In South Carolina, the “Democratic Party” candidate is Bob Conley, who must be mentioned was recently a Republican, on a county GOP committee until winning the Democratic Party primay, and Ron Paul supporter. On the Repulbican side, Lindsey Graham. In this race, Saturday’s debate could well be a telling one for anyone who cares for science and issues of Global Warming.
Conley, in Inhofe-scale like terms, very “firmly proclaimed his denial of global warming science”. In face of a question as to whether Global Warming is real (come off, is this a real question people?), Conley’s response:
CONLEY: It really is the arrogance of man to think that we are having any effect. I’m an engineer. So I understand that we don’t have constant things in the physical world. We have a lot of fluctuations.
And when we see, looking back how we have had fluctuations in temperature over time. And when we see how when I was a child we were told whether it was global cooling. We’ve been told in recent years well there’s global warming. Well then last year was the coldest — the coolest record in the recent trend. It’s something. I don’t think we ought to be making really haphazard statements of policy or trying to change policies on this side.
Okay, this is a man who shouldn’t be allowed to give a talk to a High School science class let alone be in the US Senate.
As noted over at Think Progress,
Of course, the reality is that the international scientific consensus, as embodied by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, has assessed that there is a 90 percent certainty that human activity contributes to global temperature increases. Even a White House climate report has acknowledged this fact.
By the way, as to cold 2007? According to NASA,
The year 2007 tied for second warmest in the period of instrumental data, behind the record warmth of 2005, in the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) analysis. 2007 tied 1998, which had leapt a remarkable 0.2°C above the prior record with the help of the “El Niño of the century”.
Membership in the global warming denial know-nothing wing of the Flat-Earth Society merits condemndation and ridicule, no matter the letter after a candidate’s name.
And, while far from a leading defender of the planet, Lindsey Graham showed himself closer to reality than Conley.
Linsey Graham’s comment: “I do believe man-made emissions are hurting the planet. I believe global warming is somewhat man-made.” While not exactly a full-throated statement about humanity driving Global Warming and about an urgent need to act, at least Graham’s comments suggest that he has at least a toe in the reality-based world.
For some more background on Conley, see Flattop Bob Conley vs Lindsey Graham: Republican vs Republican in SC Senate Race including discussion of his ‘neo-confederate’ and separatist links/leanings.