US Congress Votes out Science

In a update to a previous post big business has won again, as responsibility for regulation of greenhouse gas emissions is transferred to from the US Environmental Protection Agency to Congress. Crunch time came in the US with a vote in Congress and it seems the official line in the House of Representatives is that Global warming does not exist.

US Congress to take control of greenhouse gases

Last year the the U.S. National Academy of Science,after a review of the scientific literature concluded:

"A strong, credible body of scientific evidence shows that climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for a broad range of human and natural systems….

Some scientific conclusions or theories have been so thoroughly examined and tested, and supported by so many independent observations and results, that their likelihood of subsequently being found to be wrong is vanishingly small. Such conclusions and theories are then regarded as settled facts. This is the case for the conclusions that the Earth system is warming and that much of this warming is very likely due to human activities."

A pretty strong and scientifically supported statement. But Sadly the House of Representatives yesterday rejected an amendment that stated:

"Congress accepts the scientific findings of the Environmental Protection Agency that climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for public health and welfare."

Not quite as strong as that of the National  Academy of Science but at least it would have put them on record backing the scientific view that global warming is occurring and humans are a major cause.


I can't wait till, like King Canute, they vote down future sea level rise.