31 January 2006

Bush tried to gag environmental expert

As is his typical mode of operation, if Bush doesn't like the truth, he silences the messenger.

And, of course, cutting greenhouse gas emissions would be inconvenient and costly for Bush's corporate bedpartners.

From The Independent (UK):
-----
One of NASA's leading climate experts has accused the Bush administration of trying to censor him on global warming and the need for immediate cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

James Hansen, the director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, said agency officials had ordered that public affairs officers review his lectures, papers and postings on the institute's website as well as vetting requests for interviews from reporters.

The clamp-down followed a lecture he gave last month calling for emission reductions, a move the White House refuses to support. "They feel their job is to be this censor of information going out to the public," said Mr. Hansen, who is ignoring the restrictions placed on him.

[...]

Mr. Hansen has been issuing warnings about climate change since 1988 and has had confrontations with politicians from both Republican and Democratic administrations.

He has twice briefed the Vice-President, Dick Cheney, and other senior officials of this administration. But he provoked their ire shortly before the 2004 presidential election when he complained that government scientists were being silenced and said he would be voting for the Democratic candidate, Senator John Kerry.

In an interview with the The New York Times, Mr. Hansen said the pressure had been stepped up considerably since his speech last month in San Francisco when he said 2005 was probably the hottest year on record.
-----
[Read more.]

No comments:

Post a Comment