Author Archives: graptorm

The World Has Its First Jesuit Pope. Will He Really Help the Poor?

by graptorm Posted on March 13, 2013

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC “-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN” “http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd”>

It’s still much too early to say what the election of Pope Francis will mean both for the Catholic Church and for the world. Unsurprisingly, the cardinals elected a man known for his orthodoxy on cultural issues such as gay marriage and abortion. The leadership of the church remains unwaveringly orthodox, especially on the matter of abortion. Thus, focusing on Pope Francis’s social conservatism is mostly unhelpful. If the cardinals had elected a pro-choice pope, that would have been real news.

What is interesting, however, is that Pope Francis is Argentine, making him the first non-European pope to be elected in more than a millennium. He’s also a Jesuit, which is perhaps even more surprising than his nationality.

“Perhaps for the first time in modern times, the global outlook of the church is reflected at the highest level of the church,” Rev. Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator, an East African Jesuit, told the National Catholic Reporter.

Continue Reading »

Mother Jones
Original article:

The World Has Its First Jesuit Pope. Will He Really Help the Poor?

Posted in GE, Uncategorized, Venta | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The World Has Its First Jesuit Pope. Will He Really Help the Poor?

Obama Administration Says President Can Use Lethal Force Against Americans on US Soil

by graptorm Posted on March 5, 2013

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC “-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN” “http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd”>


Drones: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know But Were Always Afraid to Ask


Here’s Why Obama Won’t Say Whether He Can Kill You With a Drone: Because He Probably Can


8 Drones That Aren’t Out to Kill You


Can Police Be Trusted With Drones?


Google-Funded Drones To Hunt Rhino Poachers


Obama Targeted Killing Document: If We Do It, It’s Not Illegal


Drones Could Help Conserve Endangered Wildlife

Yes, the president does have the authority to use military force against American citizens on US soil—but only in “an extraordinary circumstance,” Attorney General Eric Holder said in a letter to Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Tuesday.

“The US Attorney General’s refusal to rule out the possibility of drone strikes on American citizens and on American soil is more than frightening,” Paul said Tuesday. “It is an affront the constitutional due process rights of all Americans.”

Last month, Paul threatened to filibuster the nomination of John Brennan, Obama’s pick to head the CIA, “until he answers the question of whether or not the president can kill American citizens through the drone strike program on US soil.” Tuesday, Brennan told Paul that “the agency I have been nominated to lead does not conduct lethal operations inside the United States—nor does it have any authority to do so.” Brennan said that the Justice Department would answer Paul’s question about whether Americans could be targeted for lethal strikes on US soil.

Holder’s answer was more detailed, however, stating that under certain circumstances, the president would have the authority to order lethal attacks on American citizens. The two possible examples of such “extraordinary” circumstances were the attack on Pearl Harbor and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. An American president ordering the use of lethal military force inside the United States is “entirely hypothetical, unlikely to occur, and one we hope no president will ever have to confront,” Holder wrote. Here’s the bulk of the letter:

As members of this administration have previously indicated, the US government has not carried out drone strikes in the United States and has no intention of doing so. As a policy matter moreover, we reject the use of military force where well-established law enforcement authorities in this country provide the best means for incapacitating a terrorist threat. We have a long history of using the criminal justice system to incapacitate individuals located in our country who pose a threat to the United States and its interests abroad. Hundreds of individuals have been arrested and convicted of terrorism-related offenses in our federal courts.

The question you have posed is therefore entirely hypothetical, unlikely to occur, and one we hope no president will ever have to confront. It is possible, I suppose, to imagine an extraordinary circumstance in which it would be necessary and appropriate under the Constitution and applicable laws of the United States for the President to authorize the military to use lethal force within the territory of the United States. For example, the president could conceivably have no choice but to authorize the military to use such force if necessary to protect the homeland in the circumstances like a catastrophic attack like the ones suffered on December 7, 1941, and September 11, 2001.

The letter concludes, “were such an emergency to arise, I would examine the particular facts and circumstances before advising the president of the scope of his authority.”

In a Google+ Hangout last month, President Obama refused to say directly if he had the authority to use lethal force against US citizens. As Mother Jones reported at the time, the reason the president was being so coy is that the answer was likely yes. Now we know that’s exactly what was happening. “Any use of drone strikes or other premeditated lethal force inside the United States would raise grave legal and ethical concerns,” says Raha Wala, an attorney with Human Rights First. “There should be equal concern about using force overseas.”

This post has been edited to include Paul’s statement and the final line of Holder’s letter.

Read this article – 

Obama Administration Says President Can Use Lethal Force Against Americans on US Soil

Posted in Citizen, GE, Uncategorized, Venta | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Obama Administration Says President Can Use Lethal Force Against Americans on US Soil

Is McDonald’s coffee really going greener?

by graptorm Posted on March 5, 2013

Is McDonald’s coffee really going greener?

By Susie Cagle

avlxyz

Over the past few years, McDonald’s has grown its subsidiary coffeehouse brand McCafe like a juiced-up Starbucks — there are now 1,300 Mc-coffee shops worldwide. That’s a lot of coffee! And now the company says it wants that coffee to be greener.

Over the next five years, McDonald’s plans to invest $6.5 million to help about 13,000 Guatamalan coffee growers produce fancier, more sustainable beans, to be used in a proprietary arabica blend. The company says it aims “to promote the environmental, ethical and economic long-term sustainability of coffee supplies.” From Bloomberg:

“Investing in both certification and sustainable agriculture training addresses the immediate need to assist farmers today, expands capacity for greater sustainable coffee production in the future and helps assure our customers we will continue to provide the taste profile they have grown to love and expect from McDonald’s,” Susan Forsell, the vice president of sustainability, said in the statement.

The company, which buys coffee from Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Brazil and Sumatra, said it already gets all of its Rainforest Alliance Certified espresso from sustainable farms. The [new] initiative seeks to address root causes of poverty among farming communities by expanding the use of techniques that will promote sustainable, profitable agricultural, McDonald’s said.

It’s not clear if this is on par with McDonald’s much-lauded switch to “sustainable seafood,” which, it turns out, is not super-sustainable.

As it happens, climate change could wipe out arabica beans. Central American growers are already having problems with higher temps and humidity that are making fungus grow like gangbusters across the region. Drink up while you still can, Ronald, because when arabica’s gone, all we’ll have is bitter but caffeine-jacked robusta.

Susie Cagle writes and draws news for Grist. She also writes and draws tweets for

Twitter

.

Read more:

Business & Technology

,

Food

Also in Grist

Please enable JavaScript to see recommended stories

Continue reading:  

Is McDonald’s coffee really going greener?

Posted in ALPHA, Amana, GE, LG, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Is McDonald’s coffee really going greener?

Check out these rad women cyclists gearing up to take the lane

by graptorm Posted on March 4, 2013

Check out these rad women cyclists gearing up to take the lane

By Susie Cagle

There’s a lot to feel terrible about lately. I mean, you saw that Keystone pipeline environmental impact report from the State Department, right? You forgot? Oh no, don’t cry! Look, here’s something to feel good about: The National Women’s Bicycling Forum in Washington, D.C., today is championing ladies who ride.

Female bikers still make up a small minority of cyclists — they accounted for less than one-quarter of all bike trips in 2009 — and Women Bike is determined to change that. “As the energy and momentum around women cycling grows nationwide, we need to share our collective knowledge, build a network of female leaders and start working on targeted programs that put more women in the saddle and at the forefront of the movement,” writes Women Bike. “Women Bike will empower more women to bicycle and become engaged in the diverse leadership opportunities of the bicycle movement — as advocates, engineers, retailers, manufacturers and policy makers — through networking, knowledge sharing, resources and inspiration.”

Earlier last month, Women Bike released a report about the economic impact of ladies on two wheels. “Though underrepresented in many aspects of the bicycle movement, there’s growing evidence that women hold the purse strings when it comes to the future success of the bike industry,” they wrote.

If you’re the boundary-busting lady already navigating the sea of cycling dudes, or an aspiring one nervous about starting up, get some support. Check out the #womenbike tweets for feel-good inspiration and facts on women and biking, some group therapy sessions on how badly women are treated at bike shops, important thoughts on women of color as a cycling contingent (all love for Ovarian Psycos), a burlesque bike dancing show, and some inspired calls for action.

Momentum Mag

Women Bike aims to make women riders half the biking population by 2050. Get it, girls.

Susie Cagle writes and draws news for Grist. She also writes and draws tweets for

Twitter

.

Read more:

Cities

,

Living

Also in Grist

Please enable JavaScript to see recommended stories

Follow this link: 

Check out these rad women cyclists gearing up to take the lane

Posted in ALPHA, Amana, GE, LG, PUR, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Check out these rad women cyclists gearing up to take the lane

America thinks we need to fix the climate — after we deal with the deficit

by graptorm Posted on February 21, 2013

America thinks we need to fix the climate — after we deal with the deficit

By Philip Bump

“Americans’ Priorities,” the graph is labelled. Underneath, four issues, and the extent to which Americans feel they require urgent action, as suggested to Pew Research. And so:

The most important issue for Congress to address this year, supported by 70 percent of Americans? The long-term deficit. Least urgent of the four? Climate change. Incorrect, America.

From USA Today:

There is bipartisan agreement on this: Dealing with the budget deficit is urgent.

That’s a change. When Obama took office in 2009, during a cascading financial crisis, Americans put deficit reduction in the middle of a list of policy goals in a Pew poll. Now it has risen near the top. Seven of 10 Americans (including not only 81% of Republicans but also 65% of Democrats) say it is essential for the president and Congress to enact major deficit legislation this year. …

When asked which of four issues was most pressing — the deficit, guns, immigration or climate change — 51% chose the deficit, three times that of any other issue. However, there were some significant differences by race and ethnicity. Hispanics were inclined to choose immigration as the most critical issue; African Americans chose guns.

Here’s the breakdown on the urgency question by political party (compared to “everyone”, which represents the entire pool of respondents).

Even most Democrats don’t see an urgent need for action on climate change — fewer than half say it’s a priority for this year. That’s astonishing.

When Pew asked about specific climate policies, the results were a bit more heartening. (You can read Pew’s summary of the data here.)

For example, people were asked which energy policy is more important: developing alternative energy sources or expanding fossil fuel production. Fifty-four percent of respondents said alternative source development was more important; 34 percent (including a majority of Republicans) said fossil fuel exploration was.

Pew also notes that this is a shift in the recent trend. Support for alternative energy had declined from 2011 to 2012. Now, it’s shot back up.

Pew

In part, it’s a function of strong support among young people — which, of course, also correlates to political party.

Pew’s final climate-related question was whether or not respondents support stricter limits on carbon dioxide pollution from power plants, one of the few things Obama can do unilaterally (even if he’s shown no inclination to do so).

Surprisingly, over 60 percent of respondents favor such action — and Republicans were nearly split, 42 percent in favor compared to 48 percent against.

What does all of this mean? Not a lot. Obama has support to act on developing alternative energy and regulating carbon dioxide emissions — at least until the full weight of opposition and Fox News punditry bears down. If there’s one thing this data suggests, it’s that the views of Americans, typically disinterested in the fine mechanics of government, are shaped by pundits and media focus. There’s absolutely no reason for Americans to consider the deficit more important than gun control or immigration, and especially no reason for them to consider the deficit more urgent than climate change, a problem that grows worse by the minute. But that’s not what is discussed on the news and on news websites. And so that’s not what’s reflected in this poll.

We all know the next step. This poll, blurred by insider priorities, will be held aloft by insiders as proof they were right. And some time, hopefully in the next few years, Obama and Congress will actually take steps to fight climate change.

Philip Bump writes about the news for Gristmill. He also uses Twitter a whole lot.

Read more:

Climate & Energy

,

Politics

Also in Grist

Please enable JavaScript to see recommended stories

Link: 

America thinks we need to fix the climate — after we deal with the deficit

Posted in GE, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on America thinks we need to fix the climate — after we deal with the deficit

While protestors surrounded the White House, Obama was golfing with oil executives

by graptorm Posted on February 20, 2013

While protestors surrounded the White House, Obama was golfing with oil executives

By Philip Bump

Obama playing golf closer to home.

When some 35,000 protestors descended on Washington, D.C., on Sunday, they hoped to send a message to President Obama: Kill the Keystone XL pipeline. Show real leadership on the climate. From the Mall up to the White House they marched, hoping that Obama would see the crowd and read the signs and be moved.

But Obama wasn’t there to see the crowd. He wasn’t in the White House. He was in Florida, playing a round of golf with two directors of Western Gas Holdings, a subsidiary of Anadarko Petroleum focused on natural gas fracking. From the Huffington Post, which broke the story:

Obama has not shied away from supporting domestic drilling, especially for relatively clean natural gas, but in his most recent State of the Union speech he stressed the urgency of addressing climate change by weaning the country and the world from dependence on carbon-based fuels. …

But on his first “guys weekend” away since he was reelected, the president chose to spend his free time with Jim Crane and Milton Carroll, leading figures in the Texas oil and gas industry, along with other men who run companies that deal in the same kinds of carbon-based services that Keystone would enlarge. They hit the links at the Floridian Yacht and Golf Club, which is owned by Crane and located on the Treasure Coast in Palm City, Fla.

Not only are Crane and Carroll with Wester Gas Holdings, Carroll is also the chair of CenterPoint Energy, which provides residential and commercial electricity and natural gas — and which just today announced it is accepting bids for proposals to transport its oil out of the North Dakota Bakken region.

When news of Obama’s golf partners broke, environmental organizations responded as you might expect. Public Citizen’s Tyson Slocum: “It’s clear that folks in the oil industry have access to the president.” The Sierra Club’s resident law-breaker Michael Brune: “There’s an old adage that you’re only as good as the company you keep” — though Brune remains optimistic.

A bit of good news for those activists whose rallying cries probably didn’t carry the 950 miles from D.C. to Palm City: If I know anything about golf, the president and his oil industry executive friends weren’t talking during their entire round. Even if they pled their case for expanded drilling, Obama didn’t hear them, either. If I know anything about golf, that is. Which I don’t.

Source

Obama Golfed With Oil Men As Climate Protesters Descended On White House, Huffington Post

Philip Bump writes about the news for Gristmill. He also uses Twitter a whole lot.

Read more:

Business & Technology

,

Climate & Energy

,

Politics

Also in Grist

Please enable JavaScript to see recommended stories

From: 

While protestors surrounded the White House, Obama was golfing with oil executives

Posted in Citizen, GE, LG, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on While protestors surrounded the White House, Obama was golfing with oil executives

The success of London’s congestion charge, in three maps

by graptorm Posted on February 19, 2013

The success of London’s congestion charge, in three maps

By Philip Bump

Bike commuters in London.

Streetsblog, a network of sustainable-transportation-focused websites that you should read regularly, used the occasion of the 10th anniversary of London’s congestion pricing system to review its effectiveness. As you probably know, congestion pricing is a tool by which cities limit automobile and other traffic to certain areas by charging a fee for access. In London, that fee is £10, or about $15.

Has it worked? Streetsblog says yes — or, it did for a bit.

In its first few years, the London charging scheme was heralded as a solid traffic-buster, with 15-20 percent boosts in auto and bus speeds and 30 percent reductions in congestion delays. Most of those gains appear to have disappeared in recent years, however. Transport for London (TfL), which combines the functions of our NYCDOT and MTA and which created and operates the charging system, attributes the fallback in speeds to other changes in the streetscape and traffic management …

The congestion charge also raised millions in revenue, some $435 million in 2008 alone.

But the benefit over the past decade can be seen most clearly in the three maps Streetsblog provides.

Car traffic declines.

Bicycle usage rises.

Public transit use increases.

Less traffic, less congestion, more public transit use, more money for government investment. All the sorts of things that drive right-wing Americans insane. So I wouldn’t hold my breath for implementation in a U.S. city any time soon.

Source

Lessons From London After 10 Years of the Congestion Charge, Streetsblog

Philip Bump writes about the news for Gristmill. He also uses Twitter a whole lot.

Read more:

Cities

,

Climate & Energy

,

Living

Also in Grist

Please enable JavaScript to see recommended stories

View article:  

The success of London’s congestion charge, in three maps

Posted in GE, LG, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The success of London’s congestion charge, in three maps

Test drive of Tesla sedan leaves New York Times stranded

by graptorm Posted on February 12, 2013

Test drive of Tesla sedan leaves New York Times stranded

By Philip Bump

Tesla is Silicon Valley’s car. The company’s head of product design, Elon Musk, went from rethinking online payments as a cofounder of PayPal to rethinking automobiles. Tesla’s first vehicle was an electricity-and-testosterone-powered roadster; recently, it added a sedan (electricity only).

Over the weekend, The New York Times ran a review of the sedan by John Broder. His test drive, a haul from the outskirts of D.C. to Boston, could have gone better. From “Stalled Out on Tesla’s Electric Highway”:

The Model S has won multiple car-of-the-year awards and is, many reviews would have you believe, the coolest car on the planet.

What fun, no? Well, no.

The problem was power. The electric car, like a regular car, needs to be refilled. But unlike a regular car, you can’t refuel every few miles. Broder’s trip was meant to highlight two new charging stations between the cities, spaced within the range of a full charge of the car. Ideally. As Broder discovered, that wasn’t his experience — something for which the cold weather may have been partly to blame.

As I crossed into New Jersey …, I noticed that the estimated range was falling faster than miles were accumulating. At 68 miles since recharging, the range had dropped by 85 miles, and a little mental math told me that reaching Milford would be a stretch.

I began following Tesla’s range-maximization guidelines, which meant dispensing with such battery-draining amenities as warming the cabin and keeping up with traffic. I turned the climate control to low — the temperature was still in the 30s — and planted myself in the far right lane with the cruise control set at 54 miles per hour (the speed limit is 65). Buicks and 18-wheelers flew past, their drivers staring at the nail-polish-red wondercar with California dealer plates.

Broder’s trip ended on the back of a flatbed truck in Connecticut. But the story didn’t.

After the review ran, Musk jumped on Twitter to criticize it and the reviewer.

The “Top Gear BS” is a reference to a similar problem experienced by the TV show Top Gear when it was reviewing the Tesla Roadster. The show noted that the car ran out of juice well before it should have. Musk and Tesla filed a libel lawsuit, which was eventually thrown out.

Musk’s promised blog post hasn’t yet materialized, but that didn’t stop the Times from rising to the defense of the review. The paper told the Atlantic Wire:

The Times’s Feb. 10 article recounting a reporter’s test drive in a Tesla Model S was completely factual, describing the trip in detail exactly as it occurred. Any suggestion that the account was “fake” is, of course, flatly untrue. Our reporter followed the instructions he was given in multiple conversations with Tesla personnel.

As the San Francisco Chronicle notes, the review did some damage to Tesla. By the time markets closed last night, the stock had dropped 2 percent.

That might be a bit unfair. Tesla got out ahead of its skis a little in suggesting that the car was ready to have a road-trip review even though there are so few charging stations. Limited infrastructure is still a key inhibitor to electric-car adoption. But Musk’s response may have been a worse decision. By attacking the review, he both provides a disincentive to future reviewers and builds the affair into a much bigger deal than it needed to be — though his response did help the stock price rebound a bit. His later tweet indicating that more charging stations are imminent may have made an important longer-term point.

As a Silicon Valley veteran, Musk should know that things go wrong, and it’s the responsibility of the tech company to foresee and handle those problems. And, look, it could have been worse. At least Broder didn’t experience a crash.

Update: Broder posted his own response to Musk. It’s detailed. For example:

Mr. Musk has referred to a “long detour” on my trip. He is apparently referring to a brief stop in Manhattan on my way to Connecticut that, according to Google Maps, added precisely two miles to the overall distance traveled from the Delaware Supercharger to Milford (202 miles with the stop versus 200 miles had I taken the George Washington Bridge instead of the Lincoln Tunnel). At that point, I was already experiencing anxiety about range and had called a Tesla employee from the New Jersey Turnpike to ask how to stretch the battery. She said to shut off the cruise control to take advantage of battery regeneration from occasional braking and slowing down. Based on that advice, I was under the impression that stop-and-go driving at low speeds in the city would help, not hurt, my mileage.

Broder ends his response where we would have thought: It’s worth trying the test drive again once there is more infrastructure.

Philip Bump writes about the news for Gristmill. He also uses Twitter a whole lot.

Read more:

Business & Technology

,

Cities

Also in Grist

Please enable JavaScript to see recommended stories

Original link:  

Test drive of Tesla sedan leaves New York Times stranded

Posted in GE, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Test drive of Tesla sedan leaves New York Times stranded

There’s too much garbage for just two garbage patches

by graptorm Posted on January 18, 2013

There’s too much garbage for just two garbage patches

By Susie Cagle

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch and North Atlantic Garbage Patch have some new competition from the south, where scientists have discovered evidence of a new floating garbage island off the coast of Chile.

Scientists at the 5 Gyres Institute – which tracks plastic pollution in all five swirling subtropical gyres — discovered this mass of plastic by looking at ocean currents. This patch has accumulated in the South Pacific subtropical gyre, right around Easter Island. It’s the first documentation of a trash patch in the Southern Hemisphere.

This video shows the projected spread of plastic pollution over the next 10 years:

“To create a solution to an ecosystem-wide problem we must understand the scope and magnitude of that problem,” said 5 Gyres Executive Director Marcus Eriksen. “It’s our mission to be on the frontlines of that understanding, and to continue monitoring the most remote regions of the world’s oceans.”

As we find out just how far our plastics have traveled, we’re also finding out just how much damage they’re doing. A new study shows that the most commonly produced plastics are also the ones that soak up the most other toxins when they’re floating around in our oceans for, well, ever — at least until they get gobbled up.

Midway Film Project

This year the 5 Gyres Institute will launch expeditions to the North Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and Great Lakes, on the hunt for more garbage patches.

Susie Cagle writes and draws news for Grist. She also writes and draws tweets for

Twitter

.

Read more: Uncategorized

Also in Grist

Please enable JavaScript to see recommended stories

View original article:

There’s too much garbage for just two garbage patches

Posted in GE, LG, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on There’s too much garbage for just two garbage patches

New GOP House Science committee chair to hold totally objective climate hearings

by graptorm Posted on January 15, 2013

New GOP House Science committee chair to hold totally objective climate hearings

By Philip Bump

ryanjreilly

Rep. Lamar Smith, pictured here probably thinking about science.

We’ll admit, we were skeptical when we heard that Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) would be taking over as chair of the House Science committee. This is the guy, after all, who in 2009 awarded major news networks a “Lap Dog Award” for covering climate change. (Lap dogs are known for reporting demonstrably true news.)

Smith has big plans once he takes the reins, including getting to the bottom of this “climate change” thing. The Dallas News reports:

The Texan who just took over as chairman of the House Science Committee, Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, plans a fresh assessment [of climate change], with a hearing in coming weeks on the current state of the environment, according to a committee aide.

“I believe climate change is due to a combination of factors, including natural cycles, sun spots, and human activity. But scientists still don’t know for certain how much each of these factors contributes to the overall climate change that the Earth is experiencing,” Smith said through an aide. “It is the role of the Science Committee to create a forum for discussion so Congress and the American people can hear from experts and draw reasoned conclusions. During this process, we should focus on the facts rather than on a partisan agenda.”

Man. Great idea, Rep. Smith. Really. Let’s cut through the partisan bullshit and figure out what’s really going on with the climate. Let’s hold hearings! What could be more effective than that?

Well, maybe that just-released 1,200-page report on the climate change effects likely to hit the U.S. over the course of this century. A report years in the making that involves reams and reams of scientific data and research from 300 government and independent scientists. A report drafted by an agency created by Congress. A report that is categorical in its assessment that climate change is real, is happening, and promises to radically shift the country’s environment.

Perhaps a quick peek can answer some of your questions, Rep. Smith! For example, the claim that “scientists still don’t know for certain how much [natural] factors contribute to the overall climate change.” Well, they actually do. It’s this much:

Causes of global warming, per a congressionally mandated government report. Click to embiggen.

As the report states:

Scientists are continually designing experiments to test whether observed climate changes are unusual and what the causes of these changes may be. This field of study is known as “detection and attribution.” Detection is simply looking for evidence of unusual changes or trends. Attribution attempts to identify the causes of these changes from a line-up of “prime suspects” that include changes in energy from the Sun, powerful volcanic eruptions, or human emissions of heat-trapping gases.

Such studies have clearly shown that human activities are primarily responsible for recent climate changes. Detection and attribution analyses have confirmed that a wide variety of recent changes (see CAQs C and H) cannot have been caused either by internal climate system variations or by solar and volcanic influences alone. Human influences on the climate system — including heat-trapping gas emissions, atmospheric particulates, land-use and land-cover change — are required to explain recent changes.

That’s a government report answering your question. So we can scratch that one off the list of questions at the hearing, no?

Maybe you’re curious about what the future has in store for your very own 21st district of Texas? Well, the scientists — including some from the University of Texas! — have an answer for that one, too. [PDF]

Let’s look at water, for example, given the state’s recent history of severe drought.

Increase in dry days in Texas, per the same congressionally mandated government report. Click to embiggen.

Days with little or no precipitation will also be less common in the north, with projections of up to 5 fewer such days. By contrast, large parts of Texas and Oklahoma are projected to see more days with no precipitation (up to 5 more days with little or no precipitation) in the same timeframe …

The trend toward more dry days and higher temperatures across the south will increase evaporation, decrease water supplies, reduce electricity transmission capacity, and increase cooling demands. These changes will add stress to limited water resources and affect management choices related to irrigation, municipal use, and energy generation. …

Increased drought frequency and intensity can turn marginal lands into deserts. Reduced per capita water storage will continue to increase vulnerability to water shortages (Texas Water Development Board 2012).

More desert, predicts a Texas agency. Does that help answer your questions, Rep. Smith? If not, please don’t hesitate to peruse the government’s full report. It really should be able to answer all of your questions. You can say a lot more over the course of 1,200 pages than you can during a three-hour hearing.

After all, as your staff so rightly notes, the last thing we’d want is to sacrifice facts to some nefarious “partisan agenda.” As the only member of Congress willing to stand up to the media’s bias, we know that we can count on you for objectivity.

Philip Bump writes about the news for Gristmill. He also uses Twitter a whole lot.

Read more:

Climate & Energy

,

Politics

Also in Grist

Please enable JavaScript to see recommended stories

More – 

New GOP House Science committee chair to hold totally objective climate hearings

Posted in GE, LG, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on New GOP House Science committee chair to hold totally objective climate hearings