On January 15th, 2022, Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai (Hunga Tonga for short) erupted underwater, in the territory of the Pacific Kingdom of Tonga. Hunga Tonga triggered a tsunami that prompted warnings around the Pacific basin and sent shock waves all around the planet.

Hunga Tonga also, being an undersea eruption, shot about 150 million tonnes (yes, metric, I know) of water vapor into the atmosphere. Water vapor is a potent greenhouse gas - much more so than carbon dioxide. //

Note, though, that the impact of Hunga Tonga - 150 million metric tons (that's 165 million or so good American tons) had some measurable effect in northern Australia and may result in milder winters for a few years to come across the northern hemisphere. That doesn't seem like a world-ending catastrophe. //

What does Hunga Tonga tell us? That everything that happens has an effect, but also that there's no reason to panic and, essentially, throw away our modern, technological lifestyle. A volcano's output makes us feel pretty puny, and well it should. But the Earth abides, its cycles can't be easily altered, and right now we're in a warming trend coming out of the Wisconsonian glaciation, which peaked about 20,000 years ago. Before that glaciation was the Sangamonian Interglacial, which began about 125,000 years ago and during which the Earth was, again, warmer than now; in fact, the Sangamonian would have been a pretty pleasant time to live in. //

Humans have done amazing things to clean up the planet since I was young. There's more we could do - nuclear power, for instance - but the bleating of the climate scolds should be disregarded. Calmer heads should prevail. Hunga Tonga is a lesson in that. We can have both - clean air and water, a decent climate, and a modern, technological society powered by abundant, reliable, and cheap energy. And bear in mind, the climate scolds seem little concerned about their own effect. They will retain their private jets, their yachts, and their filet mignon with spotted owl appetizers. It’s not the climate they are pushing for – it’s power, the power to control what the hoi polloi say and do, and that’s for sure and for certain.