ABC'swebsite is reporting that George Bush today stated that the debate is ongoing as to the cause of global warming:
In the White House, only hours after that old elm had fallen, Bush was addressed by a reporter, thus: "I know that you are not planning to see Al Gore's new movie, but do you agree with the premise that global warming is a real and significant threat to the planet?"
"I have said consistently," answered Bush, "that global warming is a serious problem. There's a debate over whether it's manmade or naturally caused. We ought to get beyond that debate and start implementing the technologies necessary ... to be good stewards of the environment, become less dependent on foreign sources of oil..."
This statement, of course, runs counter to reality and pronouncments of the EPA.
Just this month as many of you remember the
EPA:
acknowledged for the first time that man-made pollution is largely to blame for global warming.
This statement by the
EPAhad represented a change in the official U.S. position:
In a 268-page report submitted to the United Nations, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) endorsed what many scientists have long argued - that human activities such as oil refining, power generation and car emissions are significant causes of global warming.
As the BBC (same link as above) noted at the time:
That position is at odds with the president's supporters in the motor, oil and electricity industries - who maintain that more research is needed to be certain of the link between global warming and the by-products of manufacturing.
The White House had previously said there was not enough scientific evidence to blame industrial emissions for global warming.
This month of course has seen the buildup of oil industry backlash against reality as they insist that "the debate continues" and the Bush Administration has again chosen to mirror the oil company line.
This reversal doesn't surprise me, the EPA report did, but it's still hard to take and embarrassing when Bush makes statements that are both contra-factual and which run counter to an overwhelming scientific consensus. And of course, in Bush's view it's the dependence on foreign oil he highlights as the issue, not the burning of fossil fuels in the first place.