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Gustav upsets the GOP Convention but may be good for the GOP

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Slate - By John Dickerson - Sep. 01 (Opinion) - For the moment, the disaster benefits McCain, because like all great political moments, it allows him to act authentically and yet benefit politically. One of the worst political clichÃ©s actually is true at this moment: Good policy is good politics. All McCain has to do is keep his aides off the phones talking about the politics of the storm, and he'll be in a position to benefit from it. (And so far, he looks like he's done that, too.)

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Global Warming Did It! Well, Maybe Not.

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 09:50:02 -0700

Washington Post - By Joel Achenbach - Aug. 03 (Opinion) - We're stuck on the notion that climate change is the culprit every time a natural disaster strikes. But that's just muddying the waters. We're heading into the heart of hurricane season, and any day now, a storm will barrel toward the United States, inspiring all the TV weather reporters to find a beach where they can lash themselves to a palm tree. We can be certain of two things: First, we'll be told that the wind is blowing very hard and the surf is up. Second, some expert will tell us that this storm might be a harbinger of global warming. Somewhere along the line, global warming became the explanation for everything. Right-thinking people are not supposed to discuss any meteorological or geophysical event -- a hurricane, a wildfire, a heat wave, a drought, a flood, a blizzard, a tornado, a lightning strike, an unfamiliar breeze, a strange tingling on the neck -- without immediately invoking the climate crisis. It causes earthquakes, plagues and backyard gardening disappointments. Weird fungus on your tomato plants? Classic sign of global warming. You are permitted to note, as a parenthetical, that no single weather calamity can be ascribed with absolute certainty (roll your eyes here to signal the exasperating fussiness of scientists) to what humans are doing to the atmosphere. But your tone will make it clear that this is just legalese, like the fine-print warnings on the flip side of a Lipitor ad.

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Hurricane Dean's big winner: sugar?

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 13:37:09 -0700

Foreign Policy - By Blake Hounshell - Aug. 22 (Opinion) - The storm has wrecked sugar crops in places like Belize and Martinique, and may cause damage in Mexico. Still, there's reason to be skeptical of Smith's optimism. The economies of sugar-producing countries in the Caribbean depend heavily on sugar, but they're still only a small piece of the global trade.

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Climate change sceptics criticise polar bear science

Sun, 01 Jul 2007 09:31:51 -0700

New Scientist - Jul. 01 (Review) - Soon, who receives funding for this and other work from Exxon-Mobil, has been attacking climate change science for several years. Three of the six other authors also have links to the oil industry. A reply to Soon's paper accuses him of ignoring data that does not fit his argument and of misinterpreting the predictions made by climate models.

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