On Climate Change

Posted by Seth Kramer on Sunday, February 4th 2007 at 1:43am


Friday 2500 scientists from 113 nations released a UN report indicating that the evidence for global climate change is unequivocal. Researchers indicated in a statement stronger than any released before a more than 90 percent certainty that the global warming trends of the last 50 years are caused by humans.

It didn't take long for the right-wing groups to get their ducks in a row. By noon AEI, a conservative think-tank which receives considerable funding from carbon emitters, had offered $10,000 each to scientists or economists to undermine the report.

Earlier in the week Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California) arranged a hearing on global warming in the Environment and Public Works Committee which she chairs to gauge her colleagues' desire to accomplish something. At that hearing there was a general consensus that this is a problem, and something must be done.

I say general consensus, but there is of course one stand-out, Senator James Inhofe (R-Stone Age), the Senate's preeminant global warming denier, who actually said "We all know the Weather Channel would like to have people afraid all the time."

Now I've never understood the "Global warming is a hoax." crowd. At the moment my city is plunged in sub-zero temperatures, and covered in a thick blanket of snow so global warming isn't readily on my mind, but I've never understood what there was to gain by perpetrating the fact-based idea that polar bears are drowning; ice caps are melting, seas are warming, and African droughts are getting worse; and warmer air is holding more moisture and causing more precipitation.

Surely it isn't the money. As evidenced by the American Enterprise Institute's $10,000 bounty. Something tells me if scientists wanted money they'd climb into bed with Exxon, who again broke all previous records for yearly profits at $39,500,000 $39,500,000,000 this year and not the World Wildlife Foundation or the Audubon Society whose annual budgets are likely smaller than the amount Exxon spends on crashing tankers in the Prince William Sound.

And it certainly can't be the groupies. Cuz I mean who wants to sleep with these two?



The only other thing I can think of is scaring the shit out of people. And that doesn't even make any sense. I mean who would enjoy scaring people for not particular reason?



It's time we faced reality. Climate change is here; we did it, and we need to do something about it. One great help would be to dump Jim Inhofe. Coincidentally he's up for reelection in '08. Get to it Oklahoma!