JUST BEFORE Republicans scored a big midterm-election victory two weeks ago, the authoritative Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report that underscored the severity of the risk global warming poses and the level of certainty scientists have about their warnings. Then, shortly following the GOP’s win, President Obama concluded a historic agreement with China on climate change, undercutting Republican arguments that cutting emissions here would be useless because China wouldn’t sacrifice along with the United States.
Despite all of this, since the election Republican leaders have continued to indulge in hysterical “war on coal” rhetoric, and they attacked the climate breakthrough in Beijing. They still appear determined to repeal the country’s climate policies rather than replacing those policies with cheaper and more effective options, such as the market-based carbon-pricing programs that authentic conservatives would favor.
Americans deserve leaders who will govern with clear eyes about a range of potential hazards, particularly those over which humans have direct control. Whether out of cynicism, callousness or ignorance, Republicans over the past decade have instead indulged and encouraged shortsighted naysayers and climate conspiracists in the face of grave climate forecasts. If they continue with this nonsense, they will risk disqualifying themselves with voters who expect rationality from their elected representatives.
Scientists could not be clearer about the need to act. Here are just a few of the IPCC’s conclusions:
“Human influence on the climate system is clear, and recent anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases are the highest in history. Recent climate changes have had widespread impacts on human and natural systems.”
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Hopefully game over for the people who want to fleece the hard working citizens of this country.
ReplyDeleteIf it is going to cost corporations then the Republicans are against it. It is all about the $$.
ReplyDeleteCommon Sense for a Change.
ReplyDeleteIt time to dispel the lies.
I ride my bicycle to work and recycle all the time but I don't agree on the amount of tax dollars and fees that is supposed to go toward environmental issues and ends up going to elitists who party with it.
ReplyDeleteal gore is a billionaire
ReplyDeleteFTA comments:
ReplyDelete"Are you suggesting, Wapo editors, that because they don’t agree with you on climate change their 'suitability' for leadership' is in doubt?
Maybe you didn’t notice that during the campaign season 'climate change' ranked at the very bottom of issues in poll after poll.
...Your doubts about their 'suitability' imply that because M and B don’t agree with you on climate change, the voters were either misguided or just plain stupid to elect them to deal with the issues that worry Americans most. That in turn suggests that you share Jonathan Gruber’s and the liberal elite’s views on the stupidity of the American voter, who will have to be 'guided,' by lies if necessary, to give climate change the urgency it deserves in the next election."
This article is almost as full of misleading and false statements that it competes with the IPCC report on the amount of lies that can be in the same article at the same time.
ReplyDeleteTHERE IS NO SUCH THING AS MAN MADE GLOBAL WARMING. Start with that fact and the rest of the statements fall apart.