Hyggen takes heat on climate change tweet

By Lethbridge Herald on August 25, 2022.

Herald file photo Mayor Blaine Hyggen, seen here at a recent council meeting, is taking heat over a tweet he reposted on his personal Twitter account from an organization that disputes climate change, an opinion he says doesn’t reflect his own beliefs.

Al Beeber – LETHBRIDGE HERALD – abeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

Lethbridge mayor Blaine Hyggen is taking heat over a tweet he reposted on his personal Twitter account from an organization that disputes climate change, an opinion he says doesn’t reflect his own beliefs.

The tweet is not on his official mayor’s Twitter account, which is a separate entity.

The article written by Chris Morrison of The Daily Skeptic states in its opening paragraph “The political fiction that humans cause most or all climate change and the claim that the science behind this notion is ‘settled’, has been dealt a savage blow by the publication of a ‘World Climate Declaration (WCD)’ signed by over 1,100 scientists and professionals. There is no climate emergency, say the authors, who are drawn from across the world and led by the Norwegian physics Nobel Prize laureate Professor Ivar Giaever. Climate science is said to have degenerated into a discussion based on beliefs, not on sound self-critical science.”

The Daily Skeptic, an online publication at dailyskeptic.org, is run by creator Toby Young who calls himself a “free speech zealot.” He also created in April 2020 the site Lockdown Skeptics, which was a precursor to the Daily Skeptic.

The controversial article focuses on the “World Climate Declaration” which states “there is no climate emergency.” Hyggen’s Tweet said it was an “interesting article.”

That tweet provoked a heated response from many including Lethbridge West MLA Shannon Phillips who wrote on Twitter “article is not interesting. It is disinformation clickbait. Engaging this well-known disinformation site does not reflect well on scientific or medial literacy. Accurate information is foundation of healthy democracy. Best not to indulge conspiracies.”

In a statement to The Herald Thursday, the mayor said the article “does not reflect my personal beliefs on climate change.

“We see climate change in our lives every day. From wildfires to floods, it’s pretty hard to miss, even here in southern Alberta. I post to social media, on my both personal and Mayoral (@MayorHyggen) accounts, to engage in topics of conversation with the community.

“I’m proud to be part of a city that voices their passion about the issues that are important to them. It’s part of what makes our community so fantastic.”

The Daily Skeptic is on Twitter at @LD_Skeptics and posts links to stories on its website such as one about COVID in which it refers to a graph that “shows an interesting correlation between the timing of the spring rollout of vaccine boosters in the U.S. and a wave of excess deaths made more striking by the fact that COVID deaths were falling at the time.”

Other topics include a story claiming fracking could ease higher energy bills if approved.