^^ you shouldn't joke or you might anger the lizard people, the secret rulers/influencers of global power.
They are a highly advanced species of amphibious reptiles that evolved in the epoch that we know as the Earth's age of the dinosaurs, well-advanced enough to monitor the incoming Chicxulub asteroid but not so advanced they could do anything to divert it at the time. The civilisation split into two surviving factions as the impending doom of the incoming asteroid approached, that they had known about for over a century. One faction, in the minority, built deep underwater bases in the trenches of Earth's oceans that they could return to after watching the cataclysm from orbiting lifeboat ships, and eke out a meager existence to sustain life on the ocean floor in survival mode. The majority of their species, that couldn't fit in the bases, set off crammed in to an armada of giant spaceship arks to look for new homes amongst the stars, having determined no other bodies in the solar system to be adequate for sustaining amphibious reptilian life. Many gave themselves up to fate not wanting to spend untold time in the confined artificial habitation of space-travelling arks or deep underwater tubes for themselves or offspring and perished in the calamity on the Earth's surface.
The group left behind, the Guardians of Earth, confined themselves to the underwater bases with strict ethical and resource limits on expansion of their population to survive the aftermath of the asteroid impact so never grew much beyond the numbers that returned to Earth after the impact, ensuing tsunamis, earthquakes and decades-long, deep 'eternal' winter. In many ways, they are a monk-like 'religious' sect that lives in enforced, self-imposed minimalism although having developed access to and knowledge of sciences/technologies that could control star systems. They spend their time always seeking enlightenment and ultimately ascension to a higher plane of existence. They have average lifespans over 1000 years but also hibernate for decades at a time, meditate for years at a time and an ability that is something like we might call telepathy/remote-viewing but not exactly, so have radically different conceptualisation of time and space than humans. Let's call them the Annuki, but known by other names, Illuminati, Ancients, Angels, Demons, Aliens, etc.
After watching mammals evolve, and then the rowdy apes known as humans, develop on the Earth's surface over the millenia the Annuki know someday they'll be forced to show themselves to all humanity and explain the situation, basically that they were here first. Sometimes we catch glimpses of their craft flitting in and out of the oceans and off into space (UFO). In the last 50 years as humanity has expanded exponentially across the globe and now inevitably begins exploring the deep oceans for resources/habitat they wish to be left alone and so have contacted some of the highest powered leaders of humanity on the planet (Popes and other Heads of major religions, UN/US Deep State apparatchik, Royalty, CFR, Bilderberg leaders and various other influencers of the 'elite') suggesting a plan to impose artificial limits to growth, "global warming" restrictions, "environmental" regulation, "sustainability" targeting for the economies of the world, etc. All these initiatives are in keeping with their ancient ethos of minimalism and as Guardians of Earth, since being left behind by the growth-seeking majority of their species who never returned.
Humans that have been contacted by them have been sworn to secrecy for now and also are threatened with being labelled nutjobs, terminated, memory-wiped or committed upon any substantitive revelations with evidence. Contactees are also awarded favours so feel privileged, somehow enlightened and evangelical about performing the bidding of the Annuki, like members of a planet-saving cult with wisdom given from a higher power and imperatives to justify lording authority over lesser humans and operate outside our usual laws and moral codes without remorse. The Annuki are satisfied that everything is going to plan so far but there are hold outs amongst humanity that they see as being problematic, in fact they admire the rebellious spirit, like a cat watching the mice valiantly attempting to escape the slashing claws. In many ways it is a bit of a game for them that has evolved over a long long time so they are in no great hurry and get some lulz along the way. Annuki especially get a kick out of the recent "fossil-fuel" bans concept, since the oil and gas is largely dead and buried dinosaurs who they feel a particular affinity for, being evolved from the same reptilian genetic lines, and historically connected to the civilisation-forming tragedy of the asteroid that buried their previous 'utopian' ancestral natural existence on Earth. Some of the oil could conceivably be the remains of their dead lizard ancestors that perished in the Chicxulub event.
Generally the Annuki want to be left alone for now and don't feel any particular animosity, or friendliness, towards humans but when military submarine sonars start deafening the whales, sharks are unceremoniously slaughtered for their fins only, underwater explosion testing disturbing their peaceful contemplation (meditating for years on end is common-place in their exploration of mindful enlightenment), radioactive seawater leaks down towards them and plastic is crapping up vast tracts of the oceans, it is inevitable they will take action. Particularly when 'enlightened' apes like James Cameron starts poking around in his deep water submersible in the Marianas trench he might get the footage, and fright, of his life when the Annuki decide enough is enough.
Think "diamond hands".
