Apr 24 2009

Climate Changes

Posted by: Jonathan Marshall

Several stories on the science and politics of global warming caught our attention this week:

The number of victims of climate-related natural disasters could jump 50 percent by 2015 to 375 million a year, according to the British charity Oxfam. A representative of the agency told BBC that international aid agencies could be overwhelmed by the impact of floods, storms and droughts.

Global warming may dry up some of the world's greatest rivers, including China's Yellow River, the Niger, the Ganges and the Colorado, according to a study by the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado. The result, especially in poorer countries, could be widespread shortages of fresh water and food.

Proposed legislation to discourage greenhouse gas emissions through a "cap-and-trade" market, derided by critics as an economy-busting measure, would cut the growth rate of the nation's gross domestic product only slightly, according to a new study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA's analysis predicts that GDP would still grow from $16 trillion in 2015 to $22 trillion in 2030. 

China, the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases and most ravenous consumer of coal, plans to spend $220 billion over the next two years on "green" stimulus plans, including renewable energy, or twice the commitment by the U.S. government, according to the Center for American Progress.

Republican Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, House minority leader, explained to ABC's George Stephanopoulos why he opposes regulation of greenhouse gas emissions: "George, the idea that carbon dioxide is a carcinogen that is harmful to our environment is almost comical. Every time we exhale, we exhale carbon dioxide. Every cow in the world, you know, when they do what they do, you've got more carbon dioxide." Most scientists would inded laugh at the idea that CO2 is a carcinogen, but not at its contribution to global warming.

Is it any wonder that members of Congress can't always keep their facts straight? According to a new survey by Public Agenda, a non-partisan opinion research group, four in 10 Americans can't name a fossil fuel and half can't name a renewable energy source. Public Agenda's chief issue analyst wondered, "How can they understand something as complex as 'cap and trade,' which has very strong implications for how much they are going to pay and that their local utilities will use?"

Finally, the media had a field day with a report from the International Journal of Epidemiology blaming the rise in obesity for contributing to global warming. Overeating leads to more food production and leads people to drive more, both of which require energy. "Moving about in a heavy body is like driving a gas guzzler," said Dr. Phil Edwards of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. 

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