In The News
Roll Call: Global Warming Snow Job
Inhofe Family Pokes Fun at Al Gore, Global Warming During DC Blizzard of 2010
Tuesday February 9, 2010
While most Washingtonians took cover during the Blizzard of 2010 (or Snowpocalypse, or Snowmaggedon - whatever you want to call it) Sen. James Inhofe's family braved the storm to poke fun at former Vice President Al Gore.
The Oklahoma Republican's daughter, Molly Rapert; her husband, Jimmy; and their four children built an igloo - roomy enough to fit several people inside - at Third Street and Independence Avenue Southeast.
They officially dedicated the humble abode in honor of global-warming crusader Gore, even posting a cardboard sign on the igloo's roof reading "AL GORE'S NEW HOME" on one side and "HONK IF YOU [HEART] GLOBAL WARMING" on the other.
Inhofe, the ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, is famously one of Congress' most vocal critics of global warming. And he told HOH that he found his family's ironic tribute to Gore - which came during one of Washington's snowiest winters on record - "really humorous."
Inhofe was so proud of the construction effort, in fact, that he posted several pictures to his official Facebook page. Inhofe noted he wasn't the only person who liked the igloo - several people honked to show support.
The Oklahoma Republican's daughter, Molly Rapert; her husband, Jimmy; and their four children built an igloo - roomy enough to fit several people inside - at Third Street and Independence Avenue Southeast.
They officially dedicated the humble abode in honor of global-warming crusader Gore, even posting a cardboard sign on the igloo's roof reading "AL GORE'S NEW HOME" on one side and "HONK IF YOU [HEART] GLOBAL WARMING" on the other.
Inhofe, the ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, is famously one of Congress' most vocal critics of global warming. And he told HOH that he found his family's ironic tribute to Gore - which came during one of Washington's snowiest winters on record - "really humorous."
Inhofe was so proud of the construction effort, in fact, that he posted several pictures to his official Facebook page. Inhofe noted he wasn't the only person who liked the igloo - several people honked to show support.
CBS EVENING NEWS: Mistakes in Climate Report Fuel Skepticism
Friday February 5, 2010
Scientists Say Small Errors Do Not Change the Reality of Global Warming; But Errors Have Given Traction to Warming Deniers
(CBS) The U.N.'s climate chief admitted Thursday that scientists made mistakes in a major study of melting glaciers in the Himalayas. It's the latest example of scientific errors in climate reports. Experts insist they don't change the overall conclusion - that climate change is real. But as CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips reports, they're providing ammunition for skeptics.
You know you're in trouble when you're being spoofed on YouTube.
The subject of the spoof is Michael Mann of Penn State University, who was accused of tampering with climate data to produce his famous hockey stick graph which shows that the rise in man-made greenhouse gasses corresponds to a rise in world temperatures.
An academic board today cleared Mann, saying his science holds up - but the damage may have already been done. (INHOFE EPW PRESS NOTE: Penn State Also Launched a Full Investigation of Mann)
The biggest splash these days in the global warming argument may not be caused by the world's melting glaciers. It may be caused by a series of gaffes by climate change scientists.
(CBS) The U.N.'s climate chief admitted Thursday that scientists made mistakes in a major study of melting glaciers in the Himalayas. It's the latest example of scientific errors in climate reports. Experts insist they don't change the overall conclusion - that climate change is real. But as CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips reports, they're providing ammunition for skeptics.
You know you're in trouble when you're being spoofed on YouTube.
The subject of the spoof is Michael Mann of Penn State University, who was accused of tampering with climate data to produce his famous hockey stick graph which shows that the rise in man-made greenhouse gasses corresponds to a rise in world temperatures.
An academic board today cleared Mann, saying his science holds up - but the damage may have already been done. (INHOFE EPW PRESS NOTE: Penn State Also Launched a Full Investigation of Mann)
The biggest splash these days in the global warming argument may not be caused by the world's melting glaciers. It may be caused by a series of gaffes by climate change scientists.
LISTEN: Sen. Inhofe on the Penn State Climategate Investigation
The Joe Kelley Show - KRMG Tulsa
Thursday February 4, 2010
THE BUDGET
Wednesday February 3, 2010
We kick off our series on the Obama Administration's FY 2011 budget, paying special attention to those provisions affecting energy and environmental policies. One such is the proposed reinstatement of the Superfund Tax. The aim of the Superfund program-to clean up hazardous waste sites-is no doubt a worthy one, but the tax is punitive, its reach widespread, and its ultimate cost borne by consumers. This probably explains why the proposed reinstatement of the tax is buried in page 175 of the budget's "Analytical Perspectives" document.
If you own a small business, take heed: the tax is assessed at a rate of 0.12 percent on corporate "alternative minimum taxable" income in excess of $2 million-regardless of whether a corporation is responsible for polluting a site. This "corporate environmental income tax" comes on top of a 40 percent corporate tax rate that is already nearly 15 percentage points higher than most corporate rates in Europe. And for consumers concerned about prices at the gas pump, prepare to pay more: the re-imposition of the Superfund tax would mean an excise tax of 9.7 cents per barrel on crude oil and imported petroleum products (which, incidentally, would come on top of other taxes the Administration wants to impose on the oil sector).
If you own a small business, take heed: the tax is assessed at a rate of 0.12 percent on corporate "alternative minimum taxable" income in excess of $2 million-regardless of whether a corporation is responsible for polluting a site. This "corporate environmental income tax" comes on top of a 40 percent corporate tax rate that is already nearly 15 percentage points higher than most corporate rates in Europe. And for consumers concerned about prices at the gas pump, prepare to pay more: the re-imposition of the Superfund tax would mean an excise tax of 9.7 cents per barrel on crude oil and imported petroleum products (which, incidentally, would come on top of other taxes the Administration wants to impose on the oil sector).
Breaking: Penn State: Mann Inquiry moves to "investigatory stage"
Wednesday February 3, 2010
University Park, Pa. - An internal inquiry by Penn State into the research and scholarly activities of a well-known climate scientist will move into the investigatory stage, which is the next step in the University's process for reviewing research conduct.
A University committee has concluded its inquiry into allegations of research impropriety that were leveled in November against Professor Michael Mann, after information contained in a collection of stolen e-mails was revealed. More than a thousand e-mails are reported to have been "hacked" from computer servers at the Climatic Research Unit of the University of East Anglia in England, one of the main repositories of information about climate change.
During the inquiry, all relevant e-mails pertaining to Mann or his work were reviewed, as well as related journal articles, reports and additional information. The committee followed a well-established University policy during the inquiry (http://guru.psu.edu/policies/ra10.html).
A University committee has concluded its inquiry into allegations of research impropriety that were leveled in November against Professor Michael Mann, after information contained in a collection of stolen e-mails was revealed. More than a thousand e-mails are reported to have been "hacked" from computer servers at the Climatic Research Unit of the University of East Anglia in England, one of the main repositories of information about climate change.
During the inquiry, all relevant e-mails pertaining to Mann or his work were reviewed, as well as related journal articles, reports and additional information. The committee followed a well-established University policy during the inquiry (http://guru.psu.edu/policies/ra10.html).
E&E; News: House Ag chairman co-sponsors bid to block EPA regs
Wednesday February 3, 2010
A trio of House lawmakers yesterday introduced a bill to block U.S. EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gases, marking the latest in a string of bipartisan attacks against forthcoming climate rules.
The measure from Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and Missouri Reps. Ike Skelton (D) and Jo Ann Emerson (R) would amend the Clean Air Act to prohibit EPA from regulating greenhouse gases based on their effects on global climate change.
The bill would also advance several of the farm state lawmakers' other priorities by stopping EPA from calculating land-use changes in foreign countries for determining U.S. renewable fuels policy, and broadening the definition of renewable biomass.
The measure from Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and Missouri Reps. Ike Skelton (D) and Jo Ann Emerson (R) would amend the Clean Air Act to prohibit EPA from regulating greenhouse gases based on their effects on global climate change.
The bill would also advance several of the farm state lawmakers' other priorities by stopping EPA from calculating land-use changes in foreign countries for determining U.S. renewable fuels policy, and broadening the definition of renewable biomass.
Financial Times: To restore confidence, it should commission an independent audit of IPCC 2007 Assesment
Monday February 1, 2010
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change depends for its influence upon the confidence of the public. It can only assist policymakers if its work is seen to be based upon rigorous inquiry.
Recent events have shown the IPCC falling short of this ideal. It has been seriously shamed by the revelation that it included an unsubstantiated claim about the future disappearance of the Himalayan glaciers in its 2007 report. The claim came from a paper produced by a lobby group, which was itself repeating a quote once given to some journalists. This is the scientific equivalent of dodgy dossier land. To compound the error, the IPCC's head, Rajendra Pachauri, then obfuscated when challenged.
This Himalayan gaffe comes on the heels of "climategate" - a British scandal in which scientists at the University of East Anglia were accused of deflecting requests for information and data from known climate sceptics. It has also stirred up a series of further allegations about other claims contained in the IPPC's report. This drumbeat of criticism threatens to undermine trust in the good faith of the climate science community.
Recent events have shown the IPCC falling short of this ideal. It has been seriously shamed by the revelation that it included an unsubstantiated claim about the future disappearance of the Himalayan glaciers in its 2007 report. The claim came from a paper produced by a lobby group, which was itself repeating a quote once given to some journalists. This is the scientific equivalent of dodgy dossier land. To compound the error, the IPCC's head, Rajendra Pachauri, then obfuscated when challenged.
This Himalayan gaffe comes on the heels of "climategate" - a British scandal in which scientists at the University of East Anglia were accused of deflecting requests for information and data from known climate sceptics. It has also stirred up a series of further allegations about other claims contained in the IPPC's report. This drumbeat of criticism threatens to undermine trust in the good faith of the climate science community.
Debra J. Saunders: So Much Wasted Green for Climate-change Talks
Sunday January 31, 2010
It was bad enough last month watching Washington politicians merrily flying off to the U.N. climate change Conference of Parties in Copenhagen (or COP-15 for short), ostensibly to draft a global-warming treaty, when all the players knew that no meaningful pact would result and the only sure outcome was that much energy would be squandered.
UNs Global Warming Report Under Fresh Attack for Rainforest Claims
Thursday January 28, 2010
A United Nations report on climate change that has been lambasted for its faulty research is under new attack for yet another instance of what critics say is sloppy science -- guiding global warming policy based on a study of forest fires.
A view of the Amazon basin forest north of Manaus, Brazil. A U.N. report stated that global warming is threatening the forests -- a statement that was recently discredited.
A United Nations report on climate change that has been lambasted for its faulty research is under new attack for yet another instance of what its critics say is sloppy science -- adding to a growing scandal that has undermined the credibility of scientists and policymakers who back the U.N.'s findings about global warming.
In the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4), issued in 2007 by the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), scientists wrote that 40 percent of the Amazon rainforest in South America was endangered by global warming.
But that assertion was discredited this week when it emerged that the findings were based on numbers from a study by the World Wildlife Federation that had nothing to do with the issue of global warming -- and that was written by a freelance journalist and green activist.
A view of the Amazon basin forest north of Manaus, Brazil. A U.N. report stated that global warming is threatening the forests -- a statement that was recently discredited.
A United Nations report on climate change that has been lambasted for its faulty research is under new attack for yet another instance of what its critics say is sloppy science -- adding to a growing scandal that has undermined the credibility of scientists and policymakers who back the U.N.'s findings about global warming.
In the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4), issued in 2007 by the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), scientists wrote that 40 percent of the Amazon rainforest in South America was endangered by global warming.
But that assertion was discredited this week when it emerged that the findings were based on numbers from a study by the World Wildlife Federation that had nothing to do with the issue of global warming -- and that was written by a freelance journalist and green activist.
ABC News: Can Climate Forecasts Still Be Trusted?
Thursday January 28, 2010
The Siachen Glacier is home to the world's highest crisis region. Here, at 6,000 meters (19,680 feet) above sea level, Indian and Pakistani soldiers face off, ensconced in heavily armed positions.
The ongoing border dispute between the two nuclear powers has already claimed the lives of 4,000 men -- most of them having died of exposure to the cold.
Now the Himalayan glacier is also at the center of a scientific dispute. In its current report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that the glacier, which is 71 kilometers (44 miles) long, could disappear by 2035. It also predicts that the other 45,000 glaciers in the world's highest mountain range will be virtually gone by then, with drastic consequences for billions of people in Asia, whose life depends on water that originates in the Himalayas. The IPCC report led environmental activists to sound the alarm about a drama that could be unfolding at the "world's third pole."
"This prognosis is, of course, complete nonsense," says John Shroder, a geologist and expert on glaciers at the University of Nebraska in Omaha. The results of his research tell a completely different story.
For the past three decades, the US glaciologist has been traversing the majestic mountains of the Himalayan region, particularly the Karakorum Range, with his measuring instruments. The discoveries he has made along the way are not consistent with the assessment long held by the IPCC. "While many glaciers are shrinking, others are stable and some are even growing," says Shroder.
The ongoing border dispute between the two nuclear powers has already claimed the lives of 4,000 men -- most of them having died of exposure to the cold.
Now the Himalayan glacier is also at the center of a scientific dispute. In its current report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that the glacier, which is 71 kilometers (44 miles) long, could disappear by 2035. It also predicts that the other 45,000 glaciers in the world's highest mountain range will be virtually gone by then, with drastic consequences for billions of people in Asia, whose life depends on water that originates in the Himalayas. The IPCC report led environmental activists to sound the alarm about a drama that could be unfolding at the "world's third pole."
"This prognosis is, of course, complete nonsense," says John Shroder, a geologist and expert on glaciers at the University of Nebraska in Omaha. The results of his research tell a completely different story.
For the past three decades, the US glaciologist has been traversing the majestic mountains of the Himalayan region, particularly the Karakorum Range, with his measuring instruments. The discoveries he has made along the way are not consistent with the assessment long held by the IPCC. "While many glaciers are shrinking, others are stable and some are even growing," says Shroder.
