Is the Climate Crisis a Scam or is it Real?

Are we in trouble as a planet, as a species? Every single decade since the 1970s we’ve been told the same or similar warning: “In 10 years we’ll be in big trouble if nothing changes.”

The bogeyman keeps shifting. Back in the 1970s, headlines warned of a looming new ice age. By the 1980s the panic had moved to the ozone hole and skin cancer. In the 1990s and 2000s it became global warming and rising sea levels. And now, in 2025, it has been rebranded once again as the “Climate Crisis” with most of the consequences already listed — rebranded new buzzwords for a new decade, but the same old gremlins rolled out to scare us into action.

It’s no wonder so many people think the climate crisis is just another scam to tax us, control us, and keep us afraid. I wrote a post some time ago asking Is Recycling Still a Good Idea? which is indirectly related to this post, maybe you'd like to check that out after reading this.

And politicians don’t help their case. They talk about emergencies but act like nothing urgent is happening. World leaders buy €9 million coastal mansions, fly in private jets, and wave through new developments on the very coasts they say are doomed. Planes still fly, companies still expand, and nobody is asking us to actually consume less. For many of us, that screams hypocrisy.

Believe it or not, the spark for this post came from President Donald Trump’s speech at the UN on 23 September 2025. Is he right? He has said many things over the last few years that have come to pass.

So, is it all a scam? Or is there a real problem hidden behind all the political doublespeak?

Dramatic digital painting of the Earth burning with flames and smoke filling the sky, symbolizing the climate crisis and environmental destruction.

So What is it to Me?

Apart from being a member of the human race and a current resident of planet Earth — I’m a woodturner by trade, and the environment, specifically trees, are central to my work and my livelihood.

I’ve been environmentally conscious for many years and I’ve always tried to do my bit where possible. So much so that I donate a small portion from my business sales to planting hardwood trees in the west of Ireland. To date I’ve planted just under 40 trees through the Hometree organisation and plan to donate more. That’s far more wood than I would ever use in my lifetime, and hopefully something for future generations of Irish people to enjoy. I hope.

Since I’m having a little go at politicians here, you might also like my post Leaders, Accountability, and the People They Represent. It strikes a similar chord.

Or maybe this post Is Recycling Still a Good Idea? which would be on the same climate theme.

TL;DR — Is the climate crisis a scam or real?

The science says CO₂ is rising and warming is measurable.
The politics looks like a scam: fear, taxes, and hypocrisy at the top.
The truth is probably both — a real problem wrapped in cynical politics.

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The Case for “Scam”

I don't enjoy thinking the worst about people but politicians never seem to learn and frequently make us think that we are right to think less of them by way of their words and actions. The internet is forever — what you said ten years ago, last year, or even five minutes ago is only a quick search away.

Same warnings for 50 years – If the crisis was as imminent as politicians claimed in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, wouldn’t we be underwater by now?
Hypocrisy at the top – Barack Obama buys an oceanside holiday home while telling us the seas are rising. Leaders fly around the world expending millions of lbs of fuel along the way — telling us to cut our carbon footprints while theirs are enormous.
Tax and control – Billions have been raised through “green levies” and carbon taxes, but how much of that has genuinely reduced emissions?
Behaviour doesn’t match panic – If leaders really thought humanity was doomed, wouldn’t every rooftop already be covered in solar panels by government order, with interest-free loans to pay for them?

That’s why so many people conclude: scam. A convenient narrative to milk taxpayers while leaders carry on with business as usual — grabbing more each year as the “emergency” escalates and the invisible threat becomes ever more menacing. Meanwhile, they jet off to Davos on private planes to talk about how terrible their citizens are at “climate responsibility,” and how they can save the planet with yet another round of taxation.

The Case for “Real”

Here’s where things get harder for the sceptics and where I had to go looking for data. Scientists aren’t just recycling headlines, and while the loudest opposing voices muddy the waters, the bulk of evidence seems harder to ignore. Yes, many climate experts are funded by governments or organisations with their own agendas and that raises trust issues. But the underlying data is available to anyone who cares to look.

CO₂ is rising fast – For 800,000 years, CO₂ in the atmosphere sat between 180–280 ppm. Today we’re over 420 ppm, the highest in at least 3 million years. The rise took just 150 years, not millennia.
Warming is measurable – Ice cores, satellite data, and temperature records all show a clear upward trend. It isn’t a media invention — it’s physics.
Not just natural cycles – Yes, the planet has been hotter in the distant past, but those shifts were driven by long orbital cycles over tens of thousands of years. What we’re seeing now is a spike, not a slow drift.
Ecosystems under stress – Coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef, extreme weather, and shifting growing zones are real impacts, not just theories.

So the science does look solid that human activity is driving today’s rapid warming — if we take the experts at their word. The real debate is less about whether it’s happening and more about what, if anything, we should do about it.

Why Actions Don’t Match the Words

This is where the “scam” argument picks up steam again. Politicians act as if it’s serious but not catastrophic and won't be anytime soon:

They don’t ban flights, they just continuously add small fuel taxes to all fuels.
They don’t insist on solar for every house, they hand out limited grants.
They don’t stop coastal development, they quietly invest in it themselves.

They don’t champion new energy systems like wave or large-scale storage — they talk about them, then stall.

It looks less like panic and more like hedging. Governments want to appear green without wrecking economies or losing votes and we limp on without any meaningful changes to how we do things. That’s why most ordinary people go solar for the same reason we did — to only cut costs — not out of any belief they’re saving the planet.

What Could Be Done Differently (Real Solutions)

If governments were serious and practical, here’s what would help:

Bulk solar rollouts – Instead of small grants, the state could buy solar panels in bulk, then offer long-term, low-interest repayment to households. Panels would be cheaper, and uptake would soar. Registered local independent fitters would still do the work, everyone wins.
Wave energy – Ireland has some of the best wave energy potential in Europe. A few promising designs already exist. This type should be fast-tracked. Forget damaging coastal wind turbines.
Tree planting by drones – Cheap, scalable, and visible. Drones could reforest inhospitable areas far faster than hand-planting. Far enough apart that forest fires are not an issue.
Carbon capture pilots – Not a silver bullet, but useful alongside renewables.
Target the real polluters – Pressure on China, India, and the U.S. is essential. Ireland going carbon-neutral means nothing globally if the big three keep belching out CO₂.

I’m sorry, but blaming cow farts for the evils of industry is just, well, evil. Forcing farmers to cull animals to meet new quotas is insane policy-making — and yes, this is actually being talked about. Meanwhile, factories keep smoking, planes keep flying, and cars keep driving. The real heavy hitters carry on as usual, while small farmers — and the rest of us — are lined up as the easy scapegoat.

So Are We in Crisis or Not?

So is the climate crisis a scam, or is it real? To be honest, I’m not 100% convinced either way anymore — but I am a little concerned about it. There’s too much conflicting information, too many opposing voices, and far too many lies and excuses and politicians are rarely trustworthy these days are they? At the same time, there’s not nearly enough meaningful action.

Yes, I believe we should all clean up our act because we are damaging the planet in some way, we have to be. But to say we’re damaging it to the point of total catastrophe? That could be hubris or a prophetic warning. Who’s to say? Must we wait for the seas to rise before we get a definitive answer?

The Bottom Line

So again I ask, is the climate crisis a scam, or is it real?

The truth is probably both, depending on how you look at it. The science seems to show a real problem — CO₂ is rising fast, and warming is measurable. But the politics around it looks like a scam. Leaders use fear and tax to squeeze more from the public, while their personal actions show little urgency.

That leaves the rest of us caught in the middle — sceptical, tired of being gaslit, but also aware that something is happening to the planet.

Maybe the honest answer is this:

The crisis is real enough to require action.
The politics around it is cynical enough to feel like a scam.

And that’s why trust is collapsing.

Thanks for Reading,

David

👉 What do you think? Scam, reality, or somewhere in between? Drop a comment below — I’d like to hear your take.

About the Author

I’m David Condon, a writer and small business owner based in Tralee, Co. Kerry. My main trade is woodcraft and teaching woodturning, but I also use this blog to share thoughts, experiences, and observations that go beyond the workshop. From life in Ireland to tech gadgets, reviews, and the occasional opinion piece like this one, it’s all written from the perspective of everyday, real life.

If you’d like to know more, there’s a link in the Note from the Author section below.

💬 Note from the Author
This post was written specially for David Condon Finds. If you enjoyed it, you might also like my other projects:

Phoenix DVD Blog – where I write about DVDs, Blu-rays, and life as a collector
David Condon Woodcraft – my main site focused on woodturning and handmade Irish pieces

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