Great Plains tribal chairmen walk out on State Dept Keystone XL consultation

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Climate Science Watch

Indian Country Today Media Network reports: Elders and chiefs of at least 10 sovereign nations walked out of a Keystone XL pipeline tribal consultation meeting with U.S. State Department officials in Rapid City, South Dakota, on May 16, calling the meeting ‘invalid.’ The Great Plains Tribal Chairmen's Association Statement Against the Keystone XL Pipeline concludes: “If the Keystone XL pipeline is allowed to be built, TransCanada, a Canadian corporation, would be occupying sacred treaty lands as reserved in the 1851 and 1868 Fort Laramie Treaties. It will be stopped by unified resistance.” Full text of the statement below. Continue reading →

Posted in Activism, International Climate Policy, Obama Administration | Leave a comment

Global warming misconceptions on BBC radio

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Climate Science Watch

Much of a recent BBC radio segment focused on the short-term reduction in the rate of atmospheric warming, and reinforced some misconceptions about climate science. Mainstream scientists are not suggesting that global warming has stalled. And mainstream scientists are not stumped by the short-term atmospheric warming rate change. Continue reading →

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U.S. Arctic strategy aims to exploit oil and gas for 'national security'

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Climate Science Watch

Arctic Strategy cover imageThe U.S. National Strategy for the Arctic, announced by the White House on May 10, includes this: "The Arctic region’s energy resources factor into a core component of our national security strategy: energy security. The region holds sizable proved and potential oil and natural gas resources that will likely continue to provide valuable supplies to meet U.S. energy needs." What does this say about White House accountability on climate change?  Continue reading →

Posted in Obama Administration, Science-Policy Interaction | 1 Comment

Federal budget sequestration begins to undercut extreme event preparedness

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Climate Science Watch
Hot Shot crews making their way to the fire line (Credit: Texas Forest Service)

Hot Shot crews making their way to the fire line (Credit: Texas Forest Service)

So it begins: The 2013 wildfire season finds the government facing cutbacks in firefighters, equipment, fire prevention, and recovery, as a result of federal budget sequestration cuts. And due to an ongoing agency-wide hiring freeze, the National Weather Service office serving the Washington, DC, and Baltimore area, for example, has lost a third of its forecasting staff and has suspended a major pilot project aimed at helping the local community prepare for extreme weather.  Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change Preparedness | Leave a comment

"4 Pinocchios" for Rep. Chris Stewart's dishonest statement about climate science experts

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Climate Science Watch

The Washington Post's Fact Checker blog awarded "Four Pinocchios" to Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah), chair of the House Science Subcommittee on Environment, for a "whopper" of dishonesty: cherry-picking one survey in an attempt to misrepresent the overwhelming view of the most credible climate science experts on human-caused global warming. Continue reading →

Posted in Congress: Legislation and Oversight, Global Warming Denial Machine | Leave a comment

Tired, disproven argument on “benefits” of CO2 resurfaces in Wall Street Journal

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Climate Science Watch

Carbon dioxide concentrations are approaching 400 parts per million, higher than any found in at least 800,000 years. To commemorate the occasion, a Wall Street Journal op-ed has revived an old, repeatedly debunked argument about the benefits of CO2. Authors Harrison Schmitt and William Happer take the fact that plants need CO2 to grow and argue that more is better, ignoring both common sense and overwhelming scientific evidence. Continue reading →

Posted in Global Warming Denial Machine, Science Communication | 4 Comments

More coverage on Corexit, deadly dispersant in the BP Gulf oil blowout disaster

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Climate Science Watch
A C-130 Hercules sprays Corexit dispersant onto the Gulf of Mexico. (Photo: US Air Force)

A C-130 Hercules sprays Corexit dispersant onto the Gulf of Mexico. (Photo: US Air Force)

“On the Green Front” did a good segment on Deadly Dispersants in the Gulf, the new report from the Government Accountability Project that details the effects on human health and the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem stemming from BP and the federal government's widespread use of the dispersant Corexit in response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The interview with GAP lead investigator Shanna Devine runs from 27:00-41:00 in this podcast of the online radio program, aired on May 1. And Rachel Maddow on MSNBC did a good segment on BP that included an interview with journalist and author Mark Hertsgaard on the Corexit story.

Continue reading →

Posted in Science-Policy Interaction, Whistleblowers | Leave a comment

2013 Ridenhour Prizes

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Climate Science Watch

ron-ridenhourThe Ridenhour Courage Prize was awarded this year to climate scientist James Hansen, recently retired as head of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. The Ridenhour Truth-Telling Prize was awarded to Jose Antonio Vargas -- journalist, filmmaker, and founder of Define American. The Tenth Annual Ridenhour Prizes, fostering the spirit of courage and truth, were awarded at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, on April 24.  Continue reading →

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"Inside Story" on BP's use of Corexit to "clean up" Gulf oil blowout disaster

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Climate Science Watch

Al Jazeera English's Inside Story Americas aired a very good discussion of the findings and implications of the Government Accountability Project's report on the devastating effects of BP's use of Corexit to "clean up" its oil blowout in the Gulf of Mexico.

Guests included Marylee Orr, executive director of the Louisiana Environmental Action Network, which worked closely with GAP on their report; Daniel Becnel, an attorney representing plaintiffs against the manufacturer of Corexit; Mark Hertsgaard, an independent journalist who wrote the first in-depth piece on GAP's findings; and Malcom Coco, a former cleanup worker who is taking part in a lawsuit against BP.

Continue reading →

Posted in Obama Administration, Science-Policy Interaction, Whistleblowers | 3 Comments

EPA on State Dept's Keystone XL draft impact statement: "Environmental Objections - Insufficient Information"

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Climate Science Watch

EPA_800pxThe Environmental Protection Agency has given a rating of EO-2 ("Environmental Objections - Insufficient Information") to the State Department's Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) on the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. EPA's critical review raises multiple issues, including questioning the Draft SEIS's discussion of the implications of the pipeline for emissions of greenhouse gases, and its economic analysis of rail as an alternative to the pipeline. If the State Department addresses the EPA concerns fully, there is much still to be done before the impact statement can be finalized. Continue reading →

Posted in Obama Administration, Science-Policy Interaction | 2 Comments