Sanity Check

What can a devastating Himalayan avalanche teach us about climate change—and about the growing role of artificial intelligence in scientific research?
In this episode, Dr. David Legates examines claims that a catastrophic 2026 avalanche in Nepal was caused by human-induced climate change. He explains why individual weather and climate events cannot simply be attributed to climate change and puts the disaster in historical context by comparing it with other major glacial and rock-ice avalanches.
But the discussion takes an unexpected turn when Dr. Legates examines the research paper that prompted his investigation. The paper was generated entirely by AI and explicitly acknowledged that it had not undergone peer review or human verification. That raises a much larger question: When AI conducts research and produces convincing scientific prose, who is responsible for the claims it makes?
Dr. Legates discusses both the promise and limitations of AI as a research tool, arguing that AI can be a powerful force multiplier—but that human expertise, critical thinking, and verification cannot be outsourced.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/413842707_The_Nepal_Avalanche_26_Aug_2026_an_unprecedented_event_A_comparative_historical_assessment
https://www.stimson.org/2026/a-cascading-disaster-on-the-china-nepal-border-what-to-know-about-the-august-2026-rasuwa-flood/

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The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear one of the most consequential climate-related cases in the country this October: Suncor Energy v. County Commissioners of Boulder County. At issue is whether cities and counties can sue oil and gas companies for alleged damages caused by climate change, or whether federal law prevents state courts from hearing these claims.
Boulder County and the City of Boulder are seeking damages they say are needed to address flooding, wildfires, drought, and other costs they attribute to fossil fuel use. The energy companies argue that climate change is a global issue that cannot be addressed through a patchwork of local lawsuits that could effectively dictate national energy policy.
In this episode, Dr. David Legates examines the history of the Boulder case, the arguments before the Supreme Court, and what the justices' decision could mean for dozens of similar lawsuits across the country. He also takes a step back to ask a more fundamental question: Who should be responsible for the costs attributed to climate change, and can we really attribute every flood, fire, drought, or other environmental event to fossil fuel emissions?
Whatever the Court decides, this case could have enormous consequences for the energy industry, local governments, and the future of climate litigation in America.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/supreme-court/4675555/supreme-court-next-term-cases-climate-immigration/
https://www.oyez.org/cases/2026/25-170
https://www.scotusblog.com/cases/suncor-energy-inc-v-county-commissioners-of-boulder-county/

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Millions of Americans believe that everything from groceries and cars to homes and vacations has become impossibly expensive. But are things actually less affordable than they were in the past, or are we measuring affordability the wrong way?
In this episode of Sanity Check, Cal Beisner revisits a question raised during his recent appearance on David Wheaton’s The Christian Worldview: Why are so many Americans, particularly younger generations, increasingly attracted to socialism? One commonly cited reason is the perception that the American economy no longer provides an affordable path to a good life.
Beisner examines that claim by looking beyond sticker prices and comparing the cost of goods over time in inflation-adjusted dollars, quality, quantity, amenities, and—most importantly—the amount of time an average worker must labor to afford them. Using housing as a primary example, he shows how dramatically the size, quality, comfort, and amenities of the average American home have changed over the past 75 years.
From housing and automobiles to air travel, clothing, food, and technology, the evidence tells a more complicated story than the popular narrative of an ever-worsening affordability crisis. Beisner also considers the notable exceptions of education and medical care and explains why their rising costs deserve particular attention.
What does this mean for Christians thinking about economics, socialism, and the state of American prosperity? And what should we make of the widespread belief that the good life is increasingly out of reach?
Listen to this episode of Sanity Check to examine the “affordability crisis” from a different perspective.
https://thechristianworldview.org/
https://humanprogress.org/u-s-housing-became-much-more-affordable-over-the-last-40-years/

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Could rising carbon dioxide levels actually be changing the chemistry of our blood? A new study makes the startling claim that increasing atmospheric CO₂ could eventually make the atmosphere toxic—but does the evidence really support such a dramatic conclusion?
In this episode, Dr. David Legates takes a critical look at the study behind the headlines. He examines its analysis of more than two decades of U.S. health data, which finds that blood bicarbonate levels increased as atmospheric CO₂ rose, and asks the obvious question: does correlation really mean causation?
Dr. Legates then looks at the basic physiology of carbon dioxide and blood chemistry. Given that the human body constantly produces CO₂ at concentrations vastly higher than those found in the atmosphere, is it actually plausible that a relatively small increase in outdoor CO₂ could produce the changes the researchers claim?
He also examines the study’s reliance on observational data, the many other factors that can affect blood chemistry, and the assumptions involved in projecting a relatively short-term trend fifty years into the future. The result is a useful reminder that an alarming headline is not the same thing as scientific evidence—and that extraordinary claims require more than a correlation and a straight-line projection.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260814235845.htm
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11869-026-01918-5
https://doi.org/10.1111/apha.14066

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What does it look like to approach climate, water, economics, and environmental questions from a Biblical perspective? In this episode, Dr. David Legates introduces the Cornwall Alliance’s growing catalog of online courses, designed to equip Christians with the scientific, economic, and theological knowledge needed to engage today’s environmental debates with confidence.
Dr. Legates highlights two courses currently available: Basic Climate Science, which explores the fundamental processes that shape the Earth’s climate and challenges the notion that the climate system is fragile and easily driven toward catastrophe, and Modern Water Management: Systems, Policy, and Human Needs, which examines the complex relationship between human societies and water, including questions of supply, policy, economics, and resource management.
These courses are part of the Cornwall Alliance’s broader effort to help Christians understand God’s creation more deeply and think carefully about environmental and economic issues in light of Scripture, sound science, and sound economics.
Explore the courses and learn more at cornwallalliance.org/courses.
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Our work is entirely supported by donations from people like you. If you benefit from our work and would like to partner with us, please visit www.cornwallalliance.org/donate.