EPA chief: Carbon dioxide not primary cause of warming

[edjr 5,552]

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The new chief of the Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday he does not believe that carbon dioxide is a primary contributor to global warming, a statement at odds with mainstream scientific consensus.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said measuring the effect of human activity on the climate is "very challenging" and that "there's tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact" of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

"So, no, I would not agree that (carbon dioxide) is a primary contributor to the global warming that we see," Pruitt told CNBC's "Squawk Box."

Pruitt's view is at odds with mainstream climate science, including NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The two agencies reported in January that earth's 2016 temperatures were the warmest ever. The planet's average surface temperature has risen about 2 degrees Fahrenheit since the late 19th century, "a change driven largely by increased carbon dioxide and other human-made emissions into the atmosphere," the agencies said in a joint statement.

Environmental groups seized on Pruitt's comments as evidence he is unfit for the office he holds.

"The arsonist is now in charge of the fire department, and he seems happy to let the climate crisis burn out of control," said Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune.

Pruitt "is spewing corporate polluter talking points rather than fulfilling the EPA's mission of protecting our air, our water, and our communities," Brune said, noting that EPA has a legal responsibility to address carbon pollution.

Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said the comments underscore that Pruitt is a "climate denier" and insisted lawmakers will stand up to him.

"Anyone who denies over a century's worth of established science and basic facts is unqualified to be the administrator of the EPA," Schatz said in a statement.

Pruitt previously served as Oklahoma attorney general, where he rose to prominence as a leader in coordinated efforts by Republican attorneys general to challenge former President Barack Obama's regulatory agenda. He sued or took part in legal actions against the EPA 14 times.

Pruitt said during his confirmation hearing in January that climate change is real — breaking with President Donald Trump and his own past statements.

Pruitt told Democratic senators that he disagreed with Trump's earlier claims that global warming is a hoax created by the Chinese to harm the economic competitiveness of the United States.

"I do not believe climate change is a hoax," Pruitt said.

The Republican has previously cast doubt on the extensive body of scientific evidence showing that the planet is warming and man-made carbon emissions are to blame. In a 2016 opinion article, Pruitt suggested that the debate over global warming "is far from settled" and he said "scientists continue to disagree about the degree and extent of global warming and its connection to the actions of mankind."

 

 

 

I guess I expected a oil guy to say something different?

[cmh6476 750]

Let's build a new ozone layer and have aliens pay for it

[Reality 2,710]

Let's build a new ozone layer and have aliens pay for it

 

 

That's funny.

[edjr 5,552]

Let's build a new ozone layer and have aliens pay for it

 

toofy bringing the funny

 

who did you steal it from?

[cmh6476 750]

Day drinkin

[frank 2,144]

Day drinkin

 

[Voltaire 4,556]

This here touches on what for me, I have long considered the biggest downside of the Trump administration. I mean, I want to get rid of NAFTA and TPP, support the police, and hopefully get a SCOTUS justice willing to ban affirmative action, but to get there, this is the biggest sh*t sandwich I have to be willing to eat.

[GobbleDog 816]

I would not agree that (carbon dioxide) is a primary contributor to the global warming that we see"

 

49.9% ?

 

No follow up question to that ridiculous statement.?. This is internationally embarrassing.

[jerryskids 5,188]

This here touches on what for me, I have long considered the biggest downside of the Trump administration. I mean, I want to get rid of NAFTA and TPP, support the police, and hopefully get a SCOTUS justice willing to ban affirmative action, but to get there, this is the biggest sh*t sandwich I have to be willing to eat.

 

Yeah... I can see some objection to this statement:

 

 

"a change driven largely by increased carbon dioxide and other human-made emissions into the atmosphere,"

 

but to say that increased CO2 is not A primary contributor is just... I don't know. I get that the EPA needs a whole lotta swamp draining, but the head of the EPA should have some bias towards... environmental protection?

[Frozenbeernuts 1,652]

There are people who believe the EPA shouldn't exist. Just let companies dump whatever chemical they wanted wherever they wanted to.

[bandrus1 413]

Also removed the word science from its mission statment