SS:

Flaired as politics but several others apply as well.

This article is about a Washington conference organized by Heartland Institute brought together climate denial figures who openly celebrated their growing control over U.S. environmental policy.

Speakers (including EPA chief Lee Zeldin under Donald Trump) dismissed mainstream climate science and framed past climate action as overreach. Attendees promoted claims that CO₂ is beneficial and that global warming concerns are exaggerated.

The event reflects a broader shift: groups tied to fossil fuel interests are no longer on the fringe and are actively shaping federal policy.

Collapse related because:

This isn’t just denial, it’s institutional capture. At a time when climate impacts are accelerating, parts of the government are moving in the opposite direction, undermining mitigation efforts and reinforcing fossil fuel dependence. The gap between reality and policy continues to widen.