Bush briefed on global warming's impact on storms

[sabra]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N31362626.htm

Bush briefed on global warming's impact on storms

More MIAMI, July 31 (Reuters) - Officials tracking the approach of the peak hurricane season told U.S. President George W. Bush on Monday that data linking a series of devastating storms to global warming was inconclusive.

Eleven months after Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on the U.S. Gulf Coast and caused catastrophic flooding in New Orleans, Bush visited the National Hurricane Center in Florida, a state often battered by hurricanes.

Showing Bush the maps and other devices used to predict storms, Max Mayfield, the hurricane center's director, said one question he is asked often is whether the powerful hurricanes of the past few years, like Katrina, Rita and Wilma, were the result of the earth's warming.

A scientist at the center, Christopher Landsea, told Bush there was "not a consensus" linking the two.

[corkhead]

1. Let me guess, the PDB was called "Hurricanes determined to strike US"

[Tight_rope]

6. LMBAO...Why bother to inform the chimp!...He doesn't give a damn!

[SpiralHawk]

16. Time for a 3-week luxury preppy vacation

at the Imperial Pig Farm Upon Crawford, so commander AWOL can once again ignore the warnings he has been given.

[Sherman A1]

23. Well that says it all except

for the annual brush clearing exercises and drives around the ranch in the pick up truck.

[Virginia Dare]

2. So the briefing consisted of...

a bunch of stooges and sycophants telling him it's much ado about nothing.

To which the Chimp replied, well if there is anything to it, alot of lucky people out there will soon have waterfront property, heh heh.

[Finder]

5. Here is an interview on PBS with the scientist involved...

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/weather/july-dec05/science_10-18.html

[mom cat]

24. I'll bet he gets a promotion. Ugh.

[ananda]

3. So..

.. I guess they told him what he wanted to hear. The question is.. why. Funding?

Sue

[sabra]

4. I believe part of the answer is at the bottom of the article:

<snip>
Bush came under scathing criticism for the botched federal response to Hurricane Katrina, which hit on Aug. 29 and killed 1,300 and displaced hundreds of thousands.

The White House is eager to show that the president has learned lessons from that disaster and that the federal government has been thorough in preparing for the possibility of harsh storms this year.

[Lars39]

7. This feeds his base,

allows funding to continue to be funneled to perpetual war and not be diverted to action re global warming. It also further allows them to place more financial burdens on the states.

Ultimately this will be creating chaos and fear and widespread deaths.
Bushco *wants* huge numbers of the worlds populations to die off, in whatever way takes the least effort, but is the most profitable for Bushco's bank balance.

[MichiganVote]

8. Why? He's an idiot. A dog would have an easier time understanding it.

[opihimoimoi]

10. Yup, wasted time and effort...the man cannot comprehend shit....

He is WARNING DEAF

Need I mention examples?

[mcscajun]

9. Okay, let's put the pieces together.

Bush needs a positive story.

Bush has stifled countless bureaucrats and scientists who have spoken the truth, or even just opposing views to the favored ones.

So, he sets up a meeting with the National Hurricane Center, the scientist are told beforehand (or, indeed, already KNOW) what they are supposed to say -- they say it, and, Big Surprise!, he hears what he wants to hear and only what he wants to hear, and somehow the report that there's No Consensus On Global Warming and an increase in the power of hurricanes becomes the Story of the Day.

The phrase "No Consensus on Global Warming" will be extracted from its context and beaten on RW Drums all over the country between now and forever...or until the Arctic and Antarctic have melted, Greenland becomes truly Green, the Alps become a summer resort playground, the Amazon becomes a desert, and the rest of the world is either baked, flooded, or both.

:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

[merwin]

11. Won't some parts of the world freeze?

From what I heard Gore say (I haven't watched the movie yet), it's more of a global climate shift caused by the warming... which is devistating.

[mcscajun]

13. Yes, some probably will...I left that out, sorry.

I was a little steamed, and couldn't think of anything below Zero just then. :)

[merwin]

17. You're forgiven :-) The world is going to hell anyways...

It's natural to have heat on your mind.

[Kagemusha]

12. Having said all that, the data re: hurricanes themselves IS inconclusive

It's like with the droughts. The worst droughts were in the 50's and 30's (in ascending order of suckiness). The current one's said to be #3. Did global warming cause the 30's one? Or are there natural cycles at work? At present, it's more likely a mix of cycles and global warming effects. That's why it's inconclusive. There's no definitive blame on one or the other. And that's the hard science of it.

Or put better, there being legitimate doubt that extra hurricanes should be blamed solely on global warming, should have no bearing on a consensus on global warming itself. There's no reason doubt about the depth of the hurricane connection should detract from the other part, though the stupid jerks who are pressuring scientists and rewriting their reports clearly want to give that impression.

[mcscajun]

14. Agreed. It's just the way this story is going to be seen, spun and

disgested that is irksome.

[VegasWolf]

15. The briefing was in the form of a large coloring book. Bush was given

many crayons to doodle with.

[soothsayer]

18. Ha! Did they show him Gore's great movie?? I hope so!

[tanyev]

19. Did they have props?

A big wave machine, and tiny little model houses? If not, that briefing went in one ear and out the other.

[MidwestTransplant]

20. Sure 20-1 is inconclusive.

[rodeodance]

21. WELL, i CAN BET THAT JUST MADE HIS DAY!

[Fire Walk With Me]

22. They know. They've already threatened to increase gas prices

if another storm damages the coast. It was in the paper a while back. Now they can't claim that they were unaware of further danger, or of thinking ahead (to opportunity).