http://www.climatesciencewatch.org/index.php Promoting integrity in the use of climate science and related research in government en climatewatch@comcast.net 2008-05-10T03:50:01-05:00 http://www.climatesciencewatch.org/index.php/csw/details/cap_nepa_report/ A new report by the Center for American Progress proposes that the next President issue an Executive Order requiring climate change to be included as a consideration under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).  “Government responsibilities are jeopardized by the lack of information about the consequences of federal actions for the emission of greenhouse gases and adaptation to changing climatic conditions,” the report says. Existing federal and state environmental laws and regulations—especially NEPA, the Clean Air Act, and the Endangered Species Act— provide the requisite legal authority to begin to mitigate and adapt to climate change. “It is not necessary to wait for new legislation to take action.” Science-Policy Interaction Rick Piltz 2008-05-10T02:50:01-05:00 http://www.climatesciencewatch.org/index.php/csw/details/whistleblower_week_science_panel/ Scientific censorship on a range of issues including climate change will be the subject of a panel as Government Accountability Project Whistleblower Week in Washington DC events kick off on May 12. Panelists will include Celia Wexler and Tim Donaghy of the Union of Concerned Scientists, FDA drug safety whistleblower David Ross, and Climate Science Watch director Rick Piltz. Climate Science Watch, Whistleblowers Rick Piltz 2008-05-09T02:48:00-05:00 http://www.climatesciencewatch.org/index.php/csw/details/suppressed_aviation_report/ Greenhouse gas emissions from aviation are projected to trend sharply upwards, according to a suppressed report based on information contained in U.S., European, and UK government databases maintained by regulatory agencies (Environment News Service, May 7). The U.S. needs a strategic plan to limit aviation emissions associated with climate change.  Climate Change Preparedness Rick Piltz 2008-05-08T17:12:02-05:00 http://www.climatesciencewatch.org/index.php/csw/details/qs_brennan_nomination/ Here are some questions that members of the Senate Commerce Committee should have asked of William J. Brennan, acting director of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program, at his May 1 nomination hearing to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. U.S. Climate Change Science Program, Congressional Oversight Rick Piltz 2008-05-01T17:38:00-05:00 http://www.climatesciencewatch.org/index.php/csw/details/rockefellers_exxon_leadership/ The UK Guardian reported on April 30: “The founding family behind ExxonMobil has embarrassed the board by joining critics of the world’s largest publicly-quoted oil company and called for a management shake-up which could change its attitude towards climate change. The Rockefeller family—which started Exxon’s predecessor, Standard Oil—are taking the unprecedented step of holding a press conference today at a hotel in New York where they will call for Rex Tillerson to hand over part of his responsibilities as both chairman and chief executive.” See Details for more on ExxonMobil and the global warming disinformation campaign. Global Warming Denial Machine Rick Piltz 2008-04-30T14:34:00-05:00 http://www.climatesciencewatch.org/index.php/csw/details/polar_bear_court_order/ A federal judge has found the Bush administration guilty of violating the Endangered Species Act and ordered the administration to issue a final listing decision for the polar bear by May 15, 2008. The administration is well beyond the legal deadline for a listing decision. The polar bear is threatened because global warming is causing its Arctic sea ice habitat to disappear. The Endangered Species Act requires the decision to be based solely on science. In September 2007 the U.S. Geological Survey predicted that two-thirds of the world’s polar bear population would likely be extinct by 2050, including all polar bears within the United States. Science-Policy Interaction Rick Piltz 2008-04-29T15:13:01-05:00 http://www.climatesciencewatch.org/index.php/csw/details/ucs_epa_study/ An investigation of the Environmental Protection Agency released April 23 found that 889 of nearly 1,600 staff scientists reported that they experienced political interference in their work over the last five years. Hundreds of scientists reported being unable to openly express concerns about EPA’s work without fear of retaliation. A majority of respondents said EPA policies do not let scientists talk freely with the news media about their findings. The next President, Congress, and EPA administrator should act to ensure integrity in the treatment of scientific research and end practices that impede communication between agency scientists and the public. Scientists should be able to express concerns about inappropriate political interference and push back when necessary, without fear of retaliation.  Censorship of Government Scientists Rick Piltz 2008-04-28T04:41:00-05:00 http://www.climatesciencewatch.org/index.php/csw/details/frontline_hot_politics_reair/ The full PBS FRONTLINE hour-long program on global warming, “Hot Politics,” which first aired on April 24, 2007, and re-aired on April 22, 2008, can be viewed in its entirety online. We are in segment #6—Censorship, discussing the Bush administration’s treatment of the National Assessment of Climate Change Impacts.  Extended text from a number of the interviews is also posted, including interviews with Jim Hansen of NASA and CSW Director Rick Piltz. FRONTLINE and the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) “go behind the scenes to explore how bi-partisan political and economic forces prevented the U.S. government from confronting what may be one of the most serious problems facing humanity today.” Global Warming Denial Machine, Climate Science Watch Rick Piltz 2008-04-28T03:41:00-05:00 http://www.climatesciencewatch.org/index.php/csw/details/gelbspan_speth_review/ “Contemporary capitalism and a habitable planet cannot coexist. That is the core message of The Bridge at the Edge of the World, by J. ‘Gus’ Speth, a prominent environmentalist who, in this book, has turned sharply critical of the U.S. environmental movement,” says Ross Gelbspan, writing in the April 27 Washington Post Book World. Climate Change Preparedness Rick Piltz 2008-04-27T21:26:00-05:00 http://www.climatesciencewatch.org/index.php/csw/details/doi_polar_bear_delay/ The Department of the Interior has told a federal court that it needs until June 30 to complete its Endangered Species Act listing decision on the polar bear, which is already more than three months overdue. What will it take to get the administration to abide by federal legal deadlines and court rulings, and act on scientific evidence about the harmful impacts of climate change? Science-Policy Interaction Rick Piltz 2008-04-23T16:19:00-05:00