Clintel at Heartland Conference: new terminology in climate debate needed
At the Heartland Conference in Washington, D.C., Clintel highlighted new perspectives on climate science, including the benefits of CO₂-driven global greening and the need for a renewed vocabulary in the climate debate, as presented by Marcel Crok.
Marcel Crok
Peter Baeten
Date: 11 April 2026
Last week (April 8 and 9), Clintel attended the 16th International Conference on Climate Change in Washington, D.C., organized by the Heartland Institute. Clintel Director Marcel Crok was one of the speakers at this important annual climate-realist conference. The focus of his presentation was on the significant (positive impact of the) greening of the Earth due to the increased concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. This greening effect is now undeniable and also has a positive impact on global agricultural yields.
New language and vocabulary are needed
Clintel’s American branch, Climate Intel, led by researcher Forrest Frantz, is also closely monitoring this greening effect and contributed to the data presented. Frantz has also put forward striking suggestions regarding the language used in the climate debate, a topic Marcel also addressed in his presentation. Language plays an enormous role in how people experience the climate debate. Climate alarmists have been using this to their advantage since the beginning of the discussion. Crok and Frantz therefore advocate that the climate-realist side also start using new, more positive terms. As a start, Crok offered six concrete suggestions:
Emissions is replaced by: Restoration of CO2 to the air
Fossil fuels becomes: Natural Organic Energy
Carbon dioxide changes into: CO2, Earth’s Oxygen-of-Life
Climate change becomes: climate (because the climate is always changing anyway)
Greenhouse gas is replaced by: Active IR-effect of CO2
H2O and CO2 emissions from power plants becomes: Atmospheric rivers of life
Watch Marcel Crok’s lecture below:
more news
Sustainability is the problem, not the solution
In recent weeks, a common refrain in Europe has been that if we had only focused more aggressively on 'renewable' energy sources, we would not find ourselves in such a vulnerable position because of the war in Iran. But is this claim true? Dutch science journalist and Clintel director Marcel Crok argues the opposite: it is precisely Europe's fixation on climate policy and CO2 reduction that has left us exposed and contributed to the current energy mess.
“Bringing youth into the climate realist fold”
At the recent Heartland Conference, there was a special session called Bringing youth into the climate realist fold. How are younger generations engaging with climate issues and shaping the future conversation? Two interesting speakers were Lucy Biggers, who used to hang out with Greta Thunberg, and Chris Martz, who has been called the ‘Anti Greta Thunberg’.
Germany’s Energy Minister Admits Renewable Energy is Ruining the Country
Germany’s Energy Minister recently delivered a verdict that would have been career-ending heresy only a year ago: “One fact has been concealed for too long: an energy transition that ignores system costs will ruin the country it claims to save.” So fifteen years after Merkel’s nuclear panic, reality is reasserting itself with the cold logic of physics and markets.
