One federal agency that has been kept on a very short leash by the Bush administration is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA. For six years NOAA has been muzzled from expressing scientific links between human activity and global warming. That abruptly changed on Tuesday.
It's official, the NOAA says human activity is contributing to global warming. The International Herald Tribune:
"...the agency's shift in language came as a surprise to several public affairs officials there. They said they had become accustomed in recent years to having any mention of a link between climate trends and human activities played down or trimmed when drafts of documents went to the Commerce Department and the White House for approval.
"James Connaughton, chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said the release reflected longstanding views within the administration.
"'It's helpful for them to describe what is a question in many people's minds — what is the human factor, what is the El Niño factor,' Connaughton said of the release. 'From our perspective, what was in the press release was a direct reflection of what the president and folks in his administration have been saying for some time.'"
Knew it all the time. That's rich.
No comments:
Post a Comment