Sen. Inhofe claims “God” is historically responsible for climate change by citing the Bible.
Today, the Senate heard some progress on the climate change debate, but while the Republicans took one step forward, they simultaneously took two steps back, once again proving they don’t understand the fundamental debate for action in reducing carbon pollution.
The scientific community largely agrees that increases in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are caused in large part by human activity. No scientist would ever claim that it is solely caused by humans or that it could ever be solved completely by humans, but that’s the position that Senate Republicans — namely Chairman of the Environment and Public Works committee, Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) — try to argue against when legislation is introduced to address environmental issues. And that position isn’t just utterly wrong, it also shows that Sen. Inhofe has not an inkling of how carbon emissions are tied into increased transportation, machinery and abundant use of coal and oil.
In an attempt to make Inhofe appear like a crackpot, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) introduced an amendment that plainly stated:
Climate change is real and not a hoax.
Whitehouse said that climate change is a real issue that will have a dire impact on his state in the future, being the coastal state of Rhode Island and that it is absolutely urgent to have real discussions on the matter.
Fully expecting Sen. Inhofe to argue against this point, Whitehouse made the mistake of leaving room for the climate-denying senator by not implicitly stating in the amendment that by climate change, he meant “carbon pollution directly caused by humans.” Inhofe agreed with the amendment and it passed the Senate 98-1.
In essence, Whitehouse tried to make Inhofe look like a fool because he thought Inhofe would argue that climate change in itself is a hoax, and climate change at this point in undeniable, but it didn’t work out so well for the Democratic party because the climate change denier didn’t take the bait.
However, Inhofe instead argued that man-made climate change is the real hoax, and then introduced his own amendment that stated this point.
Controlling carbon is a bureaucrat’s dream. If you control carbon, you control life.
The Oklahoma Senator then went on a diatribe using long-debunked alternative “scientific evidence” that global warming isn’t caused by excessive carbon pollution. Inhofe also rattled off evidence provided by TV weathermen and meteorologists. He even pulled a scientist who denies smoking causes lung cancer out of his back pocket to derail the argument that dumping massive amounts of carbon into the Earth’s atmosphere isn’t having any sort of negative impact.
Man can’t change climate.
He said that climate change is evident in the Bible asserting that God has been the cause of changes to the Earth in the past. Inhofe has cited the Bible in order to refute climate change in the past.
Scientists have an answer as to why the Earth has seen ups and downs climate-wise, and they know exactly which kind of carbon is the problematic carbon these days, but you won’t find any of their peer-reviewed papers in Inhofe’s evidence cache because the senator simply won’t hear the larger majority of scientists’ conclusions on the matter.
And so while the Oklahoma Senator did state that climate change is real and not a hoax, he walked back the argument, so the U.S. is no further ahead in the climate debate than before.
Check out the facepalm-worthy rant below:
H/T: Mother Jones | Photo: C-Span (screenshot)
Sen in-a-huff said in this tape that Obama’s policies on the climate will cost $479 billion dollars a year…..he’s said over and over that the books are ” cooked” denying NASA and NOAA….why would they “cook the books” what monetary gain would they get…as opposed to making the world’s biggest polluters be responsible for destroying or environment,which would cost them $trillion plus
Why is it that only the oil companies and their running dogs think all this climate change stuff is bogus?
Every other interest group, including the CIA and the Pentagon thinks otherwise.
Goforride….because it will cost them a trillion plus to pay for their decades of destroying the environment ..Why indeed beside big gas and oil there’s the coal industry and public utilities ….how many Americans think highly of these businesses…through so phone calls I found were sen in-a-huff got this $479 billion dollars a year…it come from a far right National Economic i Research Associates(NERA).. Two of the major funder are the Scaife Foundation whichever help fund coke bros. funded think tanks #whatever like AEI,Cato Institute,Freedom works,ALEC and of course the heritage foundation…the Harry and lynde foundation funds the same coke bros. funded groups including heartland institute..also Harry Bradley was a charter member along with the coke bros. dad Fred ,of the John Birch Society…and we all know that sen in-a-huff is a big benefactor of the coke bros. No conflict of interest there ..Bueller, Bueller…
I read that an 18 year old is suing the state of Ore. for NOT doing enough to prevent/protect us from a climate disaster. Is this possible to do against this idiot? I don’t know if it’s legal but would LOVE to find out and start a class action suit against idiots like this.
So does this guy have any idea what he is talking about? Seems to spend a lot more time stuttering through his rant than actually making any points. Finny how these clowns believe in a god but don’t believe in climate change caused by man pollution his environment and using weather casters as examples? Sorry but they only forecast weather based on current conditions which can change in a heartbeat. I remember on Christmas Eve in the Albany area of New York hearing the forcasters stating that we would experience a green Christmas then waking up Christmas morning to find two feet of snow on the ground.
Sounds like some form of dementia. He is really taking leave of his sanity. Next we will see him with a tin foil hat.
Weathercasters are NOT scientists, they are on air talent and most do NOT have any degree in meteorology.
What a dumb ass and crook!
Some scientists are saying that we are entering into the Sixth Extinction, manmade. There were 5 Great Extinctions. but they believe there were ten.The last one was the dinosaurs. The worst one was the Permian.They found evidence of huge volcanic activity and carbon dioxide.Almost all the life on the land and the oceans were killed. If the methane releases enough we are screwed.When it gets hotter more and more methane is released and there are tons and tons of it.The polar bears are swimming, the North Pole is melting and Greenland.The oceans are becoming acidic. methane is releasing in the oceans and the permafrost now.The coral reefs are disappearing. Yes, the climate changes w/ Ice Ages etc. Yes, people effect the climate with our carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels. This year has been the hottest on record since recording. Both NASA and NOAA reported that 2014 was the warmest year since global temperatures were first recorded in 1880. This year was also the 38th consecutive year that global temperatures were above average.
Greenhouse gas trends are responsible for a majority of the trends that we are seeing, said Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. Temperatures are 0.9 C above pre-industrial temperature averages.
“Trends in greenhouse gases are continuing, so we may anticipate further record highs in the years to come,” Schmidt said.
Antarctica is gaining more ice but it might be temporary while the North Pole is melting.Then the heat might move south. What I am saying from reading what leading scientists are saying is that we need green energy. I read an article called Nature wants her carbon back.It was about the need for better agricultural practices so the earth will take the carbon out of the air..There is enough evidence that we need to go green.Vote democrat. Big business wants to destroy the Earth , bees, butterflies, animals and us. They can’t see past their greed.I think irregardless of what is going on we need to be more conscious of the environment. We need small farms and to treat animals better. .We need less pesticides and clean water. We need food that is real and an EPAthat protects us. We need our govt. to care about people instead of rich people.Also, the Koch brothers ( big oil)are paying think tanks to state that climate change isnt happening.