It's even more insidious than that. I am old enough to remember when the conversation shifted from "total amount of projected warming" to "warming by 2100".

Both sides went with it, but in the long run it was a bad call for the Alarmists.

Their problem was that no one cared if it might warm up +3C to +4C in 300 years. 2100 was more "real" to people. They could imagine their grandchildren being alive in 2100.

It was supposed to make Global Warming more meaningful to people.

The Moderates and Fossil Fuel Elites liked it because it was a MUCH smaller number than the "total amount of projected warming" numbers.

+1.0C to +1.5C by 2100 sure sounds more benign than +5C by 2400. It also gives the illusion that this would be "manageable". Because by 2100, surely we would have "super tech" for cleaning up the CO2 cheaply and easily.

Both sides went with changing the debate. But the Elites and Moderates WON in terms of perception and narrative.

People's perception rapidly became that the warming by 2100 would be ALL of the warming. It's HARD to get people now to understand how much longer this will take to play out.

We have FUCKED the Climate System for at least 5,000 years. That's how long our little "experiment" is going to affect the Climate. At a MINIMUM.

The Elites and the more dishonest Moderates leaned into that narrative. Then that asshole economist Nordhaus validated it by saying the cost of Climate Change to us would be minimal and, our descendants would easily be able to deal with it.

Because a century of economic growth would make the world soooo much richer by 2100.

I love that my readers understand this, but talking to "average" citizens has disabused me of the idea that anyone else "gets it". Or even cares for that matter.

People are selfish, oh Holy Fool. Most only care what happens to THEM. They don't give a rats ass about leaving anything for the future.

I can remember in 2000 being told that "the FUTURE will take care of the FUTURE" we need cheap energy now. I guess the FUTURE is NOW.