Former Skeptics Call for Action on Warming - Bush Silent

Take Action - sign the petition to put a cap on global warming Tell a friend about BushGreenwatch .............................. September 15, 2006 | Back Issues Former Skeptics Call for Action on Warming - Bush Silent Thanks to Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, along with Katrina and this summer’s blistering heat waves, the threats posed by global warming have morphed from a far-fetched possibility to a clear and present danger in the minds of voters, scientists, politicians and theologians. Even those who previously scoffed at the notion are true believers now: “It is getting hotter, and the icecaps are melting and there is a build-up of carbon dioxide in the air. We really need to address the burning of fossil fuels. If we are contributing to the destruction of this planet, we need to do something about it,” said Rev. Pat Robertson on a recent broadcast of the “700 Club.” He also added that the recent heat waves had made a “convert” out of him on the issue.1 “…science has changed from ambiguous to near-unanimous. As an environmental commentator, I have a long record of opposing alarmism. But based on the data, I’m now switching sides regarding global warming, from skeptic to convert.” Gregg Easterbrook of the Brookings Institution and senior editor of The New Republic.2 Representative Bob Inglis (R-NC and chairman of the House Science Research subcommittee) says he “pooh-poohed” global warming until a trip to the South Pole in January convinced him otherwise. “I think we should all be concerned. There are more and more Republicans willing to stop laughing at climate change who are ready to get serious about reclaiming their heritage as conservationists.”3 “I was a certified global warming skeptic…[but] I eventually came to the judgment that I was wrong and global warming was real, largely caused by human activities and profoundly changing the planet on which we live,” admitted Stu Ostro, senior meteorologist and director of weather communications for The Weather Channel.4 “I used to be skeptical…but now I’m absolutely convinced that the world is spiraling out of control. CO2 is like a brushfire that gets bigger and bigger every year.” Richard Branson, founder of The Virgin Group.5 A national LA Times/Bloomberg poll conducted in July found that 74 percent of Americans consider “global warming a serious problem” and want the government to do more to solve it.6 The Bush administration's response? Silence. President Bush remains resolutely incurious while the planet heats. Take Action - sign the petition to put a cap on global warming! /// Sources 8/3/06, The Christian Post, “Heat wave makes Pat Robertson a global warming convert,” the AP. 5/24/06, The New York Times, “Finally feeling the heat,” by Gregg Easterbrook. 4/24/06, Bloomberg News, “Bush faces growing dissent from Republicans on climate change,” by Kim Chapman. 9/24/06, The Weather Channel Blog, “If this isn’t global warming, I don’t know what is (confessions of an ex-skeptic), by Stu Ostro. 7/27/06, Business 2.0 Magazine, “Branson’s next big move,” by Carleen Hawn. 7/28-8/1/06, LA Times/Bloomberg poll of 1478 adults nationwide Permanent link to this article Spread the Word | Back Issues BushGreenwatch | 1717 Massachusetts Ave NW #600 Washington, DC 20036 | (202) 783-7400 Web site comments: info@bushgreenwatch.org Copyright 2006 Friends of the Earth