In Defiance Of Facts, Harper Lies Through Teeth, Denies Casting Doubt On Climate Change - Star

[hatrack]

OTTAWA–Prime Minister Stephen Harper, flying in the face of his past public comments, says now he has never questioned the science behind climate change. In a year-end interview with CBC Newsworld's Don Newman, Harper was asked yesterday whether his environmental views had evolved – specifically, whether he has ceased having doubts about the scientific evidence for global warming.

"I don't think that fairly represents my criticism," Harper told Newman. "I think my criticism was principally that the (Kyoto climate-change accord) targets were unreachable, Canada had taken on the most onerous targets in the world; I saw no evidence that there was a plan to meet them. ... If anything in the last four or five years, the evidence has strengthened that we have to take real and substantive action."

Harper's denial, however, doesn't exactly square with comments he has made in the past, notably one remark just days ago about "so-called" greenhouse gases. At a news conference in the Senate foyer a week ago, Harper said in defence of his environmental plan: "As we implement our clean-air agenda, the focus is a little different than the other parties. They focus only on so-called greenhouse gases and ignored smog entirely."

Back in the 2004 election campaign, Harper said of climate change: "The science is still evolving." And in September 2002, Harper said this when asked about the "greenhouse effect:" "It's a scientific hypothesis, a controversial one and one that I think there is some preliminary evidence for. ... This may be a lot of fun for a few scientific and environmental elites in Ottawa, but ordinary Canadians from coast to coast will not put up with what this (Kyoto accord) will do to their economy and lifestyle, when the benefits are negligible."

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http://www.thestar.com/News/article/163817

[acmavm]

1. No matter what nationality, they're all liars.