This is an excellent article by Rep. Lamar Smith.
The Hill,
September 09, 2015, 07:00 am
By Rep.
Lamar Smith (R-Texas)
President
Obama last week visited Alaska to preach about the inevitable doomsday
scenarios the world will face if Americans fail to embrace his extreme climate
change agenda. Like all climate alarmists, the president wants Americans to
believe there is no uncertainty about climate change. They pretend to know
exactly how much human actions contribute to the changing climate. By denying
any uncertainty, their goal is to shut off debate. ‘Just trust us. We know
what’s best for you.’
But the
truth is there are more questions about climate change than there are answers.
For instance, even the most advanced climate models all failed to predict the lack
of warming the Earth has experienced over the last 18 years. But the president
and his Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) refuse to let facts get in the
way of their determination to impose greater government control over the lives
of the American people.
Below are seven
irrefutable facts about climate change that are ignored because they do not fit
into the alarmists’ scare tactics. These facts are not disputed.
1. For
the past 18 years, weather satellites have not measured a global increase in
temperatures although carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased over that
same period. Weather satellites are the most advanced instruments for
measuring global temperatures. The fact that these satellites have not
detected a measureable temperature increase despite an increased concentration
of CO2 in the atmosphere calls into question the correlation climate change
alarmists preach between carbon emissions and temperature.
2.
According to EPA’s own data, U.S. carbon emissions have decreased nine percent
since 2005. These carbon reductions have occurred as a result of
technological advancements and free market forces, which will continue. This
raises the question of whether burdensome regulations are necessary.
3. The
natural cycle of global temperatures has resulted in both higher and lower
temperatures over the past 1,000 years than exist today. These
temperature fluctuations occurred before significant fossil energy use.
So temperatures the Earth is experiencing now have been seen before.
4. If
implemented, the Obama administration’s Climate Action Plan would reduce global
temperatures by only 0.01, or one one-hundredth of a degree Celsius.
President Obama’s former Deputy Secretary for Fossil Energy at the Department
of Energy, Charles McConnell, said that EPA’s carbon rules will have only a
minor impact on global climate change. Yet regulations will cost billions
of dollars and jeopardize thousands of jobs.
5. The
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has reported that there is
little or no connection between extreme weather and climate change. According to a 2012 report, IPCC stated that there is “high agreement” that
long-term trends in weather disasters “have not been attributed to… climate
change.” Climate change alarmists point toward hurricanes, tornadoes and
other global weather disasters as a proof that man-made carbon emissions are
hurting our planet. However, as the IPCC report stated, the opposite is
true. There is scientific agreement that weather disasters are not caused by
climate change, despite President Obama repeatedly trying to connect the two.
6.
Population growth, especially in the developing world, will account for even
more global carbon emissions. Carbon emissions from developing countries are
projected to increase by over 125 percent by 2040. And world population
is expected to surge by over 2 billion people by 2050, an increase of more than
30 percent. Yet few climate scientists acknowledge the potential impact of
population growth on carbon emissions.
7.
Carbon dioxide accounts for a very small part of the Earth’s overall atmosphere
and those levels have fluctuated throughout the Earth’s history. Carbon dioxide
currently accounts for only .038 percent of our planet’s atmosphere. And
human-made carbon dioxide only makes up about three percent of that. Put
another way, if all the gases in the atmosphere were represented by the length
of a football field, only the last 1/10 of an inch would be carbon emissions
caused by humans. It’s hard to believe that such a small amount would
supposedly have such huge consequences.
The EPA
and other government agencies too often fail to present all the facts. Their
agenda comes first; accuracy comes second. Climate change has many
explanations — and unanswered questions. The American people need good
science, not science fiction promoted by alarmists.
Lamar
Smith has represented Texas’ 21st Congressional District since 1987. He chairs
the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, and also sits on the Homeland
Security and the Judiciary committees.
