In challenge to Trump, 17 Republicans join fight against global warming

[babylonsister]

In challenge to Trump, 17 Republicans join fight against global warming
By Emily Flitter | NEW YORK


Seventeen congressional Republicans signed a resolution on Wednesday vowing to seek "economically viable" ways to stave off global warming, challenging the stated views of President Donald Trump, who has called climate change a hoax.

Republicans Elise Stefanik of New York, Carlos Curbelo of Florida and Ryan Costello of Pennsylvania introduced the legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives, pledging to "study and address the causes and effects of measured changes to our global and regional climates" and seek ways to "balance human activities" that contribute.

Several Republicans who signed the resolution, which is non-binding, represent parts of the country most affected. Curbelo hails from Miami, where streets regularly flood at high tide due to rising sea levels.

"This issue was regrettably politicized some 20 or so years ago and we are in the process of taking some of the politics out, reducing the noise and focusing on the challenge and on the potential solutions," Curbelo said in a call with journalists on Tuesday.

A spokesman for the White House declined to comment.

Jay Butera, a congressional liaison for the non-partisan group the Citizens Climate Lobby, called the resolution "an important step toward getting both parties focused on finding solutions."

A similar resolution was introduced by Republicans in the previous Congress, with 17 signing. Some of those lawmakers lost their re-election bids.

Trump's newly confirmed Environmental Protection Agency administrator, Scott Pruitt, said in a CNBC interview on Thursday that he did not believe carbon dioxide was a major contributor to climate change. The Sierra Club on Tuesday asked the EPA's inspector general to investigate whether Pruitt violated agency policy by making the comments.

"The head of the EPA's comments were disconcerting," Curbelo said. "What he said was akin to saying the earth is flat in 2017. We must insist on evidence-based and science-based policies."

more...

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-climatechange-congress-idUSKBN16M235

[roscoeroscoe]

1. Good story

It doesn't take much research to see the validity of climate change; I mean the research I did for a class on remote sensing gave clear evidence just in terms of ocean warming, chemical change in the oceans, the atmospheric profile, habitat changes that come with profound effects and so on.

The notion that all of these researchers are in on some vast conspiracy, getting funding for their science is absurd. Good science gets funding because it's good science. The only lame science getting funded is anti-global warming 'fake science,' just follow the money.

One of my wife's friends used to be pretty progressive back in the day, until recently she had a hybrid and was pretty fun to talk to. Now, she's remarried into a Fox News household complete with a country club set. She and her husband are pretty much a lost cause for now. We don't talk politics but want to stay friends - but it's hard.

I could talk with these guys. Maybe they might see where good business and being progressive come together. There's more solar jobs than coal jobs, even with all the road blocks thrown up.

[Dustlawyer]

2. Seems like the oil companies didn't give enough campaign bribes to

some Republicans!