DISCUSSIONS about global warming are marked by an increasing desire to stamp out “impure” thinking, to the point of questioning the value of democratic debate. But shutting down discussion simply means the disappearance of reason from public policy.
In March, Al Gore’s science adviser and prominent climate researcher Jim Hansen proclaimed that when it comes to dealing with global warming, the “democratic process isn’t working”. Although science has demonstrated that CO2 from fossil fuels is heating the planet, politicians are unwilling to follow his advice and stop building coal-fired power plants.
Hansen argues that “the first action that people should take is to use the democratic process. What is frustrating people, me included, is that democratic action affects elections, but what we get then from political leaders is greenwash.”
Although he doesn’t tell us what the second or third action is, he has turned up in a British court to defend six activists who damaged a coal-fired power station. He argues that we need “more people chaining themselves to coal plants”, a point repeated by Gore.
The Nobel laureate in economics Paul Krugman goes further. After the narrow passage of the Waxman-Markey climate change bill in the US House of Representatives, Krugman said that there was no justification for a vote against it. He called virtually all of the members who voted against it “climate deniers” who were committing “treason against the planet”.
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This morning…if today was the last day of July 2009 this month would have been the coolest July ever recorded on the Canadian prairies.
When you know you are wrong but want a certain outcome, you ignore and silence those that disagree with you.
Manitoba is now in its eighth consecutive month of below-normal temperatures — something that’s only happened twice since Environment Canada began keeping track of such trends in 1971 — and if we make it through nine, it will be a first.
http://www.winnipegsun.com/news/manitoba/2009/07/16/10152321-sun.html
This article still says that man burning carbon fuel has everything to do with the planet warming, and there is of course that assumption that the planet is warming and will continue to warm. It’s sad that even the skeptics have been this brainwashed.
Sometimes I emit CO2 just for fun. Sometime I emit CH4 because I have to, but that’s often fun too.
[Ed. Note ] DO NOT start with a link to your comment. People will not be able to hook up because of the template.. This comment fixed. I won’t be back
Suppression of science and narrow passage of climate change legislation take back seat to celebrity deaths and health care.
http://www.businessandmedia.org/articles/2009/20090701131617.aspx