Two years ago, I discussed how “Like Detroit, the coal industry chooses (assisted) suicide.” CAP’s Daniel J. Weiss updates the analysis in this cross-post.
Senators from coal states who are trying to protect big coal companies from the impact of global warming pollution reductions may only hasten the decline of big coal.
Yesterday, the Wonk Room identified six key U.S. Senate races in which a climate vote is threatened by a global warming denier (and one open race in New Hampshire that could add a new vote for climate). Today, we’re taking a look at the U.S. House of Representatives. We’ve identified eight top House races in which a strong supporter for action to reduce global warming pollution is being challenged by a global warming denier.
The Republicans in these races not only stand against comprehensive climate policy, like nearly all the rest of their party, they proudly proclaim that the overwhelming evidence of the threat of greenhouse gas pollution is a “hoax,” a “religion,” and “crap.” The sitting representatives are climate activists who voted in favor of the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act in 2009, recognizing that our economy and environment are mutually threatened by our dependence on fossil fuels. These eight races between climate heroes and anti-science deniers this November (with the Fivethirtyeight.com estimated likelihood of a Republican pickup) are:
“Dark Side of Climate Change” Seen in Record Setting Night-time Temperatures
Summer 2010 set temperature records across the country and around the world. NRDC’s analysis of June, July, and August 2010 US temperature data from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) Historic Climatology Network reveal that this summer set heat records in many parts of the country. In fact, of the 1,218 weather stations in the contiguous United States, with data going back to 1895, 153 locations recorded their hottest summer on record and nearly one in three stations recorded average temperatures among their five hottest on record.
Yesterday, the Wonk Room identified six key U.S. Senate races in which a climate vote is threatened by a global warming denier (and one open race in New Hampshire that could add a new vote for climate). Today, we’re taking a look at the U.S. House of Representatives. We’ve identified eight top House races in which a strong supporter for action to reduce global warming pollution is being challenged by a global warming denier.
The Republicans in these races not only stand against comprehensive climate policy, like nearly all the rest of their party, they proudly proclaim that the overwhelming evidence of the threat of greenhouse gas pollution is a “hoax,” a “religion,” and “crap.” The sitting representatives are climate activists who voted in favor of the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act in 2009, recognizing that our economy and environment are mutually threatened by our dependence on fossil fuels. These eight races between climate heroes and anti-science deniers this November (with the 538.com estimated likelihood of a Republican pickup) are:
76% NM-2 Rep. Harry Teague v Steve Pearce
63% IA-3 Rep. Leonard Boswell v Brad Zaun
63% IL-14 Rep. Bill Foster v Randy Hultgren
62% CA-11 Rep. Jerry McNerney v David Harmer
58% IN-9 Rep. Baron Hill v Todd Young
43% FL-22 Rep. Ron Klein v Allen West
26% NM-1 Rep. Martin Heinrich v Jon Barela
26% IL-17 Rep. Phil Hare v Bobby Schilling
| RACE (% GOP pickup) | CLIMATE HERO | CLIMATE DENIER |
|---|---|---|
| NM-2 76% | Rep. Harry Teague | Steve Pearce |
| “Crack down on global warming and protect the the environment that our children and their children will inherit.” | “I think we ought to take a look at whatever the group is that measures all this, the IPCC, they don’t even believe the crap.” | IA-2 63% | Rep. Leonard Boswell | Brad Zaun |
| “I believe the science is clear: carbon dioxide emissions are contributing to unprecedented climate changes. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned repeatedly that unless the industrial world acts soon, projected increases in emissions over the next fifty years will lead to drastic ecological changes, endangering countless species and human health.” | “I question global warming.” | |
| IL-14 63% | Rep. Bill Foster | Randy Hultgren |
| “We must aggressively combat climate change, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and promote cleaner and more economical sources of energy.” | “I don’t believe we have a significant impact on climate change.” | |
| CA-11 62% | Rep. Jerry McNerney | David Harmer |
| “Climate change is one of the most important issues facing our country. In fact, if left unchecked, climate change will seriously harm our environment, our economy, and our way of life, threatening our ecosystem and the availability of fresh water for drinking and agriculture.” | “Global warming is more a religion than a science.” | |
| IN-9 58% | Rep. Baron Hill | Todd Young |
| “Ending our dependence on foreign oil and using renewable energy to help fight global warming will make our nation stronger.” | “With the possible exception of Tiger Woods, nothing has had a worse year than global warming. We have discovered that a good portion of the science used to justify “climate change” was a hoax perpetrated by leftist ideologues with an agenda.” | |
| FL-22 43% | Rep. Ron Klein | Allen West |
| “This bill will strengthen our national security, lower energy costs, create jobs, and reduce our impact on global warming.” | “If we could just get President Obama and former Vice-President Al Gore to apologize to God reference “man-made global warming/climate change” perhaps we would not all be freezing, even in South Florida!” | |
| NM-1 26% | Rep. Martin Heinrich | Jon Barela |
| “This bipartisan group of wildlife and conservation leaders share my strong belief that we must do more to fight climate change and protect our planet for generations to come.” | “If you look at the recent snowfall in the East Coast and certainly our winter, you have the ebbs and flows of climate change, and that’s just simply how how things have worked for the millennia, and for the eons.” | |
| IL-17 26% | Phil Hare | Bobby Schilling |
| “The overwhelming scientific consensus is that global warming is real, it is a threat, and a failure to act soon will leave our children in a very dangerous world.” | “He doesn’t believe in global warming, putting him at odds with almost every major climate change expert in the world but in good standing with his base.” |
Please note that this is not necessarily an exhaustive list of races in which a strong supporter of action to protect human civilization from climate catastrophe is running against a global warming denier. We certainly may have missed some — please note any we’ve missed in the comments.
Black carbon particles, commonly called soot, are dark and light-absorbing and therefore warm the climate. Soot comes from combustion of fossil and biofuels, especially burning of diesel, coal and wood. Due to its warming effects, reduction of soot could help cool climate. However, soot absorption also affects cloud distributions and the verdict on how the clouds change is unclear. Because clouds mostly cool the climate, the possibility that soot absorption could increase cloud cover needs to be considered.
Turns out the net warming effect from absorbing aerosols (AAs) such as black carbon (BC) or dust is more complicated than previously realized. That’s the conclusion of a major review of the literature on the “semi-direct effects of absorbing aerosols,” in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, “Black carbon absorption effects on cloud cover: Review and synthesis,” by two NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies.
And that means reducing BC may not be the silver bullet solution many thought. The study concludes that in some climate model studies, “the cooling effect of BC due to cloud changes is strong enough to essentially cancel the warming direct effects.”
A Wonk Room analysis finds that there are six key Senate races for climate action, in which a strong vote for climate runs a serious risk of being replaced by a global warming denier. Of the 37 U.S. Senate races this fall, 36 involve Republican candidates who are global warming deniers or oppose climate action (Vermont’s Len Britton is a possible exception). Hard-right Tea Party challenger Christine O’Donnell knocked out climate activist Mike Castle (R-DE) last night, leaving a GOP slate of conspiracy theorists and know-nothings angling for the United States’ highest legislative body. The pivotal climate races this November (with the fivethirtyeight.com estimated likelihood of a Republican pickup) are:
(91%) PA: Joe Sestak v. Pat Toomey
(74%) CO: Michael Bennet v. Ken Buck
(54%) WA: Patty Murray v. Dino Rossi
(46%) NV: Harry Reid v. Sharron Angle
(42%) CA: Barbara Boxer v. Carly Fiorina
(36%) WI: Russ Feingold v. Ron Johnson
An examination of the races is below:
Edited by Joe Romm, we cover climate science, solutions and politics. Columnist Tom Friedman calls us "the indispensable blog" and Time magazine named us one of the 25 "Best Blogs of 2010." Newcomers, start here.
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