Bush Advisor Claims Climate Change Conspiracy

[hatrack]

An advisor to President George W Bush has reportedly claimed that global warming is a fallacy created to disrupt the American economy, in an interview on Radio 4. Myron Ebell, from the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), claimed that the notion of climate change through man-made emissions was “ridiculous and unrealistic”.

The views of the UK’s chief scientist Sir David King – who stated that global warming posed a bigger threat to the planet than terrorism – were dismissed by Ebell as ‘a ridiculous claim’, and Sir David an ‘alarmist’. The European Commission was also accused by Ebell of targeting the American economy through efforts to develop an international climate change strategy.

Environmentalists responded by calling the CEI spokesperson’s claims “idiocy”.

A statement from the Greenpeace organisation read; “The world's best climate scientists agree the threat is real and growing. It is terrifying that this man is advising the White House on the gravest threat this planet faces. This kind of idiocy would be a mere distraction if it were not for the fact that Bush believes this nonsense. If Tony Blair really regards global warming as a huge threat, like he says he does, he needs to give the President a dose of straight talking the next time they meet.”

EDIT

http://www.greenconsumerguide.com/index.php?news=2275

[NVMojo]

1. maybe the dickhead should go visit the polar bears that are moving north

in search of better shrinking ice bergs and ask them?

[Crunchy Frog]

34. The polar bears are just another part

of the plot to lie about global warming and hurt our economy. They're in on the conspiracy.

This is what it's going to be like in Bushworld. Waking up every day to a new outrage. I'd better start getting used to it.

[maxrandb]

40. Wait, the Polar Bears were from a Blue State, er I mean a Red

state! Get with the program. You're either with us or agin us! The Polar Bears are obviously terrorist'. (sarcasm off)

[yellowcanine]

2. Let me guess - Mr. Ebell is an economist and everyone knows that

economists get lots of training in atmospheric science.

[justjones]

48. WTF? You're right...he is an economist. Says so right on the CEI website..

You wouldn't consult a physician for tax advice, so why would anyone give any credence to what an economist has to say about atmospheric science?

Oh, shit, I forget...The Chimp is still in charge. :crazy:

[hughee99]

50. Then is he a * advisor on the environment?

The article only states that he's a * advisor, not what he advises on.

[justjones]

62. Good question. It's not clear what he officially advises * on....

but it's clear the policies of this administration seem to fall in line with his opinion, thus the reason for this article.

And since he is stating his opinion in a public forum, he himself implies that he holds some kind of sway with * on the environment, whether within in his official capacity as adviser to * or not.

[cubsfan forever]

3. Fat chance that Shrub's man-date Tony

the Poodle will say anything to upset his master.

Professor 2

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. What else would you expect of a Bush advisor

besides idiocy? After all, isn't this the same crowd that's telling the Park Service to sell books saying the Grand Canyon was caused by Noah's Flood? I bet the real reason Bush doesn't travel much is that he's afraid he'll fall off the edge of the Earth. 

[cubsfan forever]

5. ROFL! Good one! n/t

Professor 2

[opihimoimoi]

10. It took thousands of years for Man to find out Earth was round

Thousands of years to learn The Sun goes AROUND the Earth.....

Stoopid Presidents usually have stoopid advisors.....with (Gasp) STOOPID RESULTS........

Come, we go fill sandbags for Florida, help build dikes.

[hatrack]

24. No, we don't go to Florida and fill sandbags

Let God help them. Let Pat Robertson and Jerry Fallwell and James Dobson help them. Let Sun Myung Moon help them. Let freedom from gay marriage help them. Let their opposition to abortion help them. Let rugged individualism help them. Let Jeb help them. Let the Salvation Army and Focus on the Family help them.

Let them bootstrap their way around rising sea levels. Let them deal with this as the entrepreneurs they are. Let them be members of the new ownership society, where everyone owns their own problems.

[tlcandie]

32. So you throw out the baby with the bath water, eh?

What about those of us in Florida who did NOT vote for Bush? Isn't it better to have a 'little' bit of light in the darkness than none at all? Would you snuff out those lights because of anger at those whose lights are not shining brightly atm?

:shrug:

[hatrack]

33. In a word, yes.

The majority of voters in Florida, and the majority of voters in the United States, have chosen to embrace ignorance, magical thinking and wilful disregard of what is happening in the world around them.

They chose to disregard 16 years and counting of robust peer-reviewed science and mountains of evidence that things are changing very rapidly in the planet's climate. They chose to look in the other direction as scientific study after scientific study from all over the globe - from Greenland, Ecuador, Antarctica, Europe, Siberia, Nepal, the Southern Ocean, the Arctic Basin, you name it - spelled out a picture of a destabilized natural world

I had hoped that maybe, just mabye, Florida's voters and voters around the country could have taken something out of this year's horrific hurricane season. I'm not saying that these four hurricanes were direct results of climate change. Science doesn't allow us to say that specific point events are directly linked to overall trends. However, the four hurricanes were certainly consistent with projections of what would happen under a more energetic atmospheric regime, and very likely a good look at what the future holds.

But voters in Florida and across America didn't want to hear about it or think about or act on this information. They wanted to stick their fingers in their ears and turn up the CNN/Fox News volume on the teevee a little bit higher and chant " I CAN'T HEAR YOU! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" until the nasty thoughts and unpleasant evidence went away.

They (and we, by a narrow majority) chose to endorse a government that systematically ignores reality when suitable to its political ends. They (and we, by a narrow majority) chose to embrace inertia, inaction and impotence in spite of all we know and all we continue to learn.

Fine. So be it. Let faith-based America learn the costs of its faith-based choice.

[ugarte]

6. And God made the world in six days and rested on Sunday

And we didn't come from no monkeys.

[underpants]

7. So then I googled "Pentagon global warming"

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1153513,00.html

http://www.greenpeace.org/international_en/news/details?item_id=415878

[Just Me]

16. That sucks. n/t

[underpants]

21. LBN thread that was right above this thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x969317

[havocmom]

29. Certainly explains invading warmer nations, doesn't it

Especially ones with two big rivers running through areas which were inhabited by early agrarian culture at a time of ice ages in Europe and North America.

Hmmm, guess it wasn't just about oil. Guess it could also be about new gated developments for the rich as they get inland and away from worsening blizzards.

[Arianrhod]

31. I believe that everything the * administration has done

in the past 4 years makes sense if one takes as a starting premise that there will be an Ice Age in the next couple of decades. If so, it becomes imperative for the US to stockpile weapons, food, and energy sources, and to create a nationwide fortress to protect itself from desperate invaders.

[havocmom]

39. The nation will not be the fortress. Only the areas where the rich

retreat to will be safeguarded.

'The nation', like 'the people' are expendable to the powerful. They have proved that. They don't care about national identifies, borders or laws. They care about grabbing resources and changing laws to legalize what they want to do and to bind up the rights and powers of the general populations. They are in a desperate race to get the most now because they will need much to barter with to ensure their survival as things get nasty. They will dole out crumbs to those who will provide their foods and water.

Am glad I am not gonna live much longer. Breaks my heart to think of the kids I love. They are inheriting more than a huge national debt and less than what nature intended for them.

[Arianrhod]

60. Yes, absolutely, you're correct.

I was actually kind of obliquely referring to the concept of "Fortress America" that has regained power under this administration. The fence-building along the Mexican border, IMO, is not really to keep the illegals out. (The rich need illegal immigrants as much as the next person does, they just don't want to pay for them or offer them any means of ensuring their well-being. They want slaves. So all the hullabaloo about this issue is nothing but smokescreen.) The fence--like the air surveillance of the Canadian border--is designed to keep people IN.

The real fortress will be less visible, in that it will be more acceptable to everyone else. Gated communities have become the norm; no one would question if the gates become higher and the walls thicker, or even if entire towns surround themselves with one.

The fortress is being built with psychological bricks, conditioning the people to accept the idea that the rich are more worthy of survival than they are.

[TahitiNut]

8. It must be heresy. So, kill Galileo.

Pope George the Ignorant will burn them evil-doers at the stake.

[Cocoa]

9. the scientists are all out to get us?

what's their motive?

:tinfoilhat:

[NVMojo]

12. these are whore scientists, sellouts.

}(

[VegasWolf]

45. No, some of us aren't, just those that have sold their principles

to produce results that are beneficial to their
corporate employers. Remember the guy's that worked
for the tobacco companies, they were really well paid.
Much better than a prof's salary.

[0007]

58. Mr. Moore?

[LynzM]

11. Un-frickin'-believable

Just.... amazing. Of COURSE everything is an anti-US conspiracy. Of course. Why didn't I think of that? :eyes:

[underpants]

13. Aaaaaaaaaand the paranoia sets in

Yikes!

[Crunchy Frog]

36. Get used to it.

We're going to be waking up to something like this every day for the next 4 years. Some days we'll be waking up to a Hell of alot worse than this. It's what the American people have chosen.

[Blue_Tires]

14. did any of us

honestly expect any different?

[pleiku52cab]

15. If God did not create global warming, then it does not exist

Therefore, God must have created fraudulent BBV machines BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW THAT THEY EXIST.

[DemoTex]

17. Welcome to the new Dark Age.

Dark and warm.

[Donkeyboy75]

18. Typical RW defense.

Call the truth lies. They know that at least 51% of Americans will believe them. Fuckers.

[jus_the_facts]

19. EXACTLY WHAT RUSH HAS BEEN SPEWIN' FOR OVER A DECADE....

....that global warming is a liberal lie....

[Carl Brennan]

20. Ohhhh, now who is the conspiracy theorist?

[Chimpanzee]

22. Who would you believe?

Myron Ebell, from the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), or
Sir David King, the UK’s chief scientist.

[Hard Attack]

23. Isn 't God Warming Up the Planet so we use less fossil fuels?

Isn 't God Warming Up the Planet so we use less fossil fuels? ---

You know you are going to hear that next.

The next 4 years are going to be hard on anyone who studied science, has any scientific intellect, and doesn't believe a magical being came around about 6,000 yrs ago, created this planet in 6 days, took Sunday off to watch some football, and here we are today.

[Javaman]

25. If it's by nature or man, who cares! It's happening. Curbing fossil fuels.

would probably slow down the process greatly, but can't take the money maker away from the king. God, they have their heads in the sand. Welcome to the new dark ages.

[goforit]

26. Mr. Ebell?.....May the next Sunami wave welcome you with open arms!!

[aden_nak]

27. Aden_Nak has claimed that * is a fallacy created to disrupt the economy.

[BeHereNow]

28. Lunatics are running the Asylum

THIS from the same administration
that claims prayer heals PMS?
Nuff said...bhn

[Arianrhod]

30. The Pentagon disagrees with him.

They leaked a study earlier this year in which they said that global warming--and the real potential of a coming ice age--ought to be a genuine security concern of the nation at this time.

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2004/05mar_arctic.ht...

http://ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=22410

[VegasWolf]

35. awol's smirky reply, "What can Science do against god!"

[Demeter]

37. Yup! It's Those Damn Bacteria!

They're messing with the sulfur emissions trying to cool down the oceans and the air---after all, the climate exists to perpetuate the species! Not your species, Mr. Idiot!

[Briar]

38. all it takes is faith

Believe strongly enough that climate change is idiocy, and lo, it will vanish away. Just like believing strongly in Bush makes him a wise, humane and competent President.

I just don't have that amount of blind faith...

[xxqqqzme]

44. THAT'S IT!

prayer stops ice melting! I don't know why it didn't occur 2 me earlier. Probably that faith thing, huh?

[BUSHOUT]

41. Global warming will never be admitted to by these people.

Even once local climates start shifting more noticably, they will attribute it to natural events and fight efforts to make companies pay for solutions.

It will be the final great crime of republicans against the world. The last misjudgement of reality and priority.

Then they will promise to be the ones to bring us back from this Godless world in which climate changes has displaced people and shut down industries. They'll lower taxes and keep God out front and probably get elected again.

[arikara]

42. Agree except for your final point

They were never "elected". They control the voting machines.

[Roland99]

43. Global Warming Exposes Arctic to Oil, Gas Drilling-they WANT it to happen!

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=570&ncid=753&e=1&u=/nm/20041108/sc_nm/energy_arctic_dc

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Rising global temperatures will melt areas of the Arctic this century, making them more accessible for oil and natural gas drilling, a report prepared by the United States and seven other nations said on Monday.

It predicts that over the next 100 years, global warming could increase Arctic annual average temperatures 5 to 9 degrees Fahrenheit over land and by up to 13 degrees over water. Warmer temperatures could raise global sea levels by as much as 3 feet.

Such a change would threaten coastal cities, change growing patterns for vegetation and destroy habitats for some wildlife, but an energy-starved world would have new areas for oil and gas exploration, according to the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment report.

<...>

Warmer temperatures would make it easier to drill and ship oil from the Arctic, the report said. It did not attempt to quantify the costs of drilling and shipping Arctic oil and gas, or estimate how high energy prices would have to be to justify drilling in the region.

[starroute]

46. Competitive Enterprise Institute (according to Disinfopedia)

http://www.disinfopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=Competitive_Enterprise_Institute

The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) calls itself "a non-profit, non-partisan research and advocacy institute dedicated to the principles of free enterprise and limited government." ... It postures as an advocate of "sound science" in the development of public policy. In fact, it is an ideologically-driven, well-funded front for corporations opposed to safety and environmental regulations that affect the way they do business.

CEI belongs to various conservative alliances, including the Alliance for America, Get Government Off Our Backs, Townhall.com, the National Consumer Coalition (a pro-corporate front group headed by Frances B. Smith, the wife of CEI founder Fred Smith), and the Environmental Education Working Group (EEWG), a national umbrella group for organizations working to undermine environmental education in schools. It is linked to the UK-based rightwing thinktank, the International Policy Network, via shared staff and an identical US contact address. It also sponsors several other subsidiary organizations, including:

* The Center for Private Conservation, a green-sounding front group that opposes environmental regulations by claiming that "free market" solutions work better.
* The Cooler Heads Coalition, chaired by former CEI director Marlo Lewis and directed by Myron Ebell, CEI's Director of Global Warming and International Environmental Policy. The Cooler Heads Coalition was formed on May 6, 1997, "to dispel the myths of global warming by exposing flawed economic, scientific and risk analysis." In March 2001, the nonprofit Clean Air Trust named Ebell its "clean air villain of the month," citing his "ferocious lobbying charge to persuade President Bush to reverse his campaign pledge to control electric utility emissions of carbon dioxide."
* Michael Sanera's Center for Environmental Education Research, based in Washington, D.C.

[acmavm]

47. Just when you think that they have to have run out of ignorant things to

say, bingo, they surprise you with something so damn stupid that you can't believe it came out of the mouth of a human being. But then, when you look to see who said it, the surprise is gone.

But babs out on one of the ice floes and see how long the old cow can tread water. She looks like a walrus anyway, she'd probably feel at home.

[struggle4progress]

49. These lying crooks intend to destroy the planet for temporary profit. eom

[onager]

52. Even Maggie Thatcher would slap $hrub upside the head...

...for this bit of stupidity.

For all her many other faults, at least Thatcher had a scientific background. (A chemistry degree, IIRC.) I've read that she studied at Oxford with one of the first scientists to sound the alarm about global warming.

[pinniped]

51. Whistleblower here, it's a global conspiracy of major proportions! :eyes:

Pinniped claims the * people are fucking nuts.

Hey, asshole* says no Kyoto Protocol because it will supposedly cost millions and billions of jobs, this CEI asswipe says global warming is a conspiracy and doesn't exist.

Which the fuck is it?

[WindRavenX]

53. I hate this anti-science bullshit

God this KILLS ME.
I suppose they'll be claiming that DNA doesn't exist next...

[private_ryan]

54. earth will one day be either be like Mars or Venus if we don't think

In Mars, water can't be in liquid for and there's about 500 degree variation between day and night or Venus where there's a nice 800 degree weather. How this became politicized I don't know, but it is sad.

[Jack Schitt]

55. THIS IS THE DUMBEST THING I'VE EVER READ!!!

This dumbass thinks global warming is a joke???? What the fuck???? Hundreds of scientists, millions of people, all believe global warming is happening (which it is).

How in the hell could Bush listen to this stupid fucking advisor over highly skilled, highly renown, highly educated scientists????

HEY UNEDUCATED DUMBASSES! GO READ THIS LINK! LEARN! (this is for all the stupid lurking freepers) http://www.sierraclub.org/globalwarming/factsheets/

[RainDog]

56. another lying fucktard who cares more about profits than human life

http://www.motherjones.com/news/blog/index.html#2

"The science on global warming keeps rolling in, and the assessments continue to look bleak."

"The newest example is today's release of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment from the Arctic Council. The study, compiled over four years on behalf of the eight Council nations (including the United States), found the Arctic is affected by global warming more than any other region on earth. Temperatures there are reportedly rising at twice the global average, perpetually accelerating the melting of the polar cap. These are the report's 10 "key findings," none of them encouraging..."

...he used to be with Frontiers of Freedom, out of Wyoming, and received funding from the Scaifes.


Frontiers of Freedom receives money of tobacco and oil companies, including Philip Morris Cos, ExxonMobil and RJ Reynolds Tobacco. According to the New York Times: "Frontiers of Freedom, which has about a $700,000 annual budget, received $230,000 from Exxon in 2002, up from $40,000 in 2001, according to Exxon documents”.

George Landrith, President of FoF told the New York Times: “They've determined that we are effective at what we do”, He said Exxon essentially took the attitude, “We like to make it possible to do more of that”.

FoF has also received some $388,450 in 13 grants from the following five conservative foundations:

* Earhart Foundation
* John M. Olin Foundation, Inc.
* Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation
* Sarah Scaife Foundation
* Carthage Foundation <1>

http://www.disinfopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=Frontiers_of_Freedom

[tsuki]

57. The Pentagon said global warming is a threat.

[proud patriot]

59. wow , now that's a conspiracy theory

:eyes:

[TrogL]

61. He needs to visit the Colombia icefields

What icefields? They're gone. 10 years ago they were there.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

63. Oh, yes, climate change is a "conspiracy"

Teams of crazed environmentalists are sneaking up north to melt the polar ice caps just so they have grounds to disrupt the U.S. economy. :crazy: