Posted 10th June2001

Global Warming Storms Not Just Hot Air

Its a political world, where commerce pays the pipers and calls the tunes, at least as far as human social systems go. However, Nature is the ultimate power, and Nature is indifferent to the ways of humans. George Bush junior may be President of the globes biggest economy, but he doesn't cut it with global weather systems. Even the mostly compliant scientific community, notably those on government pay in universities frequently wheeled out in the USA and internationally to back up the interests of corporate america, even they are hard-pressed to get unity over `business as usual' in respect of climate and the biosciences manipulation of genetics. In a study commissioned by the White House, the US National Academy of Sciences said Wednesday that global warming " is real and particularly strong within the past 20 years" and said a leading cause is emissions of carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels. The report was requested to help prepare Bush for his trip to Europe next week, but the academy was not asked for policy recommendations and it made none. However, White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said the report does not definitely conclude that human activity is the cause of rising temperatures. Bush wanted the study to help the administration decide what steps to take to combat climate change. In Europe, Bush has meetings on global warming scheduled with various officials. Many Europeans protested vigorously after Bush, citing looming energy shortages, in March reversed a campaign promise to limit CO2 emissions from power plants. Global warning is used by veteran anti-US organisations, but to use this fact to ignore the warnings on global warming would be the worst kind of rationalisation, and the most dangerous.