{"id":444307,"date":"2026-05-15T02:52:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T09:52:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=444307"},"modified":"2026-05-15T03:03:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T10:03:01","slug":"disaster-nyt-op-ed-on-demoting-the-climate-pitch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=444307","title":{"rendered":"Disaster? NYT Op-Ed on Demoting the Climate Pitch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From Master Resource<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Robert Bradley Jr.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cThese are very interesting times\u2013and at the New York Times<\/em>. The climate writers and editors are daring to ask or allow hard questions about a politically losing narrative. It\u2019s a start.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The New York Times<\/em> op-ed, \u201cDemocrats Don\u2019t Have to Campaign on Climate Change Anymore<\/a>\u201d (May 9, 2026) is yet another marker that the debate is widening over the economic and political feasibility of climate alarm and forced energy transformation. [1]<\/strong> Matthew Huber wrote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

For the past several months, Democratic elites have been debating<\/a> how much to talk about climate change, if at all \u2014 in part because these new candidates have narrowed their focus to energy affordability to win back the working class. It is a striking shift from a few years ago, when many Democratic politicians thought the promise of a Green New Deal would build a coalition based on green jobs and fighting inequality.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

So how did the Progressive Left take this (small) dose of reality? New York Times<\/em> climate opinion editor Eliza Barclay<\/a> invited comments<\/a> on social media:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Love to see all of the chatter about Matt Huber\u2019s provocative essay about why Democratic candidates campaigning for the midterms should focus on affordable (and clean) energy rather than the climate crisis.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

A hard line was taken by David Fenon:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

This headline: Pearl Harbor Bombed. Democrats Shouldn\u2019t Talk About it\u2026. This is a big part of why the public doesn\u2019t make it a top voting issue. This essay is capitulation to catastrophe\u2026. Don\u2019t talk about it, then the public won\u2019t know about it, then you can\u2019t run for office on it and the country won\u2019t act on the emergency. And if a Democrat wins without a public mandate for action, she won\u2019t be able to get legislation passed to deal with the crisis. Suggest you look at Senator Whitehouse\u2019s response. And this kind of essay keeps appearing\u2013urging Democrats to be \u201cmoderate\u201d and support fossil fuel production, you know, Moderate Destruction. With respect but now exasperation too.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Scolding (bullying?) Barclay, Jim Bernfield<\/a>, a communications expert for the alarmist cause, commented<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The author\u2019s historical analysis was at best questionable, his political bona fides weak, and his argument fairly mundane, even for a NYT op-ed. But the clickbait headline \u2014 likely your responsibility, Eliza Barclay<\/a> \u2014 was unadulterated garbage. You\u2019re the climate editor, l am going to assume you can do better than this.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Michael Shank<\/a> was less critical<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

A variation on this theme, my piece for POLITICO Europe<\/a>. Instead of leading with climate, flip the script: Rather than leading with data and promoting health, safety and economic \u201cco-benefits\u201d as bonus add-ons, climate advocates need to flip the script.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I added<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Is a civil war developing on the Left? Also see [here<\/a>].<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

These are very interesting times\u2013and at the New York Times<\/em>. The climate editors and writers are daring to ask or allow hard questions about a politically losing narrative. It\u2019s a start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1]<\/strong> My own op-ed in the Houston Chronicle<\/em> is a smaller marker<\/a> of a new era of open debate on the underlying science, economics, and public policy of a once closed mainstream media.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThese are very interesting times\u2013and at the New York Times. The climate writers and editors are daring to ask or allow hard questions about a politically losing narrative. It\u2019s a start.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":444309,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691818056,691843031,691843032,691818849,691837521,691827854],"class_list":["post-444307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-climate-change","tag-climate-writers","tag-democratic-elites","tag-green-new-deal","tag-new-york-times-nyt-2","tag-progressive-left","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0-ChatGPT-NYT-Op-Ed-on-Demoting-the-Climate-Pitch.png?fit=1375%2C1144&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1RAf","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":423365,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=423365","url_meta":{"origin":444307,"position":0},"title":"NYT \u201cBig Oil\u201d Narrative Challenged","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"01\/27\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"An article in the New York Times last month on Harold Hamm was in the long tradition of Big Oil, Big Politics, Big Corruption. \u201cThe Oilman Who Pushed Trump to Go All In on Fossil Fuels\u201d (December 12, 2025) was authored by Eric Lipton and Rebecca F. Eliott.","rel":"","context":"In \"Big Oil\"","block_context":{"text":"Big Oil","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=big-oil"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AQMN1fPPeulMb0viUwzVEd3TsThcMOx4E29P3PSUMFSgbwTbgs0ZyVh9ujoxrlK8UJirm2fGItFPa5KiCjkqc4FerpjwlgUMaJZvkOViGYq6YoSvApOQSUySJP8NOaFQ.jpeg?fit=1200%2C705&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AQMN1fPPeulMb0viUwzVEd3TsThcMOx4E29P3PSUMFSgbwTbgs0ZyVh9ujoxrlK8UJirm2fGItFPa5KiCjkqc4FerpjwlgUMaJZvkOViGYq6YoSvApOQSUySJP8NOaFQ.jpeg?fit=1200%2C705&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AQMN1fPPeulMb0viUwzVEd3TsThcMOx4E29P3PSUMFSgbwTbgs0ZyVh9ujoxrlK8UJirm2fGItFPa5KiCjkqc4FerpjwlgUMaJZvkOViGYq6YoSvApOQSUySJP8NOaFQ.jpeg?fit=1200%2C705&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AQMN1fPPeulMb0viUwzVEd3TsThcMOx4E29P3PSUMFSgbwTbgs0ZyVh9ujoxrlK8UJirm2fGItFPa5KiCjkqc4FerpjwlgUMaJZvkOViGYq6YoSvApOQSUySJP8NOaFQ.jpeg?fit=1200%2C705&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AQMN1fPPeulMb0viUwzVEd3TsThcMOx4E29P3PSUMFSgbwTbgs0ZyVh9ujoxrlK8UJirm2fGItFPa5KiCjkqc4FerpjwlgUMaJZvkOViGYq6YoSvApOQSUySJP8NOaFQ.jpeg?fit=1200%2C705&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":281314,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=281314","url_meta":{"origin":444307,"position":1},"title":"Thanks, New York Times, For Finally Admitting Honey Bees Are Doing Great","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"09\/30\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"From ClimateRealism ByLinnea Lueken A recent\u00a0New York Times\u00a0(NYT) article titled \u201cThe Beekeepers Who Don\u2019t Want You to Buy More Bees,\u201d explains that contrary to popular media narratives, honey bee populations are healthy and numerous. 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