Scientists
slam Donald Trump's environment chief over climate denial: 'It's like
disputing gravity'
Scott
Pruitt is described as a 'climate science denier who, as attorney
general for the state of Oklahoma, regularly conspired with the
fossil fuel industry to attack' environmental regulations
Ian Johnston
Environment Correspondent Thursday 8 December 2016
Donald Trump’s
reported decision to appoint a renowned climate change denier as the
head of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been
condemned by environmentalists and scientists.
Dr Rush Holt, the
chief executive of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science (AAAS), compared disbelief in global warming to denying the
existence of gravity.
And the Sierra Club,
which claims to be the largest grassroots environmental group in the
US with more than two million supporters, said the apparent decision
to put Oklahoma state attorney general Scott Pruitt in charge of the
EPA was “like putting an arsonist in charge of fighting fires”.
Trump's EPA pick
condemns belief 'renewable energy is good, fossil fuels are bad'
The club, founded by
renowned conservationist John Muir in 1892, is currently running a
fundraising campaign urging people to join their cause and protect
the planet from Mr Trump.
Mr Pruitt has said
the science behind climate change is “subject to considerable
debate” and has been hailed as a hero by deniers over his
opposition to Barack Obama’s efforts to tackle the problem. He and
a number of others filed a 28-state lawsuit against the Obama
administration’s Clean Power Plan.
Michael Brune,
executive director of the Sierra Club, said in a statement: “Having
Scott Pruitt in charge of the US Environmental Protection Agency is
like putting an arsonist in charge of fighting fires.
“He is a climate
science denier who, as attorney general for the state of Oklahoma,
regularly conspired with the fossil fuel industry to attack EPA
protections.
“Nothing less than
our children’s health is at stake. Scott Pruitt, whose own bio
describes him as ‘a leading advocate against the EPA’s activist
agenda’ cannot be trusted to head the EPA, an agency charged with
protecting all Americans from threats to their water, air, and
health.
“We strongly urge
Senators, who are elected to represent and protect the American
people, to stand up for families across the nation and oppose this
nomination.”
Dr Holt, in a
statement issued by the AAAS, also expressed concerns about Mr
Pruitt’s appointment, saying the effects of climate change were
already happening.
“The preponderance
of scientific evidence and our understanding of climate change is
rigorous,” Dr Holt said.
“Human activities
are largely responsible, impacts are already underway, and the sooner
we act, the lower the cost and risk will be.
“This has been
well-established by many scientists working from many points of view
and accepted by virtually every leading scientific organisation in
the world. That clarity has continued to increase over the past three
decades or so.”
The statement said
while the scientific process was inherently sceptical, it was
“dangerous and counter to scientific methodology” to deny the
existence of concrete evidence and theories that have proved robust
for years.
The average global
temperature of the world has risen by about 1C since the 1880s as the
level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen because of the
burning of fossil fuels. Simple experiments show carbon dioxide is a
greenhouse gas.
This is accepted by
some global warming sceptics such as Lord Lawson’s Global Warming
Policy Foundation, who now subscribe to “luke-warmism”.
Dr Holt, who is the
executive publisher of the leading academic journal Science, spelled
out how far removed from the scientific evidence people like Mr
Pruitt are in no uncertain terms.
“If a person
jumped off a building because he said gravitation is only a theory,
one would say he is delusional. So too, any policy maker who would
base national policy on denial of climate science because there is
‘debate’ would be called dangerously irresponsible,” he said.
According to the
AAAS’s What We Know report, the projected rate of temperature
change for this century is “greater than that of any extended
global warming period over the past 65 million years”.
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