A new poll shows broad support for carbon limits, including half of all Republicans. The poll comes out as scientists warn (as reported in the NY Times) that time is running out on climate change and, without decisive action, the world could eventually become uninhabitable for humans. Today, the Pope added his voice to the overwhelming weight of world scientists that time is running out. Likewise, island nations are now demanding action and calling on the world to witness the loss of their very existence to the rising seas.
In the meeting in Lima, scientists are presenting new data showing that the world’s climate is already changing and that we cannot avoid high costs associated with greenhouse gases but that we can still avoid planetary disaster if we commit to new limits without further delay.
I have long been an advocate of carbon limits to address climate change. While I disagree with some of his methods, I have great respect for President Obama in his making climate change a priority of his Administration.
In Lima, reports indicate that there may be no way to prevent the planet’s temperature from rising and a breach of the 3.6 degree threshold appears inevitable. However, they paint a dire picture that we must soon choose between an unpleasant world and an uninhabitable one.
While the GOP is often portrayed as anti-environmental, the Republican base contains many who believe not only in stronger environmental laws but carbon limits to address climate change. In the latest poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and Yale University, six out of ten Americans support regulation of carbon dioxide pollution. More importantly, this figure includes one out of every two Republicans. There is a sharp disconnect between such views and the actions of both parties in Congress in resisting limits and other changes designed to reduce greenhouse gases. Certainly, the GOP is not nearly as monolithic as commentary would often suggest on the issue of environmental protection.
Source: FOX
Armed with Gore’s utility bills for the last two years, the Tennessee Center for Policy Research charged Monday that the gas and electric bills for the former vice president’s 20-room home and pool house devoured nearly 221,000 kilowatt-hours in 2006, more than 20 times the national average of 10,656 kilowatt-hours.
“If this were any other person with $30,000-a-year in utility bills, I wouldn’t care,” says the Center’s 27-year-old president, Drew Johnson. “But he tells other people how to live and he’s not following his own rules.”
And that was before he bought his mansion ion California.
I’d be more inclined to listen to the carbon alarmists if they’d also say that electricity is best if generated by non-carbon producing nuclear power plants, but they aren’t interested in that, it seems.
Or if they all converted to the Amish lifestyle. Another thing they won’t do.
LOL! “Carbon dioxide pollution”. Too funny.
You know he’s only regurgitating leftist propaganda when he refers to an odorless, invisible trace gas essential for all life that makes up a tiny 0.04% of the chemical composition of the atmosphere as “pollution”.
“That’s gold, Jerry. Gold.”
Propaganda works? Especially when pushed through a state-run educational system? No great surprise there.
If you want to get the other half of Republicans to buy in then a good start would be to make it a capital offense for any politician to make as much as one dime in the effort to reduce our carbon emissions.
I agree with Michael Haz
If global warming/climate change/whatever the new name is…..is really an emergency and a looming catastrophe, then those who are crying the sky is falling about it need to walk the walk instead of just talking about it.
Flying around in jets, when they could teleconference. Living in huge homes and having multiple homes with high energy demands while they want us all to live in little apartments the size of jail cells. Buying things and luxury goods manufactured in the worst ecological manner and insisting that the poor people who buy some cheap item from WalMart are going to kill the world. Telling everyone ELSE to cut back, live in dark cold houses, while they have swimming pools, spas, hot tubs and all of the luxuries that require high energy costs.
Instead we have the elites who do not abide by the rules that they propose for all of us. They are too important to do what they expect the peons to be doing. They can’t live like they want us to live.
Until they ACT like it is an emergency, instead of contributing more CO2 by their continual gasbaggery, I won’t take them seriously.
Until THEY live like they want US to do, they can just STFU. Another instance of “I DO NOT BELIEVE YOU”
Lead by example or shut up.
Ed Begley Jr. is one of the activists that I can respect because he does walk the walk. He sets an example.
BTW: My carbon footprint (which I think is a stupid concept in the first place) is small and probably less than any other poster on this site.
Once issac has filled the prisons w/ people who place their own interests above the collective’s, where will he find the resources to build more prisons?
…laws against greed,…
I wish you well in your enterprise, grasshopper.
“Koch Brothers” is really a silly reason for just about anything. It’s a progg meme that is fully blind to the corruption of monies poured into the political system by George Soros, Tom Steyer, and other leftist billionaire socialists.
Mike Appleton:
I do apologize for an unsuccessful attempt at humor so early in the day. Doesn’t the irony strike you as just a little funny? Maybe just chuckle-worthy?
As regards the belief by some that carbon limits of some sort are necessary in order to save the globe, that science is most assuredly not settled. I refer you to this web site, for example, as a start.
Global alarmism is a way some who favor world-wide government control of all resources and economies to mask their intentions under a green cloak.
Unfortunately for all you ‘minutemen’ out there, this is a job for big government. You know, laws against greed, graft, etc.
Yeah but Chip; the Koch Brothers were in business back in 1995; so how can we trust ANY data being reported during the time they have existed? Sheesh!
Do your protesting stop buying Chinese made products they’re the biggest polluters.
Michael Haz:
Your logic is particularly compelling. After all, why would any rational adult consider scientific evidence in support of a proposition if that same evidence is viewed favorably by a person whom one despises?
I’ll believe that there is a climate emergency when the people who tell me that there is stop flying in private jets to their several huge mansions.
Looking at you, Al Gore and Robert F Kennedy, Jr.
bad editing
US carbon emissions are now at their 1995 level.
http://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/carbon/
Those sneaky Koch brothers!
mission growth.
It’s amazing how much influence the Kochs have in China and India.
Most interesting part of the article to me:
Many island nations are looking into buying farmland in other countries to grow food and, eventually, to relocate their populations.
A useful way to spend any greenhouse-gas tax revenue would be to set up a fund to help w/ relocation expenses.
While half of republicans may favor limits, about 99% of their republican representatives, owned wholly or in part by big oil, don’t favor limits and think climate change is a charade, a hoax, a conspiracy, voodoo; anything but science. It is government of, by and for the corporation…..The people are secondary….
Yeah but the Koch brothers don’t want it so, won’t happen.