Event 201 was a, “3.5-hour pandemic tabletop exercise that simulated a series of dramatic, scenario-based facilitated discussions, confronting difficult, true-to-life dilemmas associated with response to a hypothetical, but scientifically plausible, pandemic.”, largely funded by billionaire Bill Gates. Most people would think something like this is only natural and probably necessary considering we live in the height of a global pandemic. Of course these people are right, except for one key detail; event 201 occurred in October of 2019, months before people knew about the outbreak, and more importantly months before the outbreak even occurred.
Naturally conspiracy theorists were quick to the task of trying to connect the dots and put two and two together. It was highly improbable that the world’s elites gathered to watch a simulated pandemic unfold in the exact way that the real virus did months before it even happened. And it didn’t help that Bill Gates, the man funding it and also the richest man on the planet, is also highly involved in the search for the vaccine. Media outlets and rational thinkers were quick to call out these theorists as right wing fanatics. There’s no way an event held in broad daylight was used to simulate how easily the general population could be controlled and manipulated by higher ups, right?
Less than a month ago Mariana Mazucatto, a professor and economist, published “Avoiding a Climate Lockdown.” It spoke of the dangers of climate change, and proposed a solution of a second lockdown to limit CO2 emissions. ‘climate lockdown,’ governments would limit private-vehicle use, ban consumption of red meat, and impose extreme energy-saving measures, while fossil-fuel companies would have to stop drilling. To avoid such a scenario, we must overhaul our economic structures and do capitalism differently.” Oddly enough, this idea has begun to gain traction with some Americans, namely in California, which has been greatly affected by wildfires over the past few months. The average person seems to be much more open to the idea of an all out lockdown. After being confined to your house since March, it doesn’t sound all that crazy. I think it’s time to start asking some somewhat scary questions, like who really benefits from the population being stuck in their houses and ruled by fear. I am afraid you might find that the answer isn’t climate activists.
