"Concerning Measures to Involve Youth in Environmental Justice"
Citing Andy West to Understand the Sanctification of Youth and the Fallacious Concept of “Environmental Justice” Front and Center in New Colorado Bill
Seemingly never satisfied with using the villains in Atlas Shrugged1 as inspiration to ruin the state, Progressive/Green colonizers in Colorado are out with another bill. Colorado Senate Bill 25-055, "Youth Involvement in Environmental Justice" was introduced to the Senate and assigned to the Health & Human Services committee last week. The bill’s sponsors are alcoholic Faith Winter and teacher Janice Marchman.
The bill seeks to involve youth in “environmental justice” initiatives and promote “clean” energy in in the state’s failing government schools. The state currently has an Environmental Justice Advisory Board as a part of the state’s Department of Public Health and Environment. Currently the board, as most serious boards are, is composed of adults. This bill however seeks to add one member of that board with an individual, selected by the Governor, and who is between 14 and 21 years of age (apparently voting and drinking age adults are now considered “youth”) to a sit on the board.
What may seem unrelated is another demand of the bill, and that is for the Colorado Energy Office to develop “best practices” for adopting and financing “clean” energy resources in the state’s failing and cartel/union controlled public schools. Government schools have long been used as ideological indoctrination centers.
The sanctification and desire to reach out to Colorado’s children reflects the cultural dynamics described in Andy West’s The Grip of Culture: The Social Psychology of Climate Change Catastrophism, reviewed here and available in PDF form free here.
West’s underrated book provides a solid foundation for understanding this bill - especially the role of sanctifying children in the greater climate catastrophism movement.
West’s critique of climate catastrophism as a potent cultural entity sheds light on the foci of this bill: the sanctification of youth as moral and symbolic leaders and the expansion of environmental narratives under the emotionally charged and often fallacious banner of “environmental justice.”
West defines a cultural entity as “a social movement or group bound by strong beliefs,” and that such entities, “claim authority by establishing existential importance and moral superiority.”
Youth as Central Figures: Sanctification in Action
West identifies the use of children as a hallmark of cultural narratives, noting that, “Cultural entities affect children, most importantly through co-opting them as prophets and proselytisers.” The recognition of youth by adding a youth representative in SB 25-055 points to the broader climate catastrophism movement’s reliance on figures such as Greta Thunberg, who are framed as innocent, moral authorities advocating for urgent action.
West argues that children’s perceived innocence and symbolic connection to the future amplify the emotional appeal of the narrative. He writes, “The climate domain has produced its own prophets, notably children like Greta Thunberg, whose innocence and youth amplify the emotive appeal of the cultural narrative.” By “elevating” youth, the bill taps into this same cultural mechanism, positioning young people as both victims of environmental harm and saviors capable of guiding society toward redemption.
He also critiques the psychological pressures placed on children in these roles, noting, “The widely acknowledged psychological pressures that climate catastrophism places upon children.” The bill’s emphasis on youth involvement risks burdening them with feelings of guilt and responsibility for solving systemic environmental issues. This of course is not new with reports of younger people facing riding rates of anxiety, depression and even the concept of “climate guilt.”
This sanctification comes at a cost and zero benefits to normal, everyday, honest Colorado residents.
Environmental Justice as a Cultural Narrative
The concept of “environmental justice,” central to the Colorado bill, exemplifies what West describes as the emotive and moral framing characteristic of cultural narratives. He explains that “Cultural narratives claim authority by establishing existential importance and moral superiority.”
Environmental justice expands the climate movement’s scope by framing environmental harm as a “social injustice,” disproportionately affecting marginalized groups including the youth and requiring immediate rectification often with massive expansion of government. It’s a greater part of the societally destructive and abuse-based Woke movement. Of course it’s also not only climate issues to which the Woke use children as ideological battering rams as can be seen in Genderism.
While the term “justice” evokes fairness and equality, its application within the bill often serves as an abusive rhetorical tool to elevate the moral standing of the movement and to suppress dissent. By incorporating youth into decision-making, the bill reinforces the narrative that the next generation must lead the fight against whatever injustice that lives rent-free (and was likely caused and/or exasperated) in the heats of catastrophist followers.
West noted that cultural narratives invoke “an existential importance and a vision of salvation…to create unrealistic anxieties, fears, guilt, hopes, and inspiration across society” and this bill aligns well with that statement.
Polarization and Suppression of Dissent
West further critiques how cultural entities demonize opposition, noting, “A common feature of all strong cultures is the demonisation of critical voices and out-groupers.” The concept of environmental justice functions in this way, framing opposition as morally deficient, unjust, or indifferent to systemic inequities. Anyone opposed to climate catastrophe narratives can be accused of “not caring” for the children, an example of what Nassim Taleb calls pedophrasty. Such rhetorical abuse techniques discourage rational debate about the costs, feasibility, or unintended consequences of such policies.
For example, the bill’s provisions for so-called “clean” energy in schools emphasize moral imperatives based on cultish ignorance of elementary energy concepts over hard reality, cost-benefit metrics, or pragmatism. By focusing on emotive narratives—such as the need for students to develop proposals for adopting “clean energy”—it shifts attention away from potential logistical or economic challenges. West’s critique that “Cultural narratives push emotive hot buttons in us…invoking deeper instincts, such as the need to care for children or fear of the unknown” aptly applies here as does his commentary of renewables as the “savior” solution. Wind turbines and solar panels become icons of progress and moral righteousness, symbolizing hope and salvation within the cultural story.
As West notes, cultural entities rely on such symbols to generate emotional engagement and group cohesion. In this worldview, fossil fuels and nuclear energy are not merely seen as energy sources with environmental drawbacks but are transformed into symbols of greed, exploitation, ecological harm, and thus harmful to the very children being elevated to moral superiors.
The Colorado Bill as a Climate Catastrophism Cultural Artifact
West describes a cultural artifact as “an output or expression of a cultural entity, shaped by the narratives, beliefs, and mechanisms of the culture that produced it.”
Cultural artifacts can take many forms, including policies, public statements, symbols, art, or even technologies, and they often serve to reinforce or propagate the cultural narrative. These artifacts are not necessarily rational or practical; their primary purpose is to signal group identity, promote cultural cohesion, and align with the emotive commitments of the culture. SB 25-055 meets multiple criteria for this definition.
While the bill purports to address systemic environmental issues and empower youth, it ultimately serves as a vehicle for reinforcing cultural narratives. Its reliance on fallacious concepts and symbolic gestures reenforces West’s argument that cultural entities prioritize emotional engagement and moral authority over practical solutions.
The date for the committee hearing is to be determined and currently the lobbyists involved in the support of the bill have not been posted.
For those interested in voicing their concerns, please see FreeStateColorado’ guide on how to testify in person or his video with
on how to testify remotely
Irony:
Oh, the kids…… poor foolish people. From legalization of pot to battery storage trains, to “green energy “ schools…… the ignorance is staggering…
Atlas Shrugged is an example too of falsehood in belief. The author was hardly one to practice what she preached. When it got tough she turned to state assistance.