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Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina
Just in case you thought climate-change denialism couldn't get any dumber or more destructive, North Carolina Republicans are here to show you it can.
Via Joe Romm, some GOP state lawmakers are pushing a bill that would literally force local authorities to ignore science-based projections in planning for future sea-level rise.
The bill, writes Romm, would
...mandate a formula that projects a sea level rise of at most 12 inches this century, far below what the science now projects.
A state-appointed science panel reviewed the recent literature and reported that a 1-meter (39 inch) rise is likely by 2100. Many coastal studies experts think a level of 5 to 7 feet should be used, since you typically plan for the plausible worst-case scenario, especially with expensive, long-lived infrastructure.
As a geology professor and member of the state's science panel pointed out, the proposed law runs counter to the findings of “every major science organization on the globe."
The bill also would require that the state determine its estimate of future sea-level rise by using only historical data, and limiting that data to the period after 1900. It explicitly forbids the use of "scenarios of accelerated rates of sea-level rise."
As Romm notes, thanks to climate change, that acceleration appears to be occurring. The National Academies of Science recently reported that “it is now possible to detect acceleration in sea-level rise over the past few decades.” But state and local offocials would be banned from factoring it into their planning.
Romm adds:
One North Carolinian writing in Scientific American said the proposed bill is “exactly like saying, do not predict tomorrow’s weather based on radar images of a hurricane swirling offshore, moving west towards us with 60-mph winds and ten inches of rain. Predict the weather based on the last two weeks of fair weather with gentle breezes towards the east. Don’t use radar and barometers; use the Farmer’s Almanac and what grandpa remembers.”
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Morons , i need to leave this state ! bunch of weird people running it !
What ever you do Michael don't come to Texas, it's far worse here.
LOL, #2 This would be funny if they weren't playing with our lives and the sustainability of our planet.
That good old southern home schooling is really something, isn't it.
Fair play to North Carolina for standing against such nonsense.
Particularly amusing that you're from Ireland - where rising sea levels are really something to worry about. *laughs*
He must not live in Ireland anymore, we haven't had a proper summer in years. We get mostly mild to cool weather with overcast skies all year round. Our rain pattern has changed from near constant drizzle during winter to short heavy down pours at night resulting in the rainwater washing straight out to sea instead of going into the ground water supplies causing our reservoirs to decrease by 3 meters in as many years. Similar things are happening across the European continent Poland and Germany are reporting that their summers are cooling down and their winters are getting warmer.
Lads, your talk reminds me of Al Gore's far-fetched claim that some pacific islands were being evacuated because of rising sea levels. His little claim didn't stand up too well in the British court, and I think yours would be the same. Is this the best your side can do?
???? What does this have to do with jobs and the economy? You know that thing that the GOP accuses everyone who isn't them of wanting to talk about something other than that? Is this really needed? This is about as necessary as banning sharia law.
Gosh we're so lucky to have the GOP to protect us from threats real and imaginary....especially imaginary
So first doubly totally banning gay marriage again, then the pastor who says put gays in internment camps, now this....clearly NC is trying to keep up with Arizona as craziest right wing state in the union
I'm gonna miss the outer banks
Today HB819 is going to the Ag/Env/NR Committee. If (inter)national ridicule doesn't work perhaps North Carolinians should let their legislators know exactly how awful this denial is: Change.org petition North Carolina's General Assembly: Do not pass NC HB 819 Coastal Management Policies
Petition or change: stop assuming that far right ideologes like the ones who control NC can be swayed by logic or reason
They'll do it no matter what anyone thinks, they don't care.