The Political Climate: an ongoing commentary on the NH Primary and Climate Change

In this interview with the Wall Street Journal today, President Bush clears the air on recent talk that his administration is creating a national formal policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.   He believes it is very unlikely that “the modest voluntary goals set by his administration to reduce so-called greenhouse-gas emissions” would fail, but in the event they do he said he might consider reevaluating his current path.  Figuratively speaking he cleared the air on the issue of global warming, but literally with modest voluntary goals he’s not “clearing” anything.

William Sweet, news editor of the magazine Spectrum and author of Kicking the Carbon Habit, writes this op-ed for the New York Times today.  While praising California for taking the lead on mandatory emission reductions, he’s reluctant to celebrate any action on climate change that isn’t national: “Its goals may well be too ambitious for the state to meet and be based on a flawed premise that greenhouse gas control can be done ad hoc and state by state…No matter what happens, the end message will surely be that there’s no real substitute for concerted national action.” 

This weekend… Governor Mitt Romney will be in Concord on Saturday as the NH GOP Convention Keynote Speaker.  The town of Hanover is hosting a “Cool Cities Walk to Stop Global Warming” on Sunday from 1:00-3:00 beginning at the Howe Library.  On Monday Joel Harrington, Vice President for the NH Audubon, will present to the Great Bay Stewards at their Annual Meeting as a part of the Carbon Coalition Speaker’s Bureau.

It’s tricky mixing politics with science and science with politics.  We illustrated this matter in TPC yesterday when reporting on speculation that the Bush Administration withheld information on climate change.  Scientists have reason to be wary about losing credibility based on perceived partisanship,  but we feel that’s an issue much different than being involved in the political process (e.g. civic debate.)   According to this report in the New York Times, a group of scientists have realized that remaining detached from politics isn’t helping their cause.  Instead they hope by getting political they can become more non-partisan.

A group of well known scientists have formed an organization to elect politicians who “respect evidence and understand the importance of using scientific and engineering advice in making public policy.”  They cited climate change as one of such issues. The group, Scientists and Engineers for America, have decided to enter the debate because “the nation’s leaders systematically ignore scientific evidence and analysis.”  The goal is to elect an administration where ”researchers who receive federal funds [are] free to discuss their work publicly, and that appointments to federal scientific advisory committees should  be based on scientific qualifications, not political beliefs.”

Maybe accomplishing such a goal would fulfill the hopes of this editorial in todays Washington Post.  The editorial states that “global warming represents a policy crisis responsible politicians can no longer ignore–one as potentially existential as the threat of global terrorism.”  A solution “require[s] an end to denial”– a statement that Scientists and Engineers for America would undoubtedly agree with.

The New York Times reports on a recent study released by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences stating that the earth’s temperature has reached levels not seen since the end of the last ice-age 12,000 years ago.  Research shows that the earth has been warming .36 degrees Fahrenheit a decade, with particularly strong warming in the far north increasing melt of ice and snow pack.  The study also predicts that warming found in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans could lead to more El Nino episodes.

 According to this article in the Boston Globe predicitions like this are possibly being withheld by the Bush Administration.  Yesterday Nature published an article stating a government agency had blocked the release of a report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that suggests global warming contributes to the frequency and strength of hurricanes.  Not surprisingly, this finding is being disputed.  Nonetheless, it is sparking concern of governmental censorship and politicization of science.

The federal government might be doing everything it can to avoid the issue of climate change, but that won’t last long if Schwarzenegger has anything to say about it.  In this article the Boston Globe reports Schwarzenegger’s goal of moving the issue of climate change across the nation by letting “enough states join the movement that eventually the federal government will say, ‘I think we should also join here.’”  Currently, 11 states including California are challenging the Bush Administration’s decision to not regulate greenhouse gas emissions.  The case is before the US Supreme court.

On Sunday the Lakes Region Public Agenda hosted a panel of Carbon Coalition speakers–Dr. Barry Rock, Nancy Girard, and Jim Rubens– to present “Global Warming-A Local Issue.”  The audience was given a lesson on the science behind global warming, tips on steps individuals can make to curb their personal ‘footprints,’ and an overview of current policy and advice on initiating changes.  The panel ended with an open question and answer forum which provided some clarity to a topic that people don’t know much about.  Here are some of the questions Wolfeboro natives and surrounding Granite Staters wanted to know:

*Why wasn’t nuclear energy mentioned as one of the solutions?

*Is wind economical on an individual basis?

*How many nuclear plant plans are before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and how many plants are currently in line for construction?

*What does the future of solar look like?

*Were the CAFE standards improved in this administration?

*Do parts per million (CO2) correlate with temperature?

*What are the potential impacts of global warming on our lakes?

For more science on global warming go here, for policy news go here, and for tips on making changes visit here and here. 

 In other news, the Carbon Coalition’s New Hampshire Town Meeting Initiative landed a top story in The Forum, read the article here.  The Concord Monitor reports in this article that New York Governor George Pataki will be the first presidential candidate to open a campaign office in Iowa and rumors suggest an office in Manchester, NH as well. Soon Granite Staters will  be able to address their climate questions and concerns to a 2008 presidential candidate “around the corner.”