‘We all agree’ Mars is the same temperature as Earth

[IDemo]

A coal plant-owning Kentucky Republican offered an out-of-this-world argument against new EPA carbon emissions regulations.

State Sen. Brandon Smith (R-Hazard) joined other lawmakers in attacking the Obama administration and EPA regulations July 2 in a meeting of the Interim Joint Committee on Natural Resources and Environment.

“I won’t get into the debate about climate change,” Smith said. “But I’ll simply point out that I think in academia we all agree that the temperature on Mars is exactly as it is here. Nobody will dispute that. Yet there are no coal mines on Mars. There’s no factories on Mars that I’m aware of.”

While there are no known coal mines or factories on Mars, the average temperature on Mars is significantly colder than here on Earth.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/07/08/kentucky-gop-lawmaker-defends-coal-we-all-agree-mars-is-the-same-temperature-as-earth/

The sun is the same, in a relative way, as Phoenix.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. TBH, until this statement, I'd never even wondered what the surface temp of Mars was.

I knew that Venus was far hotter, but never really knew what Mars' was. I wonder if he got his 'scientific info' from the John Carter of Mars books by Burroughs, or the horrible movie based on same.

(And I'm curious what his position in 'academia' is.)

[IDemo]

2. I think he meant Macadamia, as in nuts. n/t

[3catwoman3]

4. DUzy!!

That was masterful!

[Igel]

6. Mars is, of course, quite a bit colder.

Farther away. No greenhouse effect (Earth relies on the greenhouse effect to be comfortable) because it lost its atmosphere.

In an effort to understand what the guy was trying to say instead of just taking the most mocking POV at the risk of introducing unnecessary incoherence, it pays to note that 5-10 years ago there was the claim that Mars was undergoing global warming to the same extent the Earth was (whatever that meant--percentage, absolute T increase ...?) . This makes another part of his discourse coherent, because this fed the claim that CO2 emissions weren't to blame but that there was some factor external to both the Earth and Mars that was influencing both.

I didn't hear that the T increase on Mars had been confirmed, but remember reading claims that Mars' warming was neither long-term nor actually parallel to Earth's.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

7. Who was making the claim about Mars undergoing warming?

Was it merely another RW 'push a silly idea around from place to place until it's 'accepted as fact''?

[3catwoman3]

3. " I think in academia we all agree that the temperature on Mars is exactly as it is here. Nobody...

...will dispute that."

He is wrong on both counts - we do NOT all agree, and lots of us will dispute this absurdly ridiculous assertion.

WTH is the matter with people like this? If I start believing have a billion dollars, that won't make it true. Would that it were that easy.

[silverweb]

5. "In academia, we all agree..." ???

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]This goon is not an academic. He has a BA in political science. Period. Here's his job experience:

(1) Owner, Daniel Boone Investments
(2) Vice-President, Hazard Food Mart Incorporated
(3) Owner, Mohawk Energy (coal mine in Kentucky)
(4) Retail Operations Director, Perry Oil Company
[font face="Arial"]Source: Project VoteSmart

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]Some academic! [font face="Arial"]*cough* pretentious asshole *cough*[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

8. Daniel Boone Investments?

Didn't Daniel Boone get slaughtered along with the other folks at the Alamo?

That seems like a rather ill-fated name.

The 'Hazard Food Mart' sounds like truth in advertising, though.

[silverweb]

9. True!

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]Astute observations.

[spanone]

10. the truth appears irrelevant these days.

[hughee99]

11. On a warm summer day near the equator, Mars can get up to about 70 degrees,

BUT with virtually no atmosphere to retain the heat, it will drop to -100 F that same night. The poles can get close to -200 F.