Climate Change 'skeptic' chosen to lead NOAA

essentialsaltes

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With five named cyclonic storms simultaneously in the Atlantic (2nd time that's ever been recorded) and a wildfire season for the ages in the West, Trump has put the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a scientific agency responsible for the National Weather Service and other important operations in the hands of someone who questions the severity of climate change. This, of course, goes hand in hand with Trump's recent statement that science 'doesn't know' about climate.

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NOAA taps David Legates, professor who questions the seriousness and severity of global warming, for top role
Critics fear move could threaten the scientific integrity of one of the country’s foremost climate research agencies.

Legates was formerly Delaware’s state climatologist, a position from which he he stepped down in 2011. He had come under pressure from then-Gov. Ruth Ann Minner (D), because of his fossil fuel industry-funded research casting doubt on the science showing that burning coal, oil and other fossil fuels is the main factor behind heating the planet and would lead to dangerous effects such as sea level rise and extreme weather events.

Legates is affiliated with the Heartland Institute, a free-market think tank funded in part by the fossil fuel industry that supports research arguing that human-caused climate change is not a serious threat.

Legates’s arrival at NOAA comes a year after the agency’s scientific independence took a hit when the agency criticized its own forecasters’ accurate forecast for Hurricane Dorian to satisfy White House concerns that its communications were making the president look bad for having claimed, erroneously, that the storm would threaten Alabama.

Watchdogs such as Gretchen Goldman of the Union of Concerned Scientists, a research and advocacy group, said they fear that Legates’s appointment signals a new level of interference in the agency’s scientific work.

“This is a disappointing move. It is a slap in the face to NOAA scientists who work daily to conduct and communicate climate science to the public and decision makers,” Goldman said in an email. “Until now, NOAA has largely evaded the kind of anti-science political appointees that have devastated the EPA and Interior. With Dr. Legates we risk seeing the same kind of politicization of science and corruption of ethics. At the same time, NOAA has a strong culture of scientific integrity; Dr Legates must be ready to uphold it.”

On Monday, the American Geophysical Union, which is the world’s largest scientific society representing Earth and space sciences, publicly urged that Legates’ appointment be rescinded. “With climate change producing raging wildfires in the western United States and devastating hurricanes in the Atlantic, our nation – and the world – cannot afford to have our federal government undermining the important work of climate scientists,” wrote Randy Fiser, the group’s executive director and CEO.

 

MIDutch

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No surprise. From the very beginning trump has placed people into government agencies specifically to destroy the agency from the inside.

Why else would you put DeVos at Education, Perry at Energy, Barr at the DOJ, Perdue at Agriculture, Pruitt at EPA, Carson at HUD, Zinke at Interior, Ross at Commerce, etc. if not to tear down the agencies that are supposed to be working for the benefit and/or protection of the US people?

trump's slogan may have been "drain the swamp", but it should have been "destroy the federal government".
 
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MIDutch

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This has got to stop. We are far beyond Republican/Democrat Partisanship. He is the complete antithesis of a common sense leader.
You have to think of it this way, the ONLY thing keeping the age of the Robber Barons from coming back is the regulations and protections put in place by these government agencies to safeguard the lives of American citizens.

The top 1% would be so much wealthier if their companies had a surplus of poorly educated/low pay workers (except the rich kids, of course, who get the benefit of private school education, thanks Betsy DeVos), or could dump toxic waste into the nearest river, or didn't have to worry about the poisonous chemicals they put into consumer goods, or how much pesticide and insecticide they can spray their crops with, etc..

Hence the concerted effort by the trump administration to deregulate everything in sight and destroy all of the oversight agencies that keep us healthy and safe.
 
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Sparagmos

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The importance of this election can not be understated. If you want to stop the destruction of the most important institutions in our country, get involved in the election. Canvas, phone bank, donate, become a poll observer.

My organization is out canvassing in Reno and groups of Trump supporters have started harassing the canvassers on the sidewalks. They’re not canvassing themselves, they are just trying to shut down people campaigning for Biden. They will be at the polls as well, armed, using fear and intimidation to shut down the Democratic process.
 
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MIDutch

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The importance of this election can not be understated. If you want to stop the destruction of the most important institutions in our country, get involved in the election. Canvas, phone bank, donate, become a poll observer.

My organization is out canvassing in Reno and groups of Trump supporters have started harassing the canvassers on the sidewalks. They’re not canvassing themselves, they are just trying to shut down people campaigning for Biden. They will be at the polls as well, armed, using fear and intimidation to shut down the Democratic process.
I hope your people are video recording the harrassment.
 
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Akita Suggagaki

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The importance of this election can not be understated. If you want to stop the destruction of the most important institutions in our country, get involved in the election. Canvas, phone bank, donate, become a poll observer.

My organization is out canvassing in Reno and groups of Trump supporters have started harassing the canvassers on the sidewalks. They’re not canvassing themselves, they are just trying to shut down people campaigning for Biden. They will be at the polls as well, armed, using fear and intimidation to shut down the Democratic process.

In my town they are stealing Biden signs.
 
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wing2000

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This has got to stop. We are far beyond Republican/Democrat Partisanship. He is the complete antithesis of a common sense leader.

The Republicans in Congress have allowed him to fill the federal agencies with political hacks. They all need to go and elect leaders who believe in science.
 
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KCfromNC

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No surprise. From the very beginning trump has placed people into government agencies specifically to destroy the agency from the inside.

Why else would you put DeVos at Education, Perry at Energy, Barr at the DOJ, Perdue at Agriculture, Pruitt at EPA, Carson at HUD, Zinke at Interior, Ross at Commerce, etc. if not to tear down the agencies that are supposed to be working for the benefit and/or protection of the US people?

I think the evidence shows that bribes, uh, I mean campaign donations were involved.
 
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essentialsaltes

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The Republicans in Congress have allowed him to fill the federal agencies with political hacks.

Hey now, that's uncalled for. This guy is a corporate hack.

Legates is affiliated with the Heartland Institute, a free-market think tank funded in part by the fossil fuel industry
 
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Sparagmos

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In my town they are stealing Biden signs.
Interesting pattern.

Instead of doing actual campaigning and winning votes, these people are simply trying to suppress the other sides’ campaign.
 
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Sparagmos

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As evidence if it becomes necessary.
I’m not sure that these people are doing anything technically illegal, but I’m not an expert. Safety is our biggest concern, since the canvassers are working alone for social distancing purposes.
 
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wing2000

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Hey now, that's uncalled for. This guy is a corporate hack.

Legates is affiliated with the Heartland Institute, a free-market think tank funded in part by the fossil fuel industry

Ah, he has powerpoint skills!
 
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