Uh Oh: Burning Man Is Bad For “Climate Change”

04 Sep, 2015 by William Teach

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Is nothing safe anymore?

(USA Today) While Burning Man is the world’s largest Leave No Trace event, the weeklong festival drawing 70,000 people to the Nevada desert has a major, albeit dispersed, environmental impact.

What they mean is “climate change”, not the environment.

From the constant hum of generators powering air conditioning inside luxury RVs to the trucks vacuuming out waste from the ever-filling 1,600 port-a-potties, vehicles play a central role in this event.

The vast majority of attendees drove here, despite organizers’ efforts to push bus service. They have made progress on carpooling, however, by charging stiff vehicle access rates.

Others flew in from around the world, and the Burning Man airport itself was expecting to see more than 2,000 flight arrivals and departures over the week. At the temporary airport, planes land directly on the desert floor.

The tax revenues alone hint at the size of Burning Man, which pours $55 million into the northern Nevada economy annually as visitors gas up, buy cases of bottled water and pack their coolers full of beer.

All of those are considered bad for Hotcoldwetdry.

Like many attendees, MacHenry and his friends consider themselves environmentalists. They commute by bike or mass transit and talk knowledgeably of carbon footprints. MacHenry said he feels a little bit like Al Gore, flying around on a polluting airplane to warn people of the dangers of global warming.

“Is it bad for the environment?” asked Mark Reynolds, executive director of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a grassroots advocacy organization. “Yes, of course it is. Is it something we should spend a lot of time and energy getting worked up about? I don’t think so.”

Of course not. Members of the Cult of Climastrology want Everyone Else to suffer for their beliefs, just not themselves.

The even is super worried about actual pollution, such as glitter and trash. They must haul out their own trash, as there are intentionally no trash cans. They’re even super concerned over leaving flowers in the desert. But

But there’s no limit to how many generators attendees can haul in, and some of the luxury camps seem to keep their car-sized generators running 24/7 to power the motor coaches, air conditioning and flush toilets set aside for their guests. A constant stream of trucks enter the side gate of the event, bringing in ice, fresh water and even produce for those who made advance arrangements. While “radical self-reliance” is one of the central tenets of Burning Man, nothing prohibits attendees from using their money to make it more enjoyable.

Of course, all the attendees and the organizers make all sorts of excuses for this, one of which is “they’d do it at home”. Which is rather the point. If the Believers aren’t willing to do their part for their beliefs, why should Skeptics and fence sitters think that this issue of man-caused global warming climate change be anything other than a convenient talking point meant to push for greater taxes, changes in the economic system, and more control of our lives?

Crossed at Pirate’s Cove. Follow me on Twitter @WilliamTeach.