-ESG.pdf">Who We Are</a>” letter laid it out: we stick to the Friedman Doctrine, building a fortress against political fads and focusing solely on value creation. We’ve aimed to lead by example, and it’s heartening to see others doing the same.
Business and politics don’t mix — nor should academia and politics. Universities owe students free inquiry and critical thinking, not indoctrination. It’s time to purge ideological agendas and revive institutional excellence.
Capitalism — real capitalism — requires moral clarity. It is not a tool of oppression, but a system that rewards value creation and voluntary exchange. The climate agenda, as it stands, undermines both. To restore institutional discipline, we must reaffirm what made this country exceptional: a commitment to liberty, property rights, free markets, and the truth. That’s the only path forward. That’s how we liberate American energy — and the human potential it powers.
* * *
Bud Brigham is an energy entrepreneur from Austin, Texas, and chairman of Brigham Exploration, Brigham Royalties, Langford Energy Partners, and Atlas Energy Solutions (NYSE: AEISI). He is also a founding board member of the American Energy Association, a trade organization representing companies that unabashedly support free markets to liberate American energy.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

High voltage towers at sunset background. Power lines against the sky

It’s Time To Liberate American Energy From Climate Dogma

Academia

Bjorn Lomborg

Democrats

Energy

Legacy Media

Minerals

Solar Power

The White House moved to put an end to a costly federal initiative that has been the vehicle behind decades of government policies driven by climate alarmism, The Daily Wire confirmed on Wednesday.
Administration sources told the The Daily Wire that changes have been put in motion to eliminate the U.S. Global Change Research Program, which was created by Congress in 1990 and has been funneled billions of dollars to research climate change. It is responsible for producing a National Climate Assessment, which is considered the &#8220;crown jewel&#8221; of climate research and is used by agencies across government to justify costly programs intended to alleviate climate change.
On Wednesday, two days after The Daily Wire published an investigation into how the U.S. Global Change Research Program spends its government funds, the spending has officially been cancelled. Specifically pinpointed was millions of dollars awarded through NASA for a consulting firm called ICF, which coordinated the creation of the National Climate Assessment for the government.
According to Politico, which <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/09/trump-moves-to-hobble-major-climate-study-00280405">first reported</a> the elimination, getting rid of ICF&#8217;s contract was a fatal blow to the climate initiative. &#8220;Killing that contract has &#8216;forever severed&#8217; climate change work occurring across agencies,&#8221; Politico reported.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/meet-the-government-contractor-raking-in-millions-to-spread-climate-doom/">Meet The Government Consultants Raking In Millions To Spread Climate Doom</a>
The administration&#8217;s Office of Management and Budget and Office of Science and Technology Policy coordinated with the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, on the decision to eliminate the contract. There is no expectation that there will be another National Climate Assessment, which was expected in 2026.
A source familiar with the decision says ICF, the consulting firm, was allowing its own bias to influence the reports.
&#8220;ICF has produced assessments riddled with worst-case scenarios, obfuscating the assumptions underlying dire predictions about what the planet will be like in 100 years,&#8221; the administration source explained. &#8220;The quality of the information is low, and the Administration is committed to basing decisions on realistic assumptions that comport with legal standards.&#8221;
Climate scientists who previously worked on the National Climate Assessment reports said ICF had outsized influence over its findings. The scientist said ICF runs the show, virtually controlling the entire U.S. Global Change Research Program.
“By providing all staff for the USGCRP, a federal agency, the ICF exerts undue influence over the global change narrative and priorities presented by the federal government,” said the scientist, who requested anonymity to discuss the work. “The ICF, through the USGCRP, exerts an undue influence on the production of the National Climate Assessment every four years. With the exception of its Executive Director and the Director of the National Climate Assessment, the ICF supplies all staff associated with the USGCRP.”
The Daily Wire was able to identify the active contract through NASA that was poised to deliver more than $10 million to ICF to continue its work. The contract was first<a href="https://investor.icf.com/news-releases/news-release-details/nasa-awards-icf-34-million-contract-support-us-global-change"> announced</a> in June 2021, and described as a $34 million, five-year contract to help with the National Climate Assessments. Only $18 million had been paid out, according to the<a href="https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_IDV_80HQTR21D0004_8000"> government spending database.</a> But with another assessment on deck and ICF under contract for another year, the additional $16 million could have been disbursed in the next year.
It was long-suspected that Russell Vought, who leads the Office of Management and Budget for Trump, had the climate programs in his sights. Vought had specifically called out the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s report, arguing that the bureaucrats who write it end up with outsized power over government action. He’s called for an investigation of the political leanings of the contractors that assemble the report.
Neither ICF nor the U.S. Global Change Research Program responded to requests for comment.
Houston Keene, a former journalist who now directs Democracy Restored, a government transparency watchdog that has spotlighted the U.S. Global Change Research Program, said cancelling the contract was a &#8220;step in the right direction.&#8221;
&#8220;This is one step in the right direction toward restoring the integrity in government climate science,&#8221; Keene said. &#8220;Yet given the largesse of the climate lobby and the DOGE revelations, there is likely much more to uncover.&#8221;

Globe on US dollar bill banknotes pile background.

Trump Admin Moves To Shut Down Government’s Climate Doom Factory

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

Trump Administration

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Tuesday that climate change was not included in the Intelligence Community&#8217;s national threat assessment this year because she directed America&#8217;s intelligence apparatus to focus on the most serious and immediate threats that the country faces.
Gabbard made the remarks during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing when Sen. Angus King (I-ME) asked why global climate change was no longer deemed a national security threat.
&#8220;Every single one of these reports that we have had has mentioned global climate change as a significant national security threat, except this one,&#8221; King said. &#8220;Has global climate change been solved? Why is that not in this report? And who made the decision that it should not be in the report when it&#8217;s been in every one of the 11 prior reports?&#8221;
Gabbard responded: &#8220;I can&#8217;t speak to the decisions made previously, but this annual threat assessment has been focused very directly on the threats that we deem most critical to the United States and our national security.&#8221;
&#8220;Obviously, we&#8217;re aware of occurrences within the environment and how they may impact operations, but we&#8217;re focused on the direct threats to Americans&#8217; safety, well-being, and security,&#8221; she said.
&#8220;What I focused this annual threat assessment on and the IC focused this threat assessment on are the most extreme and critical direct threats to our national security,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;I gave direction to our team at ODNI to focus on the most extreme and critical national security threats that we face.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
WATCH: Sen. Angus King melts down over the fact that climate change has been taken out of the annual threat assessment by the intelligence community.<a href="https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TulsiGabbard</a> gives a dose of common sense: &quot;This annual threat assessment has been focused very directly on the threats that we… <a href="https://t.co/u8iIcmJ6Ct">pic.twitter.com/u8iIcmJ6Ct</a>
&mdash; Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1904565057771405572?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Senate Intelligence Committee Hearing On Worldwide Threats

Gabbard On Leaving Climate Change Out Of Threat Report: Only Focused On ‘Critical Direct Threats’

Congress

Politics

Tulsi Gabbard

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made it clear on Sunday that as long as he is in charge, the Department of Defense would not be devoting energy and resources to combatting climate change.
Hegseth was responding to a post from CNN National Security reporter Haley Britzky, who had published a piece earlier that day decrying the Trump administration&#8217;s plans to abandon climate-related programs within the Defense Department.
&#8220;NEW: The DOD and DOGE have said they plan to cut climate programs in the Pentagon,&#8221; Britzky posted via X, adding, &#8220;But officials &amp; experts are warning that climate efforts at DOD are directly linked to military readiness, and say cuts could put troops and military operations at risk.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
NEW: The DOD and DOGE have said they plan to cut climate programs in the Pentagon — but officials &amp; experts are warning that climate efforts at DOD are directly linked to military readiness, and say cuts could put troops and military operations at risk. <a href="https://t.co/UntIvOeUNf">https://t.co/UntIvOeUNf</a>
&mdash; Haley Britzky (@halbritz) <a href="https://twitter.com/halbritz/status/1898737646991556749?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
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From Britzky&#8217;s article:
<blockquote>Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and other senior Pentagon officials have pointed to climate programs as a prime example of wasteful spending in the military. Hegseth told reporters in Germany in February that the Pentagon is “not in the business of climate change.”Acting Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Salesses also made it clear that funding would be cut in a statement last month, saying the Pentagon will “cease unnecessary spending that set our military back under the previous administration, including through so-called ‘climate change’ and other woke programs.”</blockquote>
Britzky went on to quote Pentagon press secretary John Ullyot as saying that the DOD planned to work closely with DOGE in order to determine which programs were not mission critical, adding, &#8220;Climate zealotry and other woke chimeras of the Left are not part of that core mission.&#8221;
Hegseth <a href="https://x.com/PeteHegseth/status/1898813400949408080" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responded</a> to Britzky&#8217;s post, saying, &#8220;John is, of course, correct. The @DeptOfDefense does not do climate change crap. We do training and warfighting.&#8221;
DOD spokesperson and Army Ranger veteran Sean Parnell shared a video a week earlier about the Pentagon&#8217;s plans to work with DOGE to identify wasteful spending, and he specifically mentioned at least one climate-related initiative.
&#8220;How about this one: $1.6 million to the University of Florida to study social and institutional detriments of vulnerability in resilience to climate hazards in African Sahel. You see folks – this stuff is not a core function of our military. This is not what we do, this is a distraction from our core mission,&#8221; he said.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Poland

Pete Hegseth Torches CNN: ‘The DOD Does Not Do Climate Change Crap’

Pete Hegseth Torches CNN: 'The DOD Does Not Do Climate Change Crap'

Department of Defense

Media

Pete Hegseth

The Liberal Party chose banker and climate activist Mark Carney to replace Justin Trudeau as Canada’s next prime minister during the party’s elections on Sunday night. 
Carney, who has led the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, easily secured the win, taking 86% of the vote during the Liberal Party election. During his victory speech, Carney took shots at President Donald Trump and claimed that America wanted to destroy Canada’s way of life. 
“America is not Canada. And Canada never, ever, will be part of America in any way, shape or form,” Carney <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/09/canadas-liberals-pick-mark-carney-to-replace-justin-trudeau-00220148">said</a>. “We didn’t ask for this fight, but Canadians are always ready when someone else drops the gloves.”
Since becoming president, Trump has suggested that Canada could become America&#8217;s 51st state and levied a series of tariffs against the country. 
&#8220;Canada will not bow down to a bully. We won’t stand by as illegal U.S. tariffs hurt our workers and their families. As Canadians, we need to face this challenge as one united team,&#8221; Carney <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/mark-carney-wins-liberal-party-nomination-replace-trudeau-canadas-next-pm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. He added that the Americans would “destroy our way of life” if they succeeded in getting “our water, our land, our country.” 
Carney is expected to call for nationwide elections sometime in the next few weeks, which could shake up the political makeup of Parliament. Alongside Trudeau, the Liberal Party’s popularity has fallen in recent months, and the Conservative Party could be poised to take control, with polls showing the party with a <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/polling-federal-rapid-shift-1.7469312" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slight advantage</a>. 
During his speech on Sunday, Carney slammed rival Canadian politician Pierre Poilievre, who heads the Conservative Party. The banker said that Poilievre was too closely aligned with Trump’s agenda.
“Donald Trump thinks he can weaken us with his plan to divide and conquer. Pierre Poilievre’s plan will leave us divided and ready to be conquered,” he said. “Because a person who worships at the altar of Donald Trump will kneel before him, not stand up to him.”
Poilievre, who has rejected calls from Trump to make Canada the 51st state, said that Carney would be a continuation of the unpopular Trudeau.
“Liberals are trying to trick Canadians into electing them for a fourth term by replacing Trudeau with his economic advisor, Mark Carney,” Poilievre <a href="https://x.com/PierrePoilievre/status/1898886332211986502" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> on X on Sunday. “It is the same Liberal team that drove up taxes, housing costs, and food prices, while Carney personally profited from moving billions of dollars and thousands of jobs out of Canada to the United States. We need a new Conservative government that will put Canada First—for a change.”
Carney has a history of pushing climate activism, previously working as the U.N. special envoy for climate action and finance, and <a href="https://www.gfanzero.com/about/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launching</a> the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero in April 2021 to push decarbonization and push &#8220;leaders from the financial services sector to support the transition to a net-zero economy.&#8221;

CANADA-POLITICS-GOVERNMENT-PARTIES

Incoming Canadian Prime Minister Says He’s Ready For ‘Fight’ With Trump

Canada

Donald Trump

Elections

Justin Trudeau

Pierre Poilievre

Tariffs

A massive climate change slush fund created by former President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act paid out billions of dollars to groups that had been created just months before receiving the money.
Exclusive <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/03/05/business/john-podesta-375m-epa-slush-fund-gave-billions-to-newly-formed-charities/?utm_campaign=nypost&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reporting</a> from the New York Post found that billions of dollars went to groups with no footprint, including $7 billion to Climate United Fund, a Bethesda, Maryland, organization that has no federal filings or even a listing on the Internal Revenue Service’s charities database. Further, the organization was incorporated in Delaware on November 30, 2023, just five months before receiving the money in April 2024, the Post reported.
Climate Fund United announced “the historic investment” in a press release and claimed the organization “delivers benefits like cleaner air” and “increased energy security,” but fails to note how it will spend the $7 billion.
A spokesperson for the organization told the Post that the money provided to the Climate United Fund actually sits with a related non-profit called Calvert Impact. The Post found three organizations with that name, all based in Bethesda, meaning it is difficult to track where the money actually went.
Another organization, the Justice Climate Fund, was created in 2023 and received $940 million dollars even though it hasn’t even submitted a tax filing to the IRS. The organization claims it works with “community partners” to “drive transformative investments, focused on reducing pollution,” and more.
The slush fund was overseen by John Podesta, who chaired Hillary Clinton’s failed 2016 presidential bid and who fell for <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-phishing-email-that-hacked-the-account-of-john-podesta/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a phishing scam</a> that hacked his Gmail account and led to WikiLeaks releasing his emails. Biden tapped Podesta to oversee the climate slush fund in 2022, soon after the Inflation Reduction Act was passed. Though named for its supposed efforts to reduce inflation, the bill increased government spending – particularly to left-wing organizations purporting to solve climate change.
In 2024, Environmental Protection Agency advisor Brent Efron discussed how the Biden administration shoved $20 billion in climate grants out the door before leaving office.
“Get the money out as fast as possible before they [Trump Administration] come in … it’s like we’re on the Titanic and we’re throwing gold bars off the edge,” Efron said in footage captured by Project Veritas.
EPA administrator Lee Zeldin has been vocal about the “gold bars,” since being confirmed to his post. He told the Post on Monday that the “Biden EPA ‘gold bar’ scheme was designed to limit government oversight while doling out funds to far-left organizations pushing DEI and Environmental Justice.”
“Of the eight pass-through entities that received funding from the pot of $20 billion in tax dollars, various recipients have shown very little qualification to handle a single dollar, let alone several billions of dollars,” he added. “I have zero tolerance for waste and abuse at the EPA.”
One of the organizations that received money was a group tied to failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/stacey-abrams-linked-group-received-2b-from-biden-admin-slush-fund-doge-finds" target="_blank" rel="noopener">received $2 billion</a> despite having raised almost no funds the first three months it operated. It had only existed for six months when it received money from the Biden administration.

Climate Protest

$375 Billion EPA Slush Fund Gave Money To Charity Groups Created Months Earlier

$375 Billion EPA Slush Fund Gave Money To Charity Groups Created Months Earlier: Report

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Joe Biden

John Podesta

Climate is “nowhere near the world’s biggest problem,” and has some benefits worth considering when evaluating its cost, according to Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
Wright appeared on Fox Business on Wednesday and said that the narrative pushed by leftist environmentalists has significant flaws. Wright, who is a longtime critic of radical environmentalism, said that the backlash against fossil fuels inspired by overwrought claims about climate change is unwarranted.
“Everything in life has tradeoffs, but a warmer planet with CO2 is better for growing plants. The world has been getting greener for decades – 14% more greenery around the planet today than there was 40 years ago,” Wright said, before pointing out that “far more people die of the cold than die of the heat.”
“Everything has a tradeoff, but, yeah, there’s pluses to global warming as well as negatives. But the bottom line is it&#8217;s nowhere near the world’s biggest problem today, not even close,” he added.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Secretary Wright joins FOX Business&#039;s Stuart Varney - February 19th, 2025" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GsijyIafpPA?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
President Donald Trump nominated Wright to serve as Secretary of Energy with a background working in the oil and gas and nuclear industries. Wright is in charge of implementing a key plank of Trump’s agenda, a return to American energy dominance through oil and gas production and other energy sources that “can lower the cost of energy, expand job opportunities, and have more stuff made in America,” as Wright said in the interview.
Wright has spoken much more harshly about certain policies crafted on the assumption that climate change is an existential threat. On Monday, the energy secretary spoke via videolink to a conference in London and called the push to get to net zero carbon emissions within the next few decades a “sinister goal.”
&#8220;Net Zero 2050 is a sinister goal. It&#8217;s a terrible goal,&#8221; Wright <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us-energy-secretary-attacks-sinister-net-zero-goals-singling-out-britain-2025-02-17/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;The aggressive pursuit of it – and you&#8217;re sitting in a country that has aggressively pursued this goal – has not delivered any benefits, but it&#8217;s delivered tremendous costs.”

Chris Wright

Trump Energy Chief: Climate Change ‘Nowhere Near The World’s Biggest Problem’

Department of Energy

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