"Stone the NASA blasphemer!"
Posted on 05/31/2007 8:51:11 AM PDT by Kaslin
NASA Administrator Michael Griffin Questions Need to Combat Warming
NASA administrator Michael Griffin is drawing the ire of his agency's preeminent climate scientists after apparently downplaying the need to combat global warming.
In an interview broadcast this morning on National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" program, Griffin was asked by NPR's Steve Inskeep whether he is concerned about global warming.
"I have no doubt that a trend of global warming exists," Griffin told Inskeep. "I am not sure that it is fair to say that it is a problem we must wrestle with."
"To assume that it is a problem is to assume that the state of Earth's climate today is the optimal climate, the best climate that we could have or ever have had and that we need to take steps to make sure that it doesn't change," Griffin said. "I guess I would ask which human beings — where and when — are to be accorded the privilege of deciding that this particular climate that we have right here today, right now is the best climate for all other human beings. I think that's a rather arrogant position for people to take."
Griffin's comments immediately drew stunned reaction from James Hansen, NASA's top climate scientist at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York.
"It's an incredibly arrogant and ignorant statement," Hansen told ABC News. "It indicates a complete ignorance of understanding the implications of climate change."
Hansen believes Griffin's comments fly in the face of well-established scientific knowledge that hundreds of NASA scientists have contributed to.
"It's unbelievable," said Hansen. "I thought he had been misquoted. It's so unbelievable."
News media inquiries to NASA headquarters about Griffin's comments prompted the space agency to make the unusual move of issuing a news release late Wednesday night.
"NASA is the world's preeminent organization in the study of Earth and the conditions that contribute to climate change and global warming," Griffin said in a statement. "The agency is responsible for collecting data that is used by the science community and policy makers as part of an ongoing discussion regarding our planet's evolving systems. It is NASA's responsibility to collect, analyze and release information. It is not NASA's mission to make policy regarding possible climate change mitigation strategies. As I stated in the NPR interview, we are proud of our role and I believe we do it well."
Hansen, featured prominently in Al Gore's global warming documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," has been warning of the potential dangers of climate change since the 1980s.
In late 2005, he accused NASA of trying to improperly censor him after he warned that Earth's climate might be approaching a dangerous "tipping point."
The agency later fired a public affairs employee, a political appointee of the Bush administration, over the incident.
Last year, many NASA scientists were upset when reports surfaced that the agency had quietly deleted the phrase "to understand and protect our home planet" from the NASA mission statement. The scientists believe research on issues like climate change will suffer as NASA shifts priorities toward exploration missions to the moon and Mars.
"Earth has always been central to NASA's science," Hansen said.
How dare he speak the truth?!? PREPARE THE TAR AND FEATHERS!
How will the lefties spin this one....
Great post BTW.
This guy is spot-on, Algor et al cannot say that our current climate is the correct one and any deviation, any at all, will cause the death of billions of us.
This should be appended to existing threads and Hansen should be charged for advertising his study that some grad student actually wrote.
Thanks, re great post
"Stone the NASA blasphemer!"
The heathen denier!!!
Congressional investigation.
How long will he keep his job, I wonder?
“I guess I would ask which human beings — where and when — are to be accorded the privilege of deciding that this particular climate that we have right here today, right now is the best climate for all other human beings. I think that’s a rather arrogant position for people to take.”
_________________________________________
Very good point....”WHO” will decide? (Spotted Al Gore??)
“During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.” – George Orwell
Right. And there's NO arrogance in saying we know the Earth's temperature, that this is the perfect setting, and we can control it going forward. Fire that pompous ass.
HOORAY! A great contribution to public education from the Chief of NASA.
Look for a retreat from his words to clarify what he meant to say, a stint in rehab,and him linked to militant right wingers in 5....4...3....2....1....
Also do you have proof that some graduate student wrote it? Last but not least, could it be possible that he studied what the graduate student wrote?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.