Racing simulator

Canada became the latest victim of a digital-age hoax. A deepfake video recently surfaced where Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a ban on all modified cars, and vehicles built before the year 2000. Only one problem though: It wasn’t real. I must admit, I was fooled & furious for about an hour. But I was simultaneously excited at the thought of cheaply snagging all those cars for the US lol. I apologize to my Canadian brethren for such thoughts… mostly.

That’s the thing about deepfakes… 

When they target politicians & pop-culture for jokes, people shrug. But when they falsely suggest policies that affect livelihoods, passions, and/or entire industries, it’s a whole different story. This wasn’t just a meme, it was a glimpse into how misinformation can tank markets, stoke public unrest, and send small businesses into panic mode. And while we’re debunking, let’s talk about something else that’s taken on a religious fervor in recent years: Net-zero emissions.

Biden GM

Net-zero is a catchy phrase, but its real-world implications are a mess…

It’s the kind of utopian idea that sounds great, until you realize it’s driven by extremes. The goal is to erase or “offset” every bit of carbon we emit. But the problem is: We’ve thrown nuance out the window, trading a combustion engine for lithium strip mines & pretending we’ve solved the problem.

Let’s be clear: Humans pollute…

And cows fart too. But the earth is not some fragile snow globe we’ve cracked open. It’s dynamic & always changing. Our total carbon output makes up about 0.04% of the atmosphere. And if that number drops to 0.02%… plant life begins to die. So while everyone’s preaching to “reduce carbon at all costs,” we’re ignoring the fact that plants & trees, the very things that feed us, cool the earth, and give us breathable air – need CO2 to live.

US lithium mining

china lithium

Balance matters…

But we’re going from one extreme to the other. Regulation has taken us from unrestricted V8s & diesels… to glamorously marketed 8,000lb electric crossovers that require rare earth metals mined under horrendous human conditions. And then shipped across oceans on diesel-burning freighters. All while patting ourselves on the back while sipping oat milk lattes from compostable cups & paper straws. Balance. The word nobody understands anymore. CO₂ isn’t some cartoon villain sneaking around the planet murdering polar bears. It’s literally the food plants eat. You’ve heard of photosynthesis, right? The more CO₂ in the air, the more plant life flourishes. To a point of course. Greenhouses often boost CO₂ levels on purpose, because it makes crops grow faster. That’s not conspiracy talk, that’s standard agri-science.

JDm exhaust

rat rod BMW 2002

V8 BMW 2002

Something else that probably won’t go viral on your newsfeed: 

There are actually more trees in the U.S. today, than there were in the days of Lewis and Clark. Why? Because we got smart… and sustainable. Logging companies plant new trees to replace the ones they cut. Reforestation programs are real. The earth isn’t a dying husk. It’s a dynamic, self-healing system… when we don’t overreact & paralyze ourselves with regulation. Politicians should lead the world on responsible & innovative longterm paths, obviously. But they shouldn’t create fear in order to gain power. Remember folks – when you get scared (and foolishly overreact)… you give up freedom, and give more power to people who may not be using it in your best interests.

Instead of celebrating our successes & learning from our mistakes… 

We allow panic & overreaction to erratically swing the pendulum way too far. Not every gas-powered car is a war crime. It doesn’t have to be everything all at once. Don’t let them use fear & guilt to sell products. And don’t shove people into an EV agenda with tax incentives, vehicle bans, green-leaf license plates, and net-zero slogans slapped on the back of lithium-filled megatrucks. Also, don’t introduce new tech under a lie. Rather – introduce it as an exciting new possibility, and LET THE MARKET DECIDE. That’s what freedom of choice looks like – and coincidentally, it’s better for innovation too.

Balance doesn’t mean “doing nothing”… 

It means doing the right things… not ALL the things. It means realizing that CO₂ is part of a larger, incredibly complex environmental equation. And treating it like the boogeyman is bad science & bad policy.

 

Article by David S. Windsor

 

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