The President who said “America is addicted to oil“ now begs the Saudis for another fix. Like some binge-drinking, pill-popping starlet — is there any other kind? — the President is prostrate before his top foreign “dealer,” begging for more, even at the risk of public humiliation:

The Saudi oil minister, however, waited only a short time before announcing that oil prices would remain tied to market forces — a direct slap at Bush.

Wow! When even your dealer won’t sell you more, you have got a real problem.

Just one hour later, though, “President Bush made a private visit to Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah to again ask him to open the spigots.”

That is like being turned down by your dealer and then desperately appealing directly to Pablo Escobar.

Anyone for rehab or, say, plug in hybrids?

I have previously debunked the absurd list of Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) with over 400 names of supposedly “prominent scientists” who supposedly “recently voiced significant objections to major aspects of the so-called consensus’ on man-made global warming.” So had many others (and here and here).

At Grist, climate scientist Andrew Dessler, has continued running “The ‘Inhofe 400′ Skeptic of the Day” repeatedly identifying some skeptics who were completely unqualified and others who are qualified but not actually skeptical. His latest posting is so good, parts deserves repeating here. Meteorologist George Waldenberger is on the list. In response, George sent an email to Inhofe’s staffers that began:

Take me off your list of 400 (Prominent) Scientists that dispute Man-Made Global warming claims. I’ve never made any claims that debunk the “Consensus”.

You quoted a newspaper article that’s main focus was scoring the accuracy of local weathermen. Hardly Scientific … yet I’m guessing some of your other sources pale in comparison in terms of credibility.

You also didn’t ask for my permission to use these statements. That’s not a very respectable way of doing “research”.

Yet, as Dessler notes, “he’s still on the list.” Dessler’s other conclusions:

Read more

In Greenland, Ice and Instability – New York Times, An Andrew Revkin article on the Greenland ice sheet’s accelerating melting (or erosion) rate. Revkin reports on the impact of ice and water flows on Greenland’s landscape and their often underestimated contribution to sea level rise. The article is a general introduction into the complex scientific questions now being explored about Greenland.

F.T.C. Asks if Carbon-Offset Money Is Well Spent – New York Times. “The [Federal Trade Commission] has not updated its environmental advertising guidelines, known as the Green Guides, since 1998. Back then, the agency did not create definitions for phrases that are common now — like renewable energy, carbon offsets and sustainability,” and it is growing wary of ‘greenwashing’ the impact of carbon offsets. As well they should!

Will nations build on climate-change momentum of 2007? – Christian Science Monitor. The CSM looks back and 2007 and ahead to 2008, reflecting primarily on the role of the White House and developing nations in the upcoming climate negotiations.

WEF warns 2008 uncertainties may hurt climate fight – Reuters. “A stronger focus on turbulent financial markets and escalating geopolitical tension in 2008 could prompt governments and companies to neglect less immediate risks such as climate change and food security, the World Economic Forum warned. That, the Geneva-based group said, could make it even harder to deal with these critical, longer-term issues in the future.” This is the first year that both energy security and food security have been evaluated by (and become a central concern of) the WEF.

Climate Change Fueling Malaria in Kenya, Experts Say – National Geographic News. This article discusses the role of climate change in malaria’s spread to regions in Kenya previously untouched by the disease, and it is most likely a forecast of circumstances that will become more and more common in the future.