The Climate Threat of Progressive Skepticism

There was a time when I thought of skepticism as a kind of intellectual virtue. It indicated that one didn’t simply take everything at face value. One critically assessed what one was given with probing questions and mature reasoning. But a few months ago, I found myself having a reoccurring conversation with skeptics that led me to become, well, skeptical about skepticism.

For many matters, I think skepticism can indeed be a sign of clear and rigorous thinking, but I have also discovered that skepticism is perhaps one of the greatest bulwarks humanity has ever created for defending the status quo. What is particularly amazing about skepticism is that it can accomplish this while masquerading not only as intelligence but as a kind of progressive or radical astuteness associated with vigorous opposition to the status quo.

For example, a year ago a skeptic might have believed that few, if any, Republicans in the House of Representatives would ever come out in support of the clean energy tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act. With incredulity, our skeptic might say, “Advocating with Republicans is just a waste of time. They’re never going to change. None of them voted for the Inflation Reduction Act. Just look at the facts!” But then the seemingly impossible happened. Eighteen House Republicans declared their support for clean energy tax credits.

After Trump was elected, a skeptic might have then pointed to all the evidence of Republican members of Congress falling in line behind Trump in arguing that surely the number supporting these tax credits would soon shrink. But then the opposite occurred. The number increased in April to 21, and last week it increased to 26.

Despite the hard-fought achievements of advocates to reach this point, a skeptic could persist in the belief that surely Republicans will slash $200 to $500 billion in clean energy tax credits when all is said and done as they hash out the budget reconciliation bill. Maybe the skeptic will be proven right, but maybe not.

There is nothing principled or honorable about throwing in the cards that have been dealt before the game is even played. In fact, the opposite is true. The scale of climate-induced suffering at stake is far too massive to dismissively decide not to advocate with members of Congress for their support of clean energy tax credits.

As much as I feel that progressive political skepticism is in some ways a greater enemy today than conservative climate denialism, I can’t stay on my high horse for too long. I, too, was once a skeptic when it came to Congress. Ultimately, beneath the surface, this form of skepticism is far from a willful defense of the status quo. Instead, it is a stark manifestation of deep despair in response to a dire situation created by powerful forces.

In times such as these, a tenacious faith and hope are required in addressing the climate crisis. This is exactly what I find among the grassroots advocates of the recently launched Climate Hope Affiliates. Through a commitment to developing ongoing relationships with their members of Congress, these faith-rooted advocates are refusing to let skepticism become a way of rationalizing surrender. With one member of Congress after another, they are challenging the status quo.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The Rev. Dr. Brooks Berndt serves as the Environmental Justice Minister for the United Church of Christ and is the author of Cathedral on Fire: A Church Handbook for the Climate Crisis in the National Setting of the United Church of Christ.

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