The most important job of the government is to confront issues that face the society that it governs. Ideally, the government recognizes a potential problem before it becomes a huge issue and tries to either eliminate it altogether or at least postpone its chance of striking for a number of years by finding a reasonable solution. One problem that is confronting not only the United States but the whole world is global warming, and the Republicans once again find themselves out of touch with reality when it comes to such a critical issue.
On Feb. 2, hundreds of scientists from 113 countries issued a 21-page report in Paris stating that there is now little doubt that global warming is the result of human actions, according the Associated Press. A day later, on Feb. 3, the National Journal published its “Congressional Insiders Poll” that asked some members of Congress: “Do you think it’s been proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the Earth is warming because of man-made problems?”
Thirteen percent of the Republicans polled believed so while 95 percent of the Democrats polled thought the same way.
Susan Solomon, an American scientist, was quoted by the Associated Press, stating, “There can be no question that the increase in greenhouse gases are dominated by human activities.” The report also goes on to say, “Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global mean sea level.” The emissions of greenhouse gases created by human activities have caused nights to get warmer, fewer cold days, fiercer storms, and deadly heat waves.
Statements like these should serve as a warning for policymakers not only at home-especially the Republicans who seem to doubt the apparent human role in global warming-but also worldwide to realize the seriousness of the problem.
The poll carried out by the National Journal is not the first place where the Republicans have scoffed at global warming. The 2006 documentary “An Inconvenient Truth,” showed Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), a staunch skeptic of climate change, stating that, “global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people.”
Inhofe said, “We all know the Weather Channel would like to have people afraid all the time,” according to CNN.com. Apparently, he believes the weather network is behind this global warming “hoax.” It is just amazing and ironic how Inhofe blames the Weather Channel for keeping “people afraid all the time.” At least the Weather Channel has scientific evidence to support its claims.
It is hard to conceive, after growing scientific consensus and with the recent report about the human role in global warming, why most Republicans are still burry their heads in the sand. Such blind ignorance and blatant refusal to step out of la-la land will not help to acknowledge the huge problem that threatens human and our relationship with the planet.
