Recovery Act spent over 600 million dollars on climate change research; billions on GHG mitigation

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), better known as the stimulus act or stimulus package, was passed with the stated goal of helping our economy. It was meant to create jobs and boost consumer spending. Opponents of the nearly $1 trillion act pointed out that many of the provisions had nothing to do with helping the economy.

Looking back at a few different documents, I’ve found that the stimulus act spent over $600 million dollars on climate change research among three Federal agencies. In addition, there was $25 billion spent on researching different greenhouse gas emissions mitigation options.

 

A Farewell to the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming

The incoming House Republicans announced today that the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming (aka the global warming committee) will bite the dust when they take over next year. The committee was established by Pelosi in 2007 during the Al Gore / IPCC AR4 furor when confronting climate change had perhaps its highest support ever. Since then the committee, led by Ed Markey, has paraded through various scientists and activists who all agree that climate change will kill us all (or at least most of us). I’d decided to look back over the past three years and give you some highlights, a sort of montage you might see at a funeral.

 

More DEFRA advocacy for climate change

Back in Feb. I posted about how the UK government Agency Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) had asked the UEA specifically for ‘headline’ socio-economic indicators linked to climate change, in order to create ‘public resonance’. I noticed this emphasis on climate change again recently.

After looking around the documents section of the CRU leak/hack, I noticed a few interesting PDFs. Both were made by (or with) DEFRA. The first is named “Your guide to Communicating Climate Change“, and the second is named “Rules of the Game : Evidence base for the Climate Change Communications Strategy” They both are guides for how to communicate the dangers of climate change to others. Let’s look at some excerpts, first from ‘Your Guide‘:

 

Barbara Boxer relied heavily on both the IPCC and Pachauri

Yesterday in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Barbara Boxer made the following statement:

In my opening statement, I didn’t quote one international scientist or IPCC report. … We are quoting the American scientific community here.

This is in response to Sen Inhofe’s minority report about climategate, blasting the IPCC. Boxer doesn’t even attempt to defend the IPCC, she simply says that she used American scientists in her opening statement. This is true, in this particular case, but it certainly hasn’t been historically. Boxer has relied on the IPCC several times as the Chair of the EPW, and she has relied on Pachauri as well. Lets start at the beginning.

When the IPCC’s Fourth Assessment Report was issued in April 2007, Boxer released a statement. From the statement:

Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, made the following remarks today regarding today’s report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) after she received a briefing by telephone from Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, Chairman of the IPCC:

“This powerful report confirms the very real dangers that global warming poses for us all. The effects of global warming will be felt throughout the world.”

 

Bernie Sanders says climate skeptics are like Hitler deniers

Sen. Sanders, the only openly socialist member of Congress, said this today:

“It reminds me of an event that took place in this country and around the world in the late 1930s…During that period of Nazism and fascism’s growth-a real danger to this country and democratic countries around the world- there were people in this country and in the British parliament who said ‘don’t worry! Hitler’s not real! It’ll disappear!” – Source

First of all, even Bernie isn’t that old. He wasn’t born until 1941, well after Hitler came to power.

Also, Hitler existed, and was a genuine threat.

I can think of a better analogy:

 

Four reasons why Obama is wrong on climate change

Obama talked briefly about climate change the other day. He seemed tired, and he certainly didn’t show any command of the issue. Here is the video:

1. Reason 1: It isn’t just conservatives

   Obama starts off by saying “When the conservatives…” Yes, lots of conservatives are skeptical of climate change, but to imply that all conservatives are skeptics or that all skeptics are conservatives is false.

2. Reason 2: Snow doesn’t disprove climate change, but lack of snow proves climate change

   Obama claims that the five feet of snow in DC shouldn’t be used as evidence against climate change. He then uses the lack of snow in Vancouver as evidence for climate change. Oops