Balloon Boy Teaches Surprising Lesson to Climate Advocates

On the afternoon of October 15, six-year-old Falcon Henne climbed into his family's silver weather balloon, untied its tether, and took flight. Floating as high as 8,000 feet above the ground, the balloon drifted more than 60 miles from Fort Collins, Colorado, to a field just outside Denver. As police and rescue crews mobilized, the nation watched nervously, fearful that young Falcon's flight might end in disaster.

For a country made numb by news from its never-ending wars and legislative gridlock, it was just the kind of evocative, albeit bizarre, human drama necessary to make people turn from a dull autumn Thursday and take notice. It was a catalyst for compassion, for nervous drama, for phone calls home from the office to connect with family members.

There was only one problem: Falcon never left the ground.

Balloon Boy Hoax?

Why would a family of storm chasing amateur scientists stage such a compelling illusion? Could it be that they were hungry for the attention they received on an episode of Wife Swap last March? Or was it, as the family contends, a simple accident and misunderstanding.

Indeed, Richard Heene, Falcon's father, told reporters that he had scolded his son just hours before the incident for crawling onto the balloon's platform.

Hoax or not, hearing that Falcon had emerged from his hiding place in the family's attic, though an incredible relief, left a bitter taste in mouths of all those watching.

Falcon's Lesson

Falcon, whether acting as a mischievous boy or a pawn in his parent's game, has reminded us all of a simple lesson he clearly hadn't learned himself. Making claims that turn out to be false is not a good way to earn people's trust. It doesn't work for boys yelling about wolves, it didn't work for Falcon, and it won't work for us.

This is a lesson as the campaign for action at the COP15 meeting heats up. It's not enough to foster fear with dire predictions, or encourage hope with optimistic plans. What we need, as Bill McKibben explains, is "action effective enough to make a difference."

Join 350 today. Plan a rally for the International Day of Climate Action.

If we fail to meet these expectations, we'll be left with far worse than an empty weather balloon and a nation of disappointed spectators.