NASA Warming Scientist Hansen Blasts Obama’s ‘Counterfeit’ Climate Bill – Calls it ‘a monstrous absurdity…less than worthless!’
Below is an excerpt of NASA scientist James Hansen’s critique of the President Obama supported Waxman-Markey global warming cap-and-trade bill that passed the House and is now under consideration in the U.S. Senate. Hansen’s full critique appeared on July 9, 2009 in The Huffington Post. Hansen is director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, but he writes on this policy-related topic as a private citizen.(Climate Depot Editor’s Note: Hansen is the man Al Gore says we should listen to for “intelligent action” on climate policy. See: Gore: “When the history of the climate crisis is written, Hansen will be seen as the scientist with the most powerful and consistent voice calling for intelligent action to preserve our planet’s environment.” )
Jim Hansen Excerpt:
It didn’t take long for the counterfeit climate bill known as Waxman-Markey to push back against President Obama’s agenda. As the president was arriving in Italy for his first Group of Eight summit, the New York Times was reporting that efforts to close ranks on global warming between the G-8 and the emerging economies had already tanked. […]
This requires nothing less than an energy revolution based on efficiency and carbon-free energy sources. Alas, we won’t get there with the Waxman-Markey bill, a monstrous absurdity hatched in Washington after energetic insemination by special interests.
For all its “green” aura, Waxman-Markey locks in fossil fuel business-as-usual and garlands it with a Ponzi-like “cap-and-trade” scheme. […]
The fact is that the climate course set by Waxman-Markey is a disaster course. Their bill is an astoundingly inefficient way to get a tiny reduction of emissions. It’s less than worthless, because it will delay by at least a decade starting on a path that is fundamentally sound from the standpoints of both economics and climate preservation.
Here are a few of the bill’s egregious flaws:
•It guts the Clean Air Act, removing EPA’s ability to regulate CO2 emissions from power plants.
•It sets meager targets — 2020 emissions are to be a paltry 13% less than this year’s level — and sabotages even these by permitting fictitious “offsets,” by which other nations are paid to preserve forests – while logging and food production will simply move elsewhere to meet market demand.
•Its cap-and-trade system, reports former U.S. Undersecretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs Robert Shapiro, “has no provisions to prevent insider trading by utilities …
Chicago has its coolest July 8 in 118 years
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Pew Survey: Only 6% of Scientists Self-Identify as Republicans
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Scripps News cites Climate Depot: ‘The chills of Global Cooling…Mother Nature refuses to cooperate’ with global warming
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Democrats Push Back Timeline on Global Warming Legislation
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What tax? ‘Climate revenue’ from bill estimated at $9 trillion!
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Climate Depot Factsheet on the ‘Gore Effect’ Phenomenon
Update: For latest ‘Gore Effect’ developments see here.
The “Gore Effect” has a long and storied history. What follows is a sampling of how Mother Nature enjoys mocking global warming fear promoters.
Tracking ‘The Gore Effect’ – The Politico – November 25, 2008
Excerpt: For several years now, skeptics have amusedly eyed a phenomenon known as “The Gore Effect” to half-seriously argue their case against global warming. The so-called Gore Effect happens when a global warming-related event, or appearance by the former vice president and climate change crusader, Al Gore, is marked by exceedingly cold weather or unseasonably winter weather.
Small Sampling of the “Gore Effect”:
Melbourne temps plummet in anticipation of Gore’s visit – July 9, 2009
Gore decries ‘global warming’ in bitterly cold NYC – December 2006
The ‘Gore Effect’: Gore speaks in Italy during ‘rare’ cold and snow – Dec. 16, 2008
GORE HEARING ON WARMING MAY BE PUT ON ICE – Mon Jan 26 2009
‘Largest public protest of global warming’ ever in USA faces DC March snowstorm! – March 1, 2009
Pelosi Snowed-Out of Global Warming Rally – March 2, 2009
Excerpt: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) had to cancel an appearance Monday at a global warming rally in Washington, D.C., that was hit by a snowstorm because her flight was delayed, her office told CNSNews.com. […] A blizzard Sunday night and early Monday morning blanketed the nation’s capital with snow, causing events to be cancelled and delayed across the city.
First October snow since 1922 blankets London as global warming bill debated – October 2008
Report: Melbourne temps plummet in anticipation of Gore’s visit
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Aussie Geologist: Climate fear is ‘new religion for urban populations which have lost their faith in Christianity’
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Report: Truly man-made global warming is the new religion at the BBC’
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