TRIGGERnometry Podcast: "The Climate Crisis is a Scam – Professor Ian Plimer"

Date: March 8, 2026
Hosts: Konstantin Kisin (Host 1), Francis Foster (Host 2)
Guest: Professor Ian Plimer

Episode Overview

This episode features Professor Ian Plimer, a renowned geologist and outspoken critic of mainstream climate science. The conversation explores Plimer’s perspective that the current climate change narrative constitutes what he calls “the biggest cult in scientific history.” The discussion ranges from Plimer’s scientific objections to climate models, his view of climate change as a new secular religion, the economic repercussions of net zero policies, and broader philosophical reflections on science, adaptation, and Western society.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ian Plimer’s Background and Scientific Perspective

• [03:30 – 11:50]
  Plimer shares his upbringing, academic journey in geology, and diverse interests (music, psychology, political science, botany, English literature).
• Worked in mining and academia, including founding roles in Australia and Germany.
• Developed skepticism toward climate science after his experience debunking creationism as “pseudo-science masquerading as science.”
• Noted the absence of geological perspectives in climate science discussions, especially those promoted by the IPCC.

“If you’re to promote an idea in science, it has to be commensurate with all the other validated work in science. And this wasn’t commensurate with what we know in geology and what we’ve known for hundreds of years.” – Ian Plimer [09:08]

2. Climate Science as “Cult” and Economic Critique

• [00:02, 13:24, 14:41]
• Plimer contends contemporary climate science is akin to a cult, driven as much by ideology and money as by evidence.
• Criticizes the abandonment of cheap, reliable energy in favor of less dependable renewables.
• Argues the pursuit of net zero is economically disastrous.

“You cannot run an industrial economy on sea breezes and sunbeams. There’s just not enough grunt.” – Ian Plimer [13:44]

• Advocates for skepticism of any science that becomes consensus-driven or politicized.

“Once you’ve got consensus, it isn’t science.” – Ian Plimer [16:59]

3. Historical and Geological Context: CO₂ and Climate

• [00:26, 16:59, 17:32, 22:23]
• Plimer details periods in Earth’s history with much higher atmospheric CO₂ (up to 20%) coinciding with ice ages—contradicting current claims about CO₂ driving warming.
• Argues that temperature changes lead CO₂ changes, not vice versa.

“There’s not one scientific paper…that demonstrates that human emissions drive global warming. If there were, you’d never hear the end of it.” – Ian Plimer [24:45]

• Discusses natural CO₂ sequestration through rock formation, broad cycles of ice ages, and temperature fluctuation driven by non-anthropogenic factors.

4. Critique of Climate Modeling and Institutional Capture

• [24:06, 41:04, 47:02]
• Asserts that climate models have failed to predict observations; claims they are biased by assumptions rather than validated by evidence.
• Points to the economic incentives for institutions to support the prevailing climate narrative.

“It’s keeping a lot of people employed in universities and in institutions and in government. It’s driven by bureaucrats who are green.” – Ian Plimer [24:45]

• Warns of the erosion of public trust when scientific institutions are perceived as politicized.

5. Climate Change as a New Religion

• [26:22]
• Plimer suggests that climate activism has replaced traditional religion in the West, leading to what he calls “blind, unreasoning faith.”
• Uses the example of Greta Thunberg to illustrate the movement’s iconography and lack of critical questioning.

“This is the new religion. And so an intelligent person like Boris Johnson might understand the classics, but he needs to go back a few more thousand years. Even if he did read the classics, he would know that in the time of Jesus it was warmer than now.” – Ian Plimer [26:25]

6. Scientific Literacy, Media, and Culture of Fear

• [40:27, 41:04]
• Discusses the effects of media-driven fear on public discourse regarding "extreme weather" and warming.
• Critiques the reliability of temperature records due to urban heat islands and data manipulation, favoring direct geological evidence and ice core data.

“There are other records you can get from tree rings, from ice cores, and they tell us a different story. A geological record tells an even more exciting story…” – Ian Plimer [41:13]

7. Long-Term Climate Cycles & Adaptation

• [31:34, 34:34, 56:07]
• Explains tectonic, solar, orbital, oceanic, and even galactic cycles as fundamental to Earth’s climate, often dwarfing any anthropogenic effects.
• Emphasizes humanity’s historical capacity to adapt to climate shifts.

“Adapt. We’ve always done it and there’s never been a problem... We are already adapting. And that’s the one thing we humans can do.” – Ian Plimer [56:07]

8. Misallocation of Resources and Environmental Priorities

• [50:21, 51:13, 57:22]
• Argues that resources spent on “halting” climate change should instead go to adaptation and real environmental threats (e.g., pollution, microplastics, species extinction).
• Questions the logic of Western deindustrialization versus continued fossil fuel use in countries like China.

“So what is it that we need to do to ensure humans are thriving on the planet? — Adapt.” – Ian Plimer [56:07]

9. Green Technologies and Future Energy Mix

• [64:58, 65:24, 67:18]
• Skeptical about the current “green” revolution, but supportive of continued experimentation and eventual shift to nuclear power as part of the energy mix.

“I’m yet to see any green technology that makes processes more efficient and more cost effective, but that doesn’t mean you stop trying them.” – Ian Plimer [65:34]

• Suggests public fears around nuclear are products of Cold War disinformation and misunderstanding.

10. Society, Critical Thinking, and the Future

• [69:05]
• Warns about the “unstitching of Western society,” loss of critical thinking, and the decline of traditions (including Christianity and the scientific method).

“I just don’t think we’re talking about how to think, how to think critically, how to use our history to enrich the future.” – Ian Plimer [69:18]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You cannot run an industrial economy on sea breezes and sunbeams.” – Ian Plimer [13:44]
• “Our bodies are carbon-based... If [the Prime Minister] wants to go to net zero, drop dead.” – Ian Plimer [14:51]
• “Once you’ve got consensus, it isn’t science.” – Ian Plimer [16:59]
• “This is the new religion... it has turned out to be blind, unreasoning faith.” – Ian Plimer [26:22]
• “There’s not one scientific paper... that demonstrates that human emissions drive global warming.” – Ian Plimer [24:45]
• “Adapt. We’ve always done it and there’s never been a problem.” – Ian Plimer [56:07]
• “We are probably in the western world polluting less than we did 200 years ago. And that’s because we’re wealthy.” – Ian Plimer [57:55]
• “I’m yet to see any green technology that makes processes more efficient and more cost effective, but that doesn’t mean you stop trying them.” – Ian Plimer [65:34]
• “I just don’t think we’re talking about how to think, how to think critically.” – Ian Plimer [69:18]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Plimer’s Background: [03:30 – 11:50]
• Climate as Cult & Economic Critique: [13:24 – 15:53]
• Debunking CO₂ Warming Narrative: [16:59 – 23:57]
• Models & Scientific Consensus Critique: [24:06 – 26:22]
• Climate as Religion & Greta Thunberg: [26:22 – 29:31]
• Geological Evidence & Historical Adaptation: [31:34 – 39:06]
• Media Fear, Data Manipulation: [40:27 – 43:26]
• Resource Misallocation/Adaptation: [50:21 – 57:22]
• Critique of Green Technologies/Nuclear: [64:58 – 68:53]
• Society, Critical Thinking, and Science: [69:05 – 69:40]

Summary Table

| Topic | Timestamp | Speaker(s) | Key Points | |----------------------------------------------|-------------|----------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Introduction to Plimer’s Background | 03:30–11:50 | Ian Plimer | Academic & industry experience; skepticism rooted in geology | | Climate Science as "Cult" and Net Zero | 13:24–15:53 | Plimer, Host 1/2 | Economic critique, renewables, religious analogy | | Historical CO₂ & Geological Context | 16:59–23:57 | Plimer, Host 2 | High historic CO₂ coincided with ice ages; no direct link to temperature | | Models, Consensus & Institutional Capture | 24:06–26:22 | Plimer, Host 1/2 | Climate modeling flaws, grant incentives, politicization | | Climate Change as Secular Religion | 26:22–29:31 | Plimer, Host 1 | Replacing Christianity; uncritical belief epitomized by Greta Thunberg’s prominence | | Media, Fear and Data Critique | 40:27–43:26 | Plimer, Host 1 | Short timescales, media exaggeration, data manipulation, need for geological evidence | | Geological Cycles & Adaptation | 31:34–39:06 | Plimer, Host 2 | Tectonic, solar, ocean cycles, adaptation across history, temperature fluctuations | | Resource Allocation & Adaptation | 50:21–57:22 | Plimer, Host 2, 1 | Focus should be on adaptation, real environmental issues (pollution), critique of Western deindustrialization | | Green Technology & Future of Energy | 64:58–68:53 | Plimer, Host 1/2 | Skepticism of current green tech, favoring nuclear, Cold War propaganda on nuclear risks | | Unstitching of Western Society & Critical Thinking| 69:05–69:40 | Plimer, Host 2 | Call for renewed emphasis on critical thinking, preservation of societal/cultural foundations |

Conclusion

Professor Ian Plimer provides a forceful, geology-led challenge to conventional climate change perspectives, arguing that historical and geological evidence contradicts claims about anthropogenic CO₂ and catastrophic warming. He critiques the politicization of science, the lack of critical thinking in society, the economic impact of net zero policies, and advocates for adaptation as the rational response to climate change. The episode is an extended critique of “climate science as religion”—with memorable turns of phrase, deep dives into geological timescales, and a call to return to genuine scientific skepticism and cultural roots.

For further questions from listeners, head over to triggerpod.co.uk or find the episode’s extended Q&A segment on their Substack.