PsychoticDan
08-12-2006, 20:57
Fuck off Inhofe...
+ a list of new commitee chairs
12-07) 04:00 PST Washington -- Sen. James Inhofe, in his last hearing as chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, blamed Hollywood and the news media Wednesday for "hyping" the view that humans are causing global warming.
"It's unfortunate that so many are focused on alarmism rather than a responsible path forward on this issue," the Oklahoma Republican said.
California Sen. Barbara Boxer, who will take the committee gavel from Inhofe in January, shook her head and said it was sad that one of the last days of the 109th Congress was spent criticizing media coverage of climate change instead of working on legislation to curb greenhouse gases.
"In a free society in what is the greatest democracy in the world, I don't believe it's proper to put pressure on the media to please a particular Senate committee's view," Boxer said.
"My other sadness about this hearing is again we're arguing about who believes what rather than moving toward solving the problem," she added.
The hearing was a last hurrah for Inhofe, who has used his position as chairman to hold hearings to cast doubt on the science behind human-caused climate change and to assert his own view that global warming is a hoax. But, under Boxer, the committee is poised to shift course.
Boxer plans to call Republican California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to testify about California's new law requiring all businesses to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. She said in an interview Wednesday with California reporters that she's open to inviting others -- including former Vice President Al Gore, featured in the climate change documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" and New York Republican Gov. George Pataki, who has led that state's efforts to curb carbon dioxide -- to testify before the committee.
Boxer was one of five senators who joined British Prime Minister Tony Blair for a fireside chat Wednesday night at the British Embassy to discuss Blair's efforts to push the United States and other nations to address climate change. The other senators invited were Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., co-authors of a bill to limit carbon emissions, as well as Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., and Sen. John Warner, R-Va., who is seeking to replace Inhofe as the ranking Republican on the environment committee.
The views of the witnesses at Wednesday's hearing held few surprises. Two of the witnesses, David Deming, a University of Oklahoma geophysicist, and Dan Gainor of the Business and Media Institute, have written opinion columns praising Inhofe's skepticism on global warming. A third witness, paleoclimate researcher Bob Carter of Australia's James Cook University, has penned scathing critiques of Europe's efforts to curb greenhouse gases.
The views of witnesses picked by the minority side were just as predictable. Naomi Oreskes, a professor of history and science studies at UC San Diego, is the author of a study that found there is almost unanimous consensus among scientists that humans are the primary cause of rising temperatures. Another witness, Daniel Schrag, a geochemistry professor at Harvard University, has published research suggesting that rising carbon dioxide levels are contributing to hurricanes and more severe weather.
Carter told lawmakers the media was alarming the public by warning of dire consequences of global warming based on computer models -- coverage he criticized as "could-ism, might-ism and perhaps-ism."
"Droughts 'could' go up, we 'might' get more storms and 'perhaps' sea levels may rise," he said, mocking the predictions appearing in scientific studies and media reports.
"The reason is that, in the absence of empirical evidence for damaging human-caused climate change, public attention is best captured by making assertions about possible change."
Schrag of Harvard University acknowledged that computer models can't predict precisely the consequences of rising temperatures. But he said the uncertainty over how fast the changes will occur should not obscure that scientists have firmly established the link between rising carbon dioxide levels and a rapidly warming planet.
"The evidence is so clear that carbon dioxide causes warming," Schrag said. "By warming the Earth as much as we are doing over the next century, we risk destabilizing these ice sheets. Once they start to go, I'm not sure anyone can stop them. This is very serious."
Gainor, a former Washington Times reporter who wrote a paper accusing the media of hyping climate change for more than a century, said TV networks routinely warn of drastic effects of global warming while excluding the views of skeptics.
"All you have to do is turn on the network news and look at how they covered Hurricane Katrina and the linkage of Hurricane Katrina to global warming," he said.
But Oreskes noted that a recent University of California study found that print reporters had gone out of their way to include the views of skeptics -- citing them out of proportion with their numbers within the scientific community.
"If the press here has been biased at all, it's been biased in the direction of giving attention to a very small number of people who are outside the mainstream of the scientific opinion," she said.
One of the few light moments came as Deming said he believes global warming is not -- as Inhofe has claimed -- a hoax, but instead "a mass delusion."
Inhofe quickly shot back: "I kind of like 'mass delusion' -- that's a good one."
Boxer repeatedly stressed that the vast majority of scientists -- including 11 National Academies of Science around the world -- have concluded that climate change is real and is driven by human activity. She noted that top executives at BP, Wal-Mart and JP Morgan Chase have called for action to limit greenhouse gases.
"It is a world consensus view," she said. "What we need to do next is to focus our attention on how we can fight this serious threat."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Boxer's helpers
Sen. Barbara Boxer, the incoming chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has designated who will lead the subcommittees in the next Congress:
-- Subcommittee on Public Sector Solutions to Global Warming, Oversight, Children's Health Protection and Nuclear Safety -- Boxer
Jurisdiction: global warming, the health effects of toxics on children, nuclear policy and the National Environmental Policy Act, dubbed the "Magna Carta of environmental laws."
-- Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure
Chair: Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont.
Jurisdiction: federal highways and major transportation and public works projects, federal disaster relief programs, historic preservation, the national dam safety program, green buildings.
-- Subcommittee on Private Sector and Consumer Solutions to Global Warming and Wildlife Protection
Chair: Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn.
Jurisdiction: business and consumer efforts to address global warming, fisheries and wildlife issues, the Endangered Species Act and the National Wildlife Refuges
-- Subcommittee on Clean Air, Nuclear Plant Security and Community Development
Chair: Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del.
Jurisdiction: Clean Air Act, the Tennessee Valley Authority and nuclear plant security.
-- Subcommittee on Superfund and Environmental Health
Chair: Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.
Jurisdiction: Superfund and brownfields, recycling and waste issues, the Toxic Substances Control Act, emergency planning and community right-to-know legislation.
-- Subcommittee on Transportation Safety, Infrastructure Security, and Water Quality
Chair: Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J.
Jurisdiction: chemical and wastewater security, the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act, invasive species, the Coastal Zone Management Act and offshore drilling policy for the Outer Continental Shelf.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/07/MNGG2MR35T1.DTL
+ a list of new commitee chairs
12-07) 04:00 PST Washington -- Sen. James Inhofe, in his last hearing as chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, blamed Hollywood and the news media Wednesday for "hyping" the view that humans are causing global warming.
"It's unfortunate that so many are focused on alarmism rather than a responsible path forward on this issue," the Oklahoma Republican said.
California Sen. Barbara Boxer, who will take the committee gavel from Inhofe in January, shook her head and said it was sad that one of the last days of the 109th Congress was spent criticizing media coverage of climate change instead of working on legislation to curb greenhouse gases.
"In a free society in what is the greatest democracy in the world, I don't believe it's proper to put pressure on the media to please a particular Senate committee's view," Boxer said.
"My other sadness about this hearing is again we're arguing about who believes what rather than moving toward solving the problem," she added.
The hearing was a last hurrah for Inhofe, who has used his position as chairman to hold hearings to cast doubt on the science behind human-caused climate change and to assert his own view that global warming is a hoax. But, under Boxer, the committee is poised to shift course.
Boxer plans to call Republican California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to testify about California's new law requiring all businesses to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. She said in an interview Wednesday with California reporters that she's open to inviting others -- including former Vice President Al Gore, featured in the climate change documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" and New York Republican Gov. George Pataki, who has led that state's efforts to curb carbon dioxide -- to testify before the committee.
Boxer was one of five senators who joined British Prime Minister Tony Blair for a fireside chat Wednesday night at the British Embassy to discuss Blair's efforts to push the United States and other nations to address climate change. The other senators invited were Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., co-authors of a bill to limit carbon emissions, as well as Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., and Sen. John Warner, R-Va., who is seeking to replace Inhofe as the ranking Republican on the environment committee.
The views of the witnesses at Wednesday's hearing held few surprises. Two of the witnesses, David Deming, a University of Oklahoma geophysicist, and Dan Gainor of the Business and Media Institute, have written opinion columns praising Inhofe's skepticism on global warming. A third witness, paleoclimate researcher Bob Carter of Australia's James Cook University, has penned scathing critiques of Europe's efforts to curb greenhouse gases.
The views of witnesses picked by the minority side were just as predictable. Naomi Oreskes, a professor of history and science studies at UC San Diego, is the author of a study that found there is almost unanimous consensus among scientists that humans are the primary cause of rising temperatures. Another witness, Daniel Schrag, a geochemistry professor at Harvard University, has published research suggesting that rising carbon dioxide levels are contributing to hurricanes and more severe weather.
Carter told lawmakers the media was alarming the public by warning of dire consequences of global warming based on computer models -- coverage he criticized as "could-ism, might-ism and perhaps-ism."
"Droughts 'could' go up, we 'might' get more storms and 'perhaps' sea levels may rise," he said, mocking the predictions appearing in scientific studies and media reports.
"The reason is that, in the absence of empirical evidence for damaging human-caused climate change, public attention is best captured by making assertions about possible change."
Schrag of Harvard University acknowledged that computer models can't predict precisely the consequences of rising temperatures. But he said the uncertainty over how fast the changes will occur should not obscure that scientists have firmly established the link between rising carbon dioxide levels and a rapidly warming planet.
"The evidence is so clear that carbon dioxide causes warming," Schrag said. "By warming the Earth as much as we are doing over the next century, we risk destabilizing these ice sheets. Once they start to go, I'm not sure anyone can stop them. This is very serious."
Gainor, a former Washington Times reporter who wrote a paper accusing the media of hyping climate change for more than a century, said TV networks routinely warn of drastic effects of global warming while excluding the views of skeptics.
"All you have to do is turn on the network news and look at how they covered Hurricane Katrina and the linkage of Hurricane Katrina to global warming," he said.
But Oreskes noted that a recent University of California study found that print reporters had gone out of their way to include the views of skeptics -- citing them out of proportion with their numbers within the scientific community.
"If the press here has been biased at all, it's been biased in the direction of giving attention to a very small number of people who are outside the mainstream of the scientific opinion," she said.
One of the few light moments came as Deming said he believes global warming is not -- as Inhofe has claimed -- a hoax, but instead "a mass delusion."
Inhofe quickly shot back: "I kind of like 'mass delusion' -- that's a good one."
Boxer repeatedly stressed that the vast majority of scientists -- including 11 National Academies of Science around the world -- have concluded that climate change is real and is driven by human activity. She noted that top executives at BP, Wal-Mart and JP Morgan Chase have called for action to limit greenhouse gases.
"It is a world consensus view," she said. "What we need to do next is to focus our attention on how we can fight this serious threat."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Boxer's helpers
Sen. Barbara Boxer, the incoming chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has designated who will lead the subcommittees in the next Congress:
-- Subcommittee on Public Sector Solutions to Global Warming, Oversight, Children's Health Protection and Nuclear Safety -- Boxer
Jurisdiction: global warming, the health effects of toxics on children, nuclear policy and the National Environmental Policy Act, dubbed the "Magna Carta of environmental laws."
-- Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure
Chair: Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont.
Jurisdiction: federal highways and major transportation and public works projects, federal disaster relief programs, historic preservation, the national dam safety program, green buildings.
-- Subcommittee on Private Sector and Consumer Solutions to Global Warming and Wildlife Protection
Chair: Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn.
Jurisdiction: business and consumer efforts to address global warming, fisheries and wildlife issues, the Endangered Species Act and the National Wildlife Refuges
-- Subcommittee on Clean Air, Nuclear Plant Security and Community Development
Chair: Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del.
Jurisdiction: Clean Air Act, the Tennessee Valley Authority and nuclear plant security.
-- Subcommittee on Superfund and Environmental Health
Chair: Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.
Jurisdiction: Superfund and brownfields, recycling and waste issues, the Toxic Substances Control Act, emergency planning and community right-to-know legislation.
-- Subcommittee on Transportation Safety, Infrastructure Security, and Water Quality
Chair: Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J.
Jurisdiction: chemical and wastewater security, the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act, invasive species, the Coastal Zone Management Act and offshore drilling policy for the Outer Continental Shelf.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/07/MNGG2MR35T1.DTL