New post may signal a thaw on warming

[MaineDem]

I never heard about this appointment on Monday. The Bush administration investigating global warming???

WASHINGTON — William Brennan spent the early part of his career cleaning out a tanker's bilge. But his new job might be tougher, as he coordinates federal research into climate change, one of the country's most hotly contested subjects. Brennan, a Castine native, worked on merchant marine and commercial fishing vessels early in his career. He earned several college degrees studying the oceans.

And he rose through government posts from Maine commissioner of marine resources to a top post at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The agency announced Monday that the 54-year-old Brennan became the acting director of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program. The post coordinates $2 billion in research spread across 13 federal agencies.

...

President Bush campaigned in 2000 to regulate heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions but reversed that position in office by arguing it would stifle economic growth.

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/060625climate.shtml

Were they shamed into this by Al Gore?

[acmejack]

1. They must be taking it seriously at last.

One can only deny the undeniable for so long...

[madokie]

11. I am inclined to think it is a move so the bushco* boys can point and say

hey look what we done when more than likely behind the scenes they will do everything in their power to skew the results of any work done. I don't trust 'em especially in the world I have to live in.

[cornermouse]

2. We just might be on the verge of recreating Mars' environment

here on Earth. Given the fact that China is quickly becoming the major polluter in the eternal quest for the almighty dollar and world supremacy, I'm not sure if there's anything we can do to stop it.

Maybe someone clued George in on the fact that we don't have any alternative planets to move to yet and if we ever do, they are unlikely to be comfortable to live on until well after Bush dies from old age.

[LiberalArkie]

3. It doesn't make any difference to the wealthy. Why?

Let's say the temp rises to a normal of 100 in the day and 85 at night. Sure there would be a problem growing food. But what does it matter. So a tomato costs $15.00, no problem. So gas is %25.00 a gallon, no problem. See they can afford it. The consequences of global warming foes not bother the rich..

[cornermouse]

5. Consequences will bother the rich if they burn this planet up

ala Mars.

[annabanana]

6. Part of me believes that the human race has been going

back and forth between Earth & Mars forever.

We wreck one as we are shedding microbes of it all over the surface of the other.

[Crunchy Frog]

7. I think that would be Venus.

Venus is the planet with the runaway greenhouse effect. It has a heavy atmosphere composed of 96% CO2 with surface temps of 900° F.

Mars' atmosphere has roughly the same percentage of CO2, but the atmosphere is so thin that the surface temp remains at around -81° F

As bad as the current CO2 emissions are on this planet, we are nowhere near getting to where Venus is. Even during the geological periods with the highest CO2 levels, they were only about 20 times what the are today, which is still only a concentration of .5%.

To recreate Mars' environment here on Earth, we'd have to suck out about 99% of the current atmosphere.

Sorry to be picky, but I'm somewhat anal on scientific accuracy. :)

[cornermouse]

8. No problem.

I'm not strong on science and I'm not a Greenie either, but I can see that if we don't change our approach to the environment, we clearly are headed toward becoming a dead planet.

[Junkdrawer]

4. Oh goodie..they're going to research a scientifically uncontested issue...

Why don't they research the links between cigarettes and cancer while they're at it?

[Toots]

9. A two billion dollar agency to "catapult the propaganda"

No good will come from this. How could it? It is the Bush* Administration

[Cerridwen]

10. My first thought exactly

I no longer believe anything good comes from "their" gov't.

[Hugin]

12. They need a new guy to fudge the reports?

The last one kind of blew it... Getting caught with the white-out and all.

Didn't look good.

[Retired AF Dem]

13. During the 60's and 70's it was

OMG the ice age is coming. So just maybe global warming isnt a bad thing. :)