Guest guest Posted August 30, 2004 Report Share Posted August 30, 2004 > Mon, 30 Aug 2004 13:06:11 GMT > " BushGreenwatch " <info > New Book Contradicts Cheney-Bush Denials re > Global Warming > > *************************************** > BUSHGREENWATCH > Tracking the Bush Administration's Environmental > Misdeeds > http://www.bushgreenwatch.org > *************************************** > > August 30, 2004 > > NEW BOOK CONTRADICTS CHENEY-BUSH DENIALS RE GLOBAL > WARMING > > Seven years ago, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist > Ross Gelbspan > focused his reporter's lens on the issue of global > climate > change and wrote The Heat Is On, a landmark book > that exposed > the links between the so-called global warming > skeptics and the > fossil fuel industry, which stands to lose much if > the world > gets serious about curbing oil and gas consumption. > > Now Gelbspan is back with a new book, Boiling Point > (Basic > Books). This time he examines powerful new evidence > that the > world's climate system is on the verge of spinning > out of > control. At the same time, he offers some remedies > that the > world's governments can adopt before it is too late. > > > The obstacles -- particularly in the U.S. -- are > enormous. The > current chairman of the Senate Committee on the > Environment and > Public Works, James Inhofe (R-OK), has said, " With > all of the > hysteria, all of the fear, all of the phony science, > could it be > that man-made global warming is the greatest hoax > ever > perpetrated on the American people? It sure sounds > like it. " > And, Vice President Cheney has called energy > conservation a > " personal virtue, " but not a " sufficient basis for a > sound, > comprehensive energy policy. " > > Despite the official denials, Gelbspan marshals an > impressive > array of facts showing that the climate is indeed > changing. > Seventeen of the 18 hottest years on record have > occurred since > 1980. > > Glaciers are melting on every continent, and > migratory species > in both hemispheres are shifting their ranges toward > the poles. > Coral reefs around the world are dying in response > to higher > temperatures. Mosquito-borne diseases like malaria > and dengue > fever are spreading to higher altitudes and higher > latitudes. In > Alaska, the average temperature has risen by a > startling seven > degrees over the past 30 years. > > Meanwhile, Gelbspan reveals, the oil and coal > industries are > conducting a furious campaign of disinformation to > confuse the > public and delay action -- and evidence shows that > it is > working. A 1991 poll by Newsweek magazine showed > that 35 percent > of the public thought global warming was a serious > problem. By > 1996, even after scientific evidence had become much > stronger, > another Newsweek poll found that this number had > shrunk to 22 > percent - although it has risen since that time, > with many > people expressing growing concerns about > increasingly violent > weather patterns. > > Gelbspan lays much of the blame on his fellow > journalists, who > have allowed themselves to be manipulated into > giving equal time > to industry-funded skeptics, even though they are at > odds with > the overwhelming majority of mainstream scientists. > Nor does he > spare the major environmental groups, whom he finds > too consumed > with infighting and turf battles to mount an > effective campaign > to fight the oil and coal industries. > > To avert the coming crisis, Gelbspan urges a > rigorous, global > campaign -- based on three specific interactive > policies -- to > shift power production to renewable energy. Such a > program, he > argues, would carry the added benefit of helping > democratize the > global economy, putting the public back in charge of > both their > governments and corporations. > > It's a tall order. But as Gelbspan indicates in this > highly > readable book (very favorably reviewed by Al Gore in > the August > 15 Sunday New York Times Book Review), there is > really little > choice. > > ### > > *************************************** > :: TELL A FRIEND ABOUT BUSHGREENWATCH > http://ga3.org/ct/5pzkGk91va-r/ > > :: READ BACK ISSUES > http://ga3.org/ct/tdzkGk91va-v/ > *************************************** > > BushGreenwatch > 1320 18th Street NW 5th Floor > Washington, DC 20036 > (202) 463-6670 > Web site comments: info > > Copyright © 2003 Environmental Media Services > ----------------- > > If you received this message from a friend, you can > sign up for > BushGreenwatch at: > > http://ga3.org/bushgreenwatch/join.html?r=kdzkGk91Hj9EE > > ----------------- > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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