The Climate Blame Game: When Correlation Becomes Causation
Any sensible person knows that correlation does not mean causation. Namely, that two things that happened simultaneously are not necessarily related
But this simple logic is thrown out the window when it comes to ‘climate change’, because in the activists’ minds, just about everything is a sign of human-caused ‘climate change’
In a recent article from Canada’s CTV News, they report that Plan International charity claims that “global warming has increased the risk of child marriages, teenage pregnancies and violence against girls.”
This is supposedly due to ‘climate change’ “disasters” such as floods, droughts, cyclones, and extreme heat that have somehow been forcing families to marry their young daughters off and destroying health and education systems for girls.
And, of course, this “climate change” that they talk about is not the natural climate cycles that our planet experiences, but human-induced ‘climate change’ from our carbon dioxide emissions.
Just under the report’s headline, it states, “How the climate crisis fuels sexual violence, child marriage and unintended pregnancy, and limits girls’ futures.” By drawing on people’s empathy and concern for children, they are creating an unquestionable moral imperative, and anyone who disagrees is shamed as being against women.
While it is tragic that girls have been forced into marriages and pregnancies so young, we need to keep a clear head about the causes. The climate has been changing for millennia, sometimes rapidly, and other times more gradually, and we must adapt to it.
Floods, droughts, and other natural disasters put a strain on our society and harm everyone, but the report’s webpage makes the ludicrous statement that “The climate crisis is not gender-neutral.”
They claim that girls have been bearing the brunt of extreme weather, but fail to see that, despite what the media claims, there has not been an increase in the severity of these events in recent years.
The Global Extreme Weather and Climate Change Dashboard (GWX) is a compilation of extreme weather records from around the world, analyzing eight phenomena including wildfires, droughts, and floods.
Virtually none of these phenomena have not increased in recent decades.
The database includes worldwide and continental trends; for instance, flooding in Asia can be seen below, with data from 1982 to 2026. There was no detected change during that time period.
Does this mean that we are causing droughts? Absolutely not.
The database records weather phenomena but does not attribute these events to humans or other causes. Droughts have happened throughout history, and in some regions, they may be more severe in certain decades, and in others, they may be reduced.
In the image below, we can see trends for the eight extreme weather phenomena. There is no detected change in five phenomena, a decrease in cold extremes, and a slight increase in heat waves.
We do not have enough data to detect a trend in wildfires, as thirty years is the minimum length of time needed.
So although droughts in Africa are increasing, worldwide, there is no detected change, meaning that in some regions, droughts must be decreasing.
Moreover, if we are experiencing more strain due to flooding, for instance, then it is not necessarily because there are more floods, but often because there are more people living on floodplains or who do not have proper access to shelter.
Economics and societies change, but that does not indicate a change in extreme weather events. They may be correlated, but to say that there is necessarily causation is simply wrong.
As we explored in our America Out Loud News article here, heatwaves are also not a sign of ‘climate change’, but rather, they are phenomena caused by natural changes in atmospheric weather conditions.
That’s not to say that they aren’t devastating: indeed, people die and suffer tremendously in heat waves.
What it does mean is that our focus should be on adaptation and making our society resilient to these natural changes rather than trying to prevent them from happening.
Meredith Miller, a holistic coach and author, explores how “climate justice” often overlaps with “social justice” in her essay in the book Canary in a Climate World: Climate Realism vs. the Net Zero Myth.
She writes that “climate change is presented as disproportionately affecting women, children, the elderly, people of color, indigenous communities, and those who are economically disadvantaged.”
We are being given partial truths that “simplify complex realities and redirect emotional pain toward predetermined agendas.”
Miller adds that “The new age of coercion doesn’t bark orders—it whispers empathy.” There are real reasons to help women and children, none of which have to do with human-induced ‘climate change’.
We need to shift our focus to what will make a real difference in their lives, because when the climate scare dies, we don’t want humanitarian efforts to die with it.
By focusing on what needs to be improved, namely, education, safety, food, clean drinking water, and access to reliable electricity from ‘fossil fuels’, rather than blaming ‘climate change’, we will set up lasting relief and hope to alleviate poverty for good rather than only until the climate scare is over.
Doing the “right thing for the wrong reasons” will only backfire and destroy any meaningful changes these humanitarian efforts bring about.
Let’s invest in those at risk from these natural events to fix the inadequate systems already in place, and stop the ‘climate change’ fantasy.
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very old white guy
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Not necessarily related until they are.
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