| Loading the dice, as the scientists say. As the climate changes, the normal cycles of our Earth become altered. Whether from human-related or natural causes, the shifts in temperature associated with the changing climate can change the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere, and this can lead to major changes in the probability for extreme weather. Some evidence can be found by looking at the ratio of extreme highs and lows in U.S. weather over the last 50 years.
On the issue of global warming, also very uncontroversially known as climate change, the scientists are singing one tune and the American people an entirely different one. It has become fairly common for scientists to make more dire warnings when communicating amongst themselves than they do to the general public. Gaining steam, in fact, is the idea of geo-engineering, which is purposefully polluting the atmosphere with reflective junk -- pollution and its sunlight reflective qualities is believed behind the general cool down of the mid-20th century -- in hopes of artificially lowering the atmosphere's temperature. This is both an idea gaining support as scientists become increasingly pessimistic that we'll come up with a real, political solutions, and the apex of insanity. Why has it come to this? Craven, awful media reportage like this. In the news release, Walberg said: "At a time when American families and businesses just can't afford further job losses and higher energy costs, this Administration insists on circumventing Congress and burdening our economy through more regulations. I am glad to have 100 of my colleagues join me in pushing back against a back door cap-and-trade program and insist that our nation's energy and climate policy will be determined by Congress, not unelected bureaucrats,"
The paragraph before this was n awful he said/she said posing of "both sides," followed by what is essentially an unchallenged factual error. The administration didn't insist on circumventing Congress. The administration went the bureaucratic route -- a route paved by a Supreme Court decision -- because Congress refused to do anything. This isn't just my opinion, by the way, but simple, clear, factual political history. If you're covering a story like this and can't get that right, you have no business in the biz. |
