Apocalypse Now! Climate Change "Deniers" Take Over Congress!
Over at RealClearScience, Alex Berezow has a nice take-down of progressive hand-wringing over the 2014 mid-term electoral ascent of Republican climate change "deniers" in the Senate. Exhibit one is Bad Astronomer Phil Plait. Berezow explains:
In Plait's words, the Republicans will "put a cohort of science-deniers [sic] into positions of authority," which "quite literally affects the future of humanity." Why? Because, now, the United States will no longer be able to address climate change, "the single greatest threat we as a species face today."
Well, maybe. But Berezow makes the salient point that when the Senate was chock-a-block with supposedly Democratic "science-affirmers" they did nothing about the "single greatest threat" either:
In the 111th Congress, the Democrats had a 60-seat, filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, and a large majority in the House. If the Democrats really wanted to do it, they could have passed climate change legislation. But, they did not. Instead, they did absolutely nothing. The House passed a cap-and-trade bill, 219-212, which then died in the Senate. Harry Reid, the Democratic Majority Leader, did not even call a vote on the bill.
Why is Phil Plait blaming Republicans, but not Democrats? Well, you can answer that question.
Yes we can.
The whole Berezow column is worth your attention.
Disclosure: I am happy to say that RealClearScience occasionally republishes some of my reporting.