Aug. 27, 2004 - 19:23 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

Faulty Thermostat ?

Half-hearted might be a good word for the administration's philosophy about things in our world. An article in the Rocky Mountain News of August 26, by Andrew C. Revkin of The New York Times -- In part:

Culprit in global warming ?"

Bush administration now acknowledges human culpability

"Emission of carbon dioxide and other heat trapping gases are the likely culprit for three decades of global warming, the Bush administration now acknowledges."

"A report to Congress on climate change, delivered Wednesday by James R. Mahoney, marks a striking shift in how the Bush administration has portrayed researched findings. Previously, President Bush and other officials had stressed uncertainties in understanding the causes and consequences of warming as a reason for rejecting binding restrictions on heat-trapping gases.

"American and international panels of experts concluded as early as 2001 that smokestack and tailpipe discharges of heat-trapping gases were the most likely cause of recent global warming. But the White House disputed those conclusions."

"The last time the administration issued a document suggesting global warming had a human cause and posed big risks was in June 2002, in a submission to the United Nations under a climate treaty, Bush distanced himself from it, saying it was something "put out by the bureaucracy." That may be harder to do this time. The new report, online at www.climatescience.gov, is accompanied by a letter signed by Bush's secretaries of energy and commerce and his science adviser."

"Mahoney said the report is mainly an update on the climate research program, not intended to be a conclusive 'state of the science' summary of the administration's thinking."

"Still, the report was disputed by some groups aligned with industry, that oppose restrictions on carbon dioxide emissions and have attacked science pointing to human-caused warming as flawed."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

That bit, quote, "Mahoney said the report is mainly an update on the climate research program, not intended to be a conclusive 'state of the science' summary of the of the administration's thinking." Unquote. James R. Mahoney is assistant secretary of commerce and atmosphere and director of government climate research. is

Administration building an escape hatch ? Probably depending on how much pressure industry brings to bear on GWB. Room for a flip flop if some scientist wants to dispute the findings ?

Maybe we all should be highly grateful that GWD and friends saw the light as soon as they did.

Maybe Bush & Co. can pull their chestnuts out of the fire by blaming a Faulty Thermostat ? . . . . . . . . . . . .

Blog