More heavy breathing and foaming at the mouth over the Petition Drive, which
opposes the Kyoto Protocol. Now it's the turn of the Sierra Club, as they
put out an "Action Alert" railing against the Petition. Sorry fellows, you
are too late! We're told that more than 10,000 scientists have now signed.
And for those few who have not yet seen it -- we received lots of inquiries
since last week -- here it is:
"We urge the United States government to reject the global warming agreement
that was written in Kyoto, Japan in December, 1997, and any other similar
proposals. The proposed limits on greenhouse gases would harm the
environment, hinder the advance of science and technology, and damage the
health and welfare of mankind.
"There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon
dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gases is causing or will, in the
foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth's atmosphere and
disruption of the Earth's climate. Moreover, there is substantial scientific
evidence that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide produce many
beneficial effects upon the natural plant and animal environments of the Earth."
Just sign, list your highest academic degree (and field), and mail it to
Petition Project, P.O. Box 1925, La Jolla, CA 92038-1925. And don't forget
to let the Sierra Club and the Union of 'Confused' Scientists know that you
signed. Here are their e-mail addresses: ,
In fact, the Sierra Club Alert has
thoughtfully provided e-mail addresses and phone numbers for all the
important Washington contacts. So feel free to let them know too, and,
please copy us through .
> Sierra Club Legislative Hotline - 202-675-2394
> Sierra Club National Headquarters - 415-977-5500
> Sierra Club World Wide Web - http://www.sierraclub.org
>
> White House Comment Line - 202-456-1111
> White House Fax Line - 202-456-2461
> Clinton's e-mail - president@whitehouse.gov
> Gore's e-mail - vice-president@whitehouse.gov
> White House Address - 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC 20500
>
> US Capitol Switchboard - 202-224-3121
> To contact your senators - http://www.senate.gov/senator/index.html
> To contact your representative - http://www.house.gov/writerep/
The Sierra Club Alert doesn't come up with any good science arguments, but
it does a terrific job of name-calling. It seems that everyone who supports
the Petition must "industry funded." (We invite the gentle reader to look
at our web page to see how environmental organizations are funded by
industry.) We are told on good authority that the Marshall
Institute does not take money from industry, and certainly, Dr. Frederick
Seitz, past president of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences is not
industry-funded.
So where does this leave the Sierra Club? Trying to deny that CO2 makes
plants grow faster. We heard a rumor that they'll be coming out with
buttons and bumper stickers saying "I did not exhale -- honestly." Just
think how we could reduce CO2 emissions -- and population too -- if people
just stopped exhaling.
The Sierra Club refers to Kyoto-dictated cuts as "modest." Sure, 7 percent
sounds like a small number, but by the year 2010 that would represent a cut
of more than 40 percent compared to the 1990 level (according to testimony
to Congress by the director of the Energy Information Agency of the US
Department of Energy). And we all know that the Kyoto cuts are just the
beginning.
Talking about cutting CO2 emissions, the EPA just lost a big one, trying to
sneak Kyoto policies into current legislation -- without waiting for the
Senate to ratify the Protocol. The Clinton proposal to deregulate the
retail market for electric power was supposed to have included a provision
to limit the emissions of CO2. Much to the dismay of the greenies, this
ploy had to be abandoned, although the proposal still includes requirements
for power companies to disclose the level of emissions and the kind of fuels
used to produce electricity -- a first step to eventual control. (The EPA
will never give up its drive to label CO2 as a "pollutant" -- unless
Congress stops this by legislation.)
When it comes to cutting CO2 emissions,or at least talking about it-- no
one can beat the Europeans. The European Community, in signing the Kyoto
Protocol last week, announced it grandiosely as "a major step forward in the
fight against climate change." Good luck, chaps! King Canute tried to stop
the tides; let's see you stop climate change. We'll be anxiously watching
also to see how you control methane and nitrogen oxide -- particularly since
there are no established methods of measuring the 1990 emissions of these
gases. And we'll all be cheering for you as you dictate to European car
manufacturers mandatory efficiency targets -- a further 30 percent increase.
Added to all the social welfare programs, that's bound to end the
"Wirtschaftswunder" in Germany and the rest of Europe. The European
Community evidently wants to provide "international leadership" (one of
those great phrases!) in showing the world how easy it is to commit economic
suicide.
To quote the Sierra Club again, all this is being done to protect "the
health of our children and the fate of the Earth." Lots of programs are
sold with these magic words. The EPA has been trying to scare the American
public for years about the health effects of radon, a naturally occurring
gas that emanates from the ground and is slightly radioactive. To do this
requires some scientific distortion and ignoring scientific evidence. It's
been done before.
More about radon next week...
TWTW is compiled by SEPP staff.
Material presented on this home page constitutes opinion of the author.
Copyright © 1998 Steven
J. Milloy. All rights reserved. Site developed and hosted by WestLake
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