In the hand-wringing sessions, consultants and experts from the United States and Canada came up with analyses and ideas. The problem seemed insurmountable, however. Peter Victor, dean of environmental studies at York University, listed the obstacles that stood between them and easy conversion of the masses into true believers. For starters, the science is complex and uncertain. Fixing the name occupied a bit of time.
Climate change is just too general, too vague, too meaningless, too benign.
Mr. Victor suggested a national contest to rename climate change, perhaps along more menacing lines. The conclusion here seemed to be that if this movie had a new title, say, The Godzilla Effect, it might have a better chance of capturing the public's imagination and attracting a bigger audience. The main marketing tool of climate change activists, however, is currently the weather, and it's likely to remain the No. 1 factor in any campaign. Today, the green propaganda machine whirring away within Environment Canada produces a steady stream of reports that virtually equate any instance of bad weather with man-made climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions. In Environment Canada's view, here in the Canadian Eden, there are no natural disasters anymore, just unnatural ones caused by humans nibbling away on the apple of life.