Contrary to popular belief, the Bush administration really does have a policy on global warming, said the Houston Chronicle in an editorial. It can be summarized in one neat sentence: 'œSee no warming, hear no warming, speak no warming.' Every other industrialized nation has acknowledged that Earth is heating up due to man-made gases. Just last week, the prestigious National Academy of Sciences and 10 other scientific organizations from around the world warned that global warming is 'œthe greatest danger facing humanity,' and urged nations to reduce industrial and auto emissions before it's too late. If emissions continue at current levels, scientists say, the planet could heat up by 2 to 10 degrees centigrade by century's end, with cataclysmic climactic consequences. Already, mountains are losing their snowcaps, polar ice is melting, and sea levels are rising. President Bush, though, is sticking with his global-warming mantra: 'œWe want to know more about it.'
Actually, he doesn't, said The New York Times in an editorial, and now there's proof. A White House whistle-blower has released documents showing that an administration official, Philip Cooney, has been doctoring U.S. government reports to weaken the evidence for global warming. In one report, Cooney inserted the phrase 'œsignificant and fundamental' before the word 'œuncertainties,' to create doubt about findings most scientists think are solid. In another, he removed a section about the loss of mountain glaciers'”calling it too 'œspeculative.' Cooney isn't even a scientist. Before Bush hired him as his chief of environmental policy, Cooney led the American Petroleum Institute's campaign to cast doubt on global warming. This week, after his spin-doctoring became public, Cooney resigned. But the administration is holding firm to its pro-industry position.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
From Panopticon to pleasure dome: Dutch prisons transformedUnder the Radar The Netherlands is turning its domed prisons of 'terror' into vibrant community spaces
-
Today's political cartoons - January 12, 2025Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - snowed in, dangerous conditions, and more
-
5 fact-checked cartoons about Meta firing its fact checkersCartoons Artists take on playing chicken, information superhighway, and more
