On Thursday, I mentioned that House Speaker John Boehner made a startling admission — even though he opposes proposed rules to limit greenhouse gas emissions at existing power plants, “I’m not qualified to debate the science over climate change.” Think Progress’ Emily Atkin had a chat with several climate scientists and their reaction was unanimous — Boehner’s statement was ignorant and irresponsible.
When Don Wuebbles, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Illinois, heard about Boehner’s comments, his response was blunt:
“Personally, I don’t think it proper for any American to use that argument.”
Wuebbles said that the NCA was specifically written so that Boehner and his colleagues in Congress could understand the effects of climate change. To his mind, Boehner has no excuse to duck from an issue that should be “readily understood” by any lawmaker.
Michael Mann, director of Penn State’s Earth System Science Center, was equally aghast at Boehner’s remarks.
“What if we asked, ‘Senator: do you advocate drinking toxic sludge?’ Or, ‘Senator: is jumping off the north rim of the Grand Canyon safe?’ or ‘Senator: should I place my head in the jaws of this lion?’ Would the response still be ‘I don’t know, I’m not a scientist?'”
To Mann’s mind, there’s no difference between speaking about abortion and speaking about climate issues. He also asked a question that should probably be on the lips of most Democratic candidates in 2014:
“Why is it somehow different when it comes to the climate change threat and the need to regulate carbon emissions ? something opposed by fossil fuel interests like the Koch Brothers who fund so many of these politicians’ campaigns ? why is it in this case different? That, of course, is a rhetorical question.”
You’ll have to pardon Wuebbles and Mann for sounding so incredulous, but Boehner’s statement is actually a tried-and-true tactic from a number of Republican politicians — back away from discussing climate change because they’re not scientists. Just a week before Boehner’s statement, Florida Governor Rick Scott begged off a question about whether climate change was affecting the weather by saying:
“Well, I’m not a scientist.”
Marshall Shepherd, a geography professor at the University of Georgia and a former president of the American Meteorological Society, is slightly more nuanced in his views. He thinks it’s “dangerous” for politicians to speak on climate change without some knowledge of peer-reviewed science, but thinks that scientists also have a responsibility to “ensure that public and policymakers don’t fall victim to being duped because of lack of science knowledge.” That can only be done, Shepherd says, if politicians and scientists are willing to work together to find solutions to what is a very real problem.
Darrell Lucus is a radical lefty Jesus-lover who has been blogging for change for a decade. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook.
Edited by D.H.
