Science’s Eli Kintishch and Gavin Schmidt liveblogged the House hearing on climate science this morning. My favorite tidbits:
Gavin Schmidt:One theme that will be constant is that unilateral action by the US is meaningless if everyone else continues with business as usual. However, this is not a ethical argument for not doing anything. Edward Burke (an original conservative) rightly said: “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.” http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2009/05/the-tragedy-of-climate-commons/
Eli Kintisch:If my doctor told me I had cancer, says Waxman, “I wouldn’t scour the country to find someone who said I didn’t need [treatment]”
[Comment From Roger Pielke, Jr. Roger Pielke, Jr. : ]Because Congress has granted EPA authority to regulate, and the agency has followed its legislative mandate. If Congress wants to change how EPA operates, fine, but it must do it comprehensively, not by seeking to overturn the endangerment finding via fiat.
[Comment From Steven Leibo Ph.D. Steven Leibo Ph.D. : ]If republicans thought this hearing would be helpful for their cause it was surely a big mistake..that from a non scientist
[Comment From J Bowers J Bowers : ]
There are no car parks or air conditioners in space.
Eli Kintisch:
Burress: US had popular “revulsion” against the Waxman Markey bill. “Voting no was not enough…people wanted us to stop that thing dead in its tracks” No action by India and China…
[Comment From thingsbreak thingsbreak : ]
This India and China bashing is perverse, from an emissions “pie slicing” perspective.
Eli Kintisch:
Inslee: “embarassment” that “chronic anti-science” syndrome by Republicans. Colleagues in GOP won’t believe, he says, “until the entire antarctic ice sheet has melted or hell has frozen over”
Eli Kintisch:
Rep Griffith (R-Va): Asks about melting ice caps on Mars. Is sun getting brighter, he asks?
[Comment From thingsbreak thingsbreak : ]
Mars ice caps melting. Drink!
[Comment From Roger Pielke, Jr. Roger Pielke, Jr. : ]
Mars ice caps, snore!
Eli Kintisch:
In general I would say this hearing is a disappointment: the issue of whether congress can/should have a close control on EPA decisions is at least an interesting one that different people who are reasonable can disagree about.
So far little discussion of that issue at all. 🙁
Maybe because these are scientists the real issue is just not coming up. Weird hearing.
Eli Kintisch:
Waxman: I would hate to see Congress take a position “that the science was false” by passing/marking up HR 910; wants to slow mark up on tuesday. But Whitfield disagrees; says that markup on thursday will proceed and debate will go on then…
Eli Kintisch:
Rush (who is the ranking member on this subcommittee) also asks Whitfield to delay the thursday markup. “Force.. the American people…we should be more deliberative”
Gavin Schmidt:
So that’s that. I can’t say I was particularly surprised at how it went. Far too much cherry-picking, strawmen arguments and posturing. Is it possible to have susbtantive discussion in public on these issues?
I think I shouldn’t have peeked into the sausage machine.