It isn't far fetched. The left has been pushing scare tactics and "the sky is falling" bullshit for decades, to seize more power. Acid rain, the ozone hole, global cooling, global warming, eggs are gonna kill us, dietary fat is gonna kill us, meat is gonna kill us, too many people was gonna kill us, peak oil was gonna kill us, etc.

It's been a never ending litany from these chicken littles for decades. Every year, there has been at least one 'crisis" that was gonna kill us all - with legislation attached that would give permanent power to Democrats and globalists.