ClimateWire has a remarkable article with the above title. It suggests that because James Hansen is opposed to cap and trade legislation that his views no longer matter. Apparently the only views that matter are those that support cap and trade. From the article:
When Hansen was all about death trains and stopping coal plants and so on, the media loved him, as did many advocates. Now that he is espousing unpopular views, that is to say, views counter to those held by many in the media and other advocates, he is suddenly poison?When Hansen, the director of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, showed up at a briefing on Capitol Hill yesterday, it was with little fanfare and minus the presence of national television networks.
The man termed "the father of global warming" has irked many longtime supporters with his scathing attacks against President Obama's plan for a cap-and-trade system. Now, a leading Republican climate skeptic is considering calling Hansen as a witness at upcoming Senate hearings. A House Democrat, meanwhile, labeled Hansen's Capitol Hill appearance yesterday "irrelevant." With landmark climate legislation heading to the Senate after passage in the House last month, the friction surrounding Hansen raises questions about what role, if any, the Iowa-born scientist will play in the upcoming debate.
Thank goodness we have the media to protect us from dangerous ideas.
4 comments:
The ClimateWire comments are pretty mild compared to what ClimateProgress.org has been saying about Dr. Hansen. He has never made a secret of his opposition to Cap and Trade, but repeating them during the Waxman-Markey debates seems to have resulted in his excommunication for heresy.
Even though he has staked out an extreme position on AGW, I find considerable merit in the underlying ideas that we need to phase out the use of fossil fuels and use more nuclear power for our energy needs. I mostly disagree with him about reaching 500PPM of carbon dioxide would be a climate catastrophe, but I think 1000PPM is a little scary even if you assume minimal temperature increases.
In the context of the NYT/Climatewire article, what relevance does Hansen's place of birth have to the discussion - as opposed to, say, his age, education, employment, academic record or activism record ?
Surely they are not playing some 'ad hom' game of implying Hansen is some hick-from-the sticks ???
Oh - the irony !!!
A man who came to believe his own press.
His downfall was all but assured from there.
Roger, the Climate Wire piece seems like fair reporting to me; it certainly is hard to take it for the proposition that the MEDIA is trying suggest that because James Hansen is opposed to cap and trade legislation that his views no longer matter.
That there are people pushing cap and trade who have that view is hardly in question; but are you criticising them, or the media?
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