The College Fix

In his farewell address to Yale University, retiring president Richard Levin took to the podium before the graduating class of 2013 over the weekend and told them – the sky is falling.

More specifically, he went on a bizarre tangent about global warming during his baccalaureate commencement address, telling grads “our insufficiently restrained emission of carbon into the atmosphere is on track to require the relocation of coastal populations around the world and cause severe draughts in once fertile agricultural regions, within your lifetimes.”

Relocation of coastal populations! Within your lifetimes! Better pack your bags, grads.

He went on to say:

Earlier this month, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration exceeded 400 parts per million for the first time in over three million years. This level is more than 40 percent higher than concentrations prevailing before the Industrial Revolution began in the mid-18th century.  Now is the time for stronger economic incentives, stricter performance standards, and large investment in carbon-free energy technologies.  The strategy for such investments should take full account of lessons of the massive 1960s commitment to space and defense technology, which gave us high performance materials, computers, the Internet, and global leadership in science and technology that propelled scores of industries and created millions of jobs.

The theme that unites all the elements of the program I am suggesting to you is this: we need to take the long view.  If we fail to invest in education, infrastructure, and innovation, we shortchange the future.  If we fail to rationalize entitlements, your generation’s prosperity will be jeopardized.  If we fail to address the challenge of global warming, your children and grandchildren will live in a world burdened by the enormous costs of coping with environmental disruption and human dislocation.

Global warming to cause – human … dislocation? Right.

Goodbye Dr. Levin, and don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

CLICK HERE to read a transcript of his entire speech to the graduating class at Yale College.

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