Global Warming Gag Order

Wall Street Journal ^ | December 4, 2006 | Editors

[yoe]

Washington has no shortage of bullies, but even we can't quite believe an October 27 letter that Senators Jay Rockefeller and Olympia Snowe sent to ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson. Its message: Start toeing the Senators' line on climate change, or else.

We reprint the full text of the letter here, so readers can see for themselves. But its essential point is that the two Senators believe global warming is a fact, and therefore all debate about the issue must stop and ExxonMobil should "end its dangerous support of the [global warming] 'deniers.' " Not only that, the company "should repudiate its climate change denial campaign and make public its funding history." And in extra penance for being "one of the world's largest carbon emitters," Exxon should spend that money on "global remediation efforts."

The Senators aren't dumb enough to risk an ethics inquiry by threatening specific consequences if Mr. Tillerson declines this offer he can't refuse. But in case the CEO doesn't understand his company's jeopardy, they add that "ExxonMobil and its partners in denial have manufactured controversy, sown doubt, and impeded progress with strategies all-too reminiscent of those used by the tobacco industry for so many years." (Our emphasis.) The Senators also graciously copied the Exxon board on their missive.

This is amazing stuff. On the one hand, the Senators say that everyone agrees on the facts and consequences of climate change. But at the same time they are so afraid of debate that they want Exxon to stop financing a doughty band of dissenters who can barely get their name in the paper. We respect the folks at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, but we didn't know until reading the Rockefeller-Snowe letter that they ran U.S. climate policy and led the mainstream media around by the nose....

[SauronOfMordor]

Socialists are always looking for a way to control others, and what better way than controlling the entire Earth?

The only way that their agenda will work is if there's a central agency (controlled by the "right people") which will have total control over all industry, transportation, and life. In other words, a complete Communism that not even Lenin, STalin, or Mao would have attempted

[Still Thinking]

I'm glad XOM made the letter public. That's the best way to deal with people trying to blackmail you for doing something that isn't wrong in the first place. Publicizing the attempt does them more damage than you. Additionally, XOM should triple their funding of whatever group these pantywaists object to.

[Paradox]

GW itself is not a hoax, it probably is occuring. The anthropogenic nature of it might be a myth, although I tend to believe in it myself. But to shut down all dissent on the matter is just wrong. Thus my opposition to the "GW Hysteria", even though I generally believe in GW and I'll buy into the anthropogenic portion of it (how much, who knows, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt). Alot of conservative solutions to it, but oh well...

[DustyMoment]

GW itself is not a hoax, it probably is occuring.

GW is NOT occurring as has been claimed by the Gorons - as the result of human activity. I will concede that GW is occurring as the result of normal solar cycles that cause varying effects on the earth.

The reality is this - if GW is the result of human activity, those who support the theory have yet to explain how human activity (or dinosaurs driving SUVs) caused the periods of extreme warming that occurred on earth millions of years ago. They have also failed to show how peasants driving SUVs in the 14th - 16th centuries caused the most productive period of GW in recorded history, AKA the Rennaissance, or how humans driving SUVs have caused GW on Mars that caused the polar ice caps to shrink (presumably due to melting).

If we examine the theory of GW based on the laws of physics, increased surface warming of the earth would lead to increased water evaporation and heavier cloud layers. Water vapor is a principle element in the earth's atmosphere and comprises one of the so-called greenhouse gases. With heavier cloud layers, more sunlight and UV radiation would be reflected back into space before reaching the surface. This, in turn, would lead to a period of global cooling, NOT warming.

The whole GW theory as it is proposed by the socialists, simply doesn't hold up.

[Edgerunner]

I noticed the illegitimate usage of the term "uncontested". Par for the course that lawyers lie to forward their case. How can true justice prevail if the attorneys lie for their clients?

[Edgerunner]

In fact, water vapor makes up 98% of our atmosphere and is, by far and away, the source of the earths insulation.

I see...you should have said: "In fact, water vapor makes up 98% of our atmosphere greenhouse effect and is, by far and away, the source of the earths insulation.

[cogitator]

I stand by my previous comment - global temperatures have shown a downward trend over the past three years.

Show me a data plot. If 2005 was the second-warmest year ever, GLOBALLY (according to NOAA; GISS puts it first), then that has to mean 2003 and 2004 were cooler than 2005. How do you derive a downward trend in global temperatures over the past three years if that is true?

[DustyMoment]

I have a NOAA global temp chart that shows a downward trend, but I'm not HTML-savvy enough to know how to post it and I can't get into the tutorial from work.

Let me get back to you this evening.

[Stallone]

Goebbels Varmink?

[SunkenCiv]

From December 2006.