Guest post by Steve Goreham
Originally published in The Washington Times
With barely a whimper from the media, John Kerry is President Obama’s official nominee for Secretary of State. Mr. Kerry is the senior Senator from Massachusetts, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and was the 2004 presidential nominee of the Democratic Party. Kerry has also been a long-time crusader in the effort to try to stop global warming.
With the possible exception of former Vice President Al Gore, Senator Kerry has been the most fervent climate hawk in the United States Congress. Kerry believes that “catastrophic climate change represents a threat to human security, global stability, and—yes—even to American national security” and that global warming is man-made. He further states that “Once you accept the science, it’s clear that such massive environmental change will create dislocation, destruction, chaos, and conflict.”
Senator Kerry and his wife authored the 2008 book This Moment on Earth: Today’s New Environmentalists and Their Vision for the Future, asking the question, “And what, in the face of so many powerful interests defending the status quo, are each of us willing to do, today and tomorrow, to force a change of course?”
True to his convictions, Kerry co-sponsored the American Power Act in 2010. The bill would have established a US cap-and-trade carbon trading system, but died in the Senate without a vote.
Senator Kerry parrots the “science” of man-made global warming with the starry-eyed ideology of a young environmentalist. After tornados killed 50 people in the Southeastern US in February 2008, Kerry appeared on MSNBC and concluded that man-made warming was to blame: “…this is related to the intensity of the storms that is related to the warming of Earth…the storms are more intensive and the rainfall is more intense…” But a simple look at data from the National Climatic Data Center shows that strong tornado activity in the US has decreased since the 1970s.
In a 2009 interview with the Huffington Post, Mr. Kerry stated, “Nowhere is the connection between climate and security more direct than in South Asia—home to Al Qaeda. Scientists now warn that the Himalayan glaciers which supply fresh water to a billion people in the region could disappear completely by 2035.” He was referring to a statement in Chapter 10 of the 2007 Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
But in 2010, Dr. Murari Lal, the coordinating lead author for Chapter 10, admitted that the “melting by 2035” statement was not from peer-reviewed literature, but had been added to Chapter 10 to try to put pressure on world leaders. An accepting Senator Kerry fell prey to the ruse.
In another example last July, Senator Kerry warned about rising seas, stating, “With the melting of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet alone, global sea levels could rise by as much as 3.26 meters in the coming years. And the Pacific and Atlantic coasts may be in for a 25 percent increase above average levels by century’s end.” But, empirical data indicate growth of both Antarctic sea ice and land ice over the last 30 years.
Data from the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia show no increase in global surface temperatures for more than ten years. Nevertheless, Mr. Kerry continues his climate crusade. In a speech on the Senate floor in August of this year, Kerry declared that global climate change was “as dangerous” as nuclear weapons in the hands of Iran. President Obama recently said that climate change would be one of his top three priorities for his second term. Mr. Kerry may be just the man to lead the crusade.
During the next four years, look for Secretary Kerry to boost efforts in a futile fight to stop global warming. The real problems of the world, such as hunger, poverty and disease in developing nations, terrorism, and nuclear proliferation, may need to take a back seat.
Steve Goreham is Executive Director of the Climate Science Coalition of America and author of the new book The Mad, Mad, Mad World of Climatism: Mankind and Climate Change Mania.
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Kerry is a perfect choice from just about all perspectives.
Politically, it’s great. Hillary was never going to sign anything that would materially impact her run in 2016. Obama deeply desires to still the oceans. Another lefty from outside DC would be a bit much (re Susan Rice) so he offers up a herring (Hagle) then moves to a mostly useless Senator virtually assured comfirmation by the Club Of The Senate. Even if Scott runs against whomever is picked to replace him in MA, the Perpetual Campaign will focus on that state for months, if needed. And, of course, the GOP has perfectly positioned themselves to be blamed for everything from the economy to blisters on the big toe.
Environmentally, it’s even better. Obama swaps a difficult woman with a true demagogue who will actually lead the charge to control just about everything related to the economy. After all, name any business that has no CO2 “emissions”. Not only that but Obama has simply a raft of folks to do his thinking. All they need is for him to read their scripts and sign protocols, trade agreements restricting CO2, guns, etc., and the Executive Order pen will produce all the authority needed. Not only will EOs be used in ways that may spin your heard but those vast grants of regularory powers Congress conferred to the Federal Agencies will be twisted nearly beyond recognition. Expect to hear “in anticipation”, “using the signed … as a guide”, etc., etc.
Since Obama took office, my monthly electrical bill has increased by about 40%; our power company has just sent letters explaining at least another 20 to 30% due to just what the EPA has been doing.
One supposes, if Reid ever gets around to producing a budget, it’ll be along the lines of the old five year plans of the cold war period. Oh, and don’t expect any treaties that Kerry signs to ever see a vote in the Senate until the Democrates get a 2/3rds majority. All they need is the “signed by Kerry”.
Once the regs start showing up in the Federal Register, there’ll be so many with so much scope that they won’t really be able to be stopped until some future Congress and President remove the agencies power(s). Any bets on when that might happen?
What to do? If you’re investing in equities, bet on the really large companies, like GE, BP, Exxon, etc. It’ll be an economy along the lines of 1930’s Germany where all but the big are cast aside. And anything that responds well in inflationary times.
All in all, Obama has proven to be a simply brilliant political strategiest. Of course he has no effective opposition. The GOP could change the trajectory and blunt some of the tsunami gathering at the horizon but don’t bet your energy bills on it.
Alright, Wucash, exlain how increasing the national debt is going to improve the economy. How is taking money from earners and frittering it away on largely pointless government spending going to improve the economy?
It’s not. It’s as simple as that. Taking money from the productive class and handing it over to the public sector (which I have worked in, and which I discovered is, outside certain critical areas, largely a glorified benefit system for people who haven’t got the nouse to do some real work) is a drain on the economy, not a supply. The government needs to cut spending and cut taxes if it wants the economy to pick up. They aren’t cutting spending and they aren’t cutting taxes, they’re simpy raising both at a slightly slower rate. That isn’t “cuts”, it’s not “austerity”, and its no wonder the bloody economy is still in the pits if people think a reduction in the rate of increase is the same as a reduction in the actual amount.
All this rubbish about government spending being the only way to bring us out of the economy is a happy little fantasy that has no basis in reality. It was government central planning that got us in this mess in the first place. It was government spending on “failsafes” – buying up debt – and government central planning that created the sub-prime scandal, destroyed the health service, estroyed our eduational system and set up the conditions for this whole bleeding mess. Without the government subsidising the failure of the banks and mandating charges to subsidies green energy (amongst other such things) we would be on our way to recovery. Instead they throw billions at the blighters, and for what? So they can fritter it all away on green rubbish and huge prizes for scamming so much of our money out of a government that thinks it can grow the economy by borrowing money more slowly.
We are broke. We do not have the money. Printing more money does not magially make the economy grow. Spending money we don’t have doesn’t make the economy grow. Cameron retending that he’s made cuts when he’s only reduced the increases a little is not going to make the economy grow. You might as well just stick your fingers in your ears and pretend that the economy will grow if you wish really hard. It’s about the same level of fantasy economics as you’ve just advocated.
How depressing that someone so high in our “democratic” decision making process takes so little time to do some background work before committing himself to cranky theories of Global catastrophe. Just a little forethought and research would enable him to avert spending/wasting billions and interfering in the private lives of individuals he is supposed to represent and look out for.
But this type of politician lives in a bubble, lacks these basic skills of thinking for himself and does not have the courtesy to check his facts before shooting his mouth off.
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_kerry_homes.htm
The many Homes of John Kerry
Check out the size of his Carbon Footprint
I’m afraid that in foreign affairs he is actually ideally placed to drive the green agenda via international agreements. He could for example
* commit the US to “binding CO2 reduction targets”
* promise to “pay reparations for the damage caused by climate change” to developing nations.
* volunteer billions in aid to “assist developing nations to switch to green technology”.
These are all prime elements of the current climate agenda. Unless he is reigned in by his boss or grows some common sense and a better connection with reality he could do quite a lot of damage.
Kerry is a climate hawk, but as Secretary Kerry, he may do less damage than he would as Senator Kerry.
This clumate conspiracy must hide/front some incredibly wvil agenda. Really nasty people are pushing for global climate control and there is zero possibility in my mind that they do so for the benefit of anyone but them selves, certainly not the poor. It is time for some clever persons to investigate what the heck is going on. What is the true intent of all this legislation.ä?
Just hear in the news that the US got a load of global warming in the form of snow! The Gore effect working for Kerry!
“Data from the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia show no increase in global surface temperatures for more than ten years.” A debunking of the Daily Mail article to which that sentence links can be found in an article in the Guardian here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/oct/16/daily-mail-global-warming-stopped-wrong
wucash says:
December 26, 2012 at 2:29 am
You are failing to hide your lack of understanding of economics.
George Tetley says:
December 26, 2012 at 3:02 amTemp of up to minus 62c have been recorded in the cities of the region
Down to ??
What will slow Kerry, CAGW alarmists and the likes of the EPA down is the law of diminishing returns. If global temperatures continue on their hiatus and they should as the Northern Altlantic follows the Southern Atlantic and Pacific in switching to a cold phase, then more economists will be asking where the real returns are. Added to this a real fiscal cliff in terms of tax payer fatigue world wide and folk will be scutinising the real need to ‘convert’ from cheap gas to economy killing renewables…
Politicians when in power find it difficult to implement costly policy promises. Astute politicians when in power always take second opinion advising caution.
I expect that the AGWs instead of ‘consensus of adoration’ soon will be accusing secretary Kerry of abandoning the ‘cause’.
Time will tell.
“During the next four years, look for Secretary Kerry to boost efforts in a futile fight to stop global warming. The real problems of the world, such as hunger, poverty and disease in developing nations, terrorism, and nuclear proliferation, may need to take a back seat.”
I imagine he would like that to be the case, but I have a feeling that the next few years are going to keep him too busy dealing with other issues to make much of a show of this. Then again, I suppose he could always try to paint CAGW as the great uniting enemy of all mankind.
He’s not going to get any further with his Chicken Little scare tactics now than he did in 2004….
Before Mrs. Clinton resigned, she had already initiated the action against carbon soot (including this time in Doha). This action apparently follows the 2010 Hartwell Paper (http://rogerpielkejr.blogspot.com/2010/05/hartwell-paper.html); it makes more scientific sense and is more applicable than the anti-CO2 movement.
I am not sure whether Kerry as the new Secretary of State will continue with this direction.
The Senate confirmation hearings would seem to be the ideal place to challenge Kerry’s
“science,” such as it is, with some very pointed, very leading questions. But we need
a Senator who is familiar with the science. See the problems you face when politicians are tasked to make decisions – they are almost never qualified to deal with the subject at hand. Gee, I wonder why so many Federal laws are failures? That’s a tough one , all right.
Well, unfortunately for my Colonial Cousins, I must say that you reap what you sow. Here in the UK we only narrowly avoided the Red Peril (Labour Party) but at the cost of lying (sic) with the Lib Dems….in a hung parliament. In November 2012 you had the chance to free your country but the majority (?) chose not to.
As to wucash 02:29 – As far as Standard & Poor are concerned (Dec 26th) the UK remains with a AAA credit rating on a negative outlook. Care to correct your incorrect statement?
Don’t forget that Kerry and Heinz set up Second Nature to make college and universities change curriculum to sell Sustainability. http://www.secondnature.org/
The re are basically 2 views of higher ed these days. The primary one that second nature is designed to feed is to change the student’s perceiving worldview. http://www.invisibleserfscollar.com/changing-the-filtering-perception-the-way-we-see-the-world-is-key/ explains the desire to jettison the current “dominant techno-scientific worldview which influences us all, is essentially positivist, objectivist and reductionist, and based upon the root metaphor of mechanism.”
Silly people cause and effect is not metaphor. We get modelling in its place based on preferred interpretations of society’s future. Just reminding everyone that the quite serious Future Earth Alliance goes live in 2013 even if it is operating with all our tax money over in Sweden.
And the tied in Belmont Challenge has education pushing to destroy that deplored rational worldview above and replace it with emotion, instinct, and barely basic skills. All over the world. It also assumes replacing material prosperity with collective well-being that emphasizes relationships.
Now won’t Kerry so enjoy pushing that vision? At least until the reality of Russia or the Middle East makes delusions of peace with sufficient will an untenable pipedream.
Perhaps the media will simply refuse to cover anything that interferes with the scripted plans.
I used to think Kerry was doing a really bad Lincoln impersonation, but since he’s moved on to saving not just the country, but the world, I get the feeling that he’s morphing into his Jesus impersonation. I expect him to start gathering disciples any day now. Paid by the govt (of course).
Hey, disciples don’t come cheap these days.
I think communist Ed Markey is second to Gore putting Kerry further down the list. Markey and scientific moron Henry Waxman authored a monstrosity cap and trade bill “ACES” in 2009 that narrowly passed in the House but was thankfully shot down in the Senate.
We dodged a big bullet back then when there was less public awareness of the fraud of CAGW so I think the chances of anything like it being foisted on us again are very remote and getting through the House right now – impossible.
Clinton lays out goal of integrated power grid in the Americas
http://terrawatts.com/connecting-americas.html
This now begs the question, what if any companies have received more than just stimulus funds for projects outside the US, that may have received funds for domestic projects.
john from DB.
“Nowhere is the connection between climate and security more direct than in South Asia—home to Al Qaeda.”
That’s a geography fail then. The middle east isn’t South Asia. I have a lot of respect for America, and give thanks for American’s sacrifices in defence of the free world. I really wish Americans would elect politicians capable of reading a map. I sincerely hope I don’t wake up to the headlines “America bombs Singapore: Al Qaeda disabled”.
Given how effective Ms. Clinton has been as Sec. of State, maybe that is the best place for Sen. Kerry.
[snip . . you can do better . . mod]