SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
The Internet Can't Get Over the House Science Committee's Climate-Denying Tweet--and That's a Good Thing
On Thursday the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology tweeted some good ole fashioned climate denial--you know, the old tired long discredited nonsensical claim that cold weather negates the global consensus of scientists that climate change is happening
Dec 04, 2016
On Thursday the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology tweeted some good ole fashioned climate denial--you know, the old tired long discredited nonsensical claim that cold weather negates the global consensus of scientists that climate change is happening (It doesn't.). The scientific community and the news media did not let this go unnoticed and that's a good thing for our continuing to hold decision makers accountable for respecting science under a Trump administration.
Here was the tweet:
It was quickly followed by a multitude of responses from other decision makers, scientists, and others. Think Progress has a nice summary of responses. I especially liked this one from House Science Committee member Representative Don Beyer:
Another day, another Lamar Smith attack on science
I saw the House Science tweet and didn't think much of it. Perhaps I'm cynical. Perhaps I've been following science in Washington DC for too long. But it didn't seem notable to me. This is because the House Science Committee, and particularly its Chairman Lamar Smith, now have a broad and consistent record of denying climate science, bullying scientists across disciplines, and otherwise disparaging the scientific enterprise it's supposed to be supporting.
Not that I'm keeping a running list (I am actually), but here are some highlights:
- The Committee attacked scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for producing policy relevant climate science, demanding to see their email communications.
- Currently, the Committee is targeting this scientist, well, the Union of Concerned Scientists, for having spoken with state attorneys general about the role of ExxonMobil selling a product they knew to be harmful due to the risks of climate change.
- Chairman Smith previously attempted to interfere in the National Science Foundation's grant process, ridiculing scientists' work that he found silly.
- Chairman Smith tried to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from doing its job of science-based public health and environmental protections via the Sound Science Act
- And he's attacked science in other ways too. But who's counting?! (Me.)
And yesterday's climate-denying tweet was not even its first science-attacking tweet of the week. The day prior, the Committee's handle had trolled Yale Climate Connections.
We cannot normalize science denial
Despite this pervasive record of science-slamming, the House Science Committee was still taken to task for the recent climate-denying tweet and this is a good thing. We cannot normalize science denial. It is entirely inappropriate for members of Congress to be peddling misinformation on climate science--especially when they are in charge of the House Science Committee. The world noticed this and called them on it.
We need to do more of this. When science is denied by our decision makers, this cannot stand. We must persist in calling out such misinformation when we see it, whether it will come from the House Science Committee, the Trump administration, or other decision makers in the future. Americans deserve leaders who respect science and scientists. I promise to be a little less cynical moving forward and I hope you will too.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
© 2023 Union of Concerned Scientists
Gretchen Goldman
Gretchen Goldman is a lead analyst in the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists. She holds a PhD and MS in environmental engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a BS in atmospheric science from Cornell University. See Gretchen's full bio.
On Thursday the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology tweeted some good ole fashioned climate denial--you know, the old tired long discredited nonsensical claim that cold weather negates the global consensus of scientists that climate change is happening (It doesn't.). The scientific community and the news media did not let this go unnoticed and that's a good thing for our continuing to hold decision makers accountable for respecting science under a Trump administration.
Here was the tweet:
It was quickly followed by a multitude of responses from other decision makers, scientists, and others. Think Progress has a nice summary of responses. I especially liked this one from House Science Committee member Representative Don Beyer:
Another day, another Lamar Smith attack on science
I saw the House Science tweet and didn't think much of it. Perhaps I'm cynical. Perhaps I've been following science in Washington DC for too long. But it didn't seem notable to me. This is because the House Science Committee, and particularly its Chairman Lamar Smith, now have a broad and consistent record of denying climate science, bullying scientists across disciplines, and otherwise disparaging the scientific enterprise it's supposed to be supporting.
Not that I'm keeping a running list (I am actually), but here are some highlights:
- The Committee attacked scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for producing policy relevant climate science, demanding to see their email communications.
- Currently, the Committee is targeting this scientist, well, the Union of Concerned Scientists, for having spoken with state attorneys general about the role of ExxonMobil selling a product they knew to be harmful due to the risks of climate change.
- Chairman Smith previously attempted to interfere in the National Science Foundation's grant process, ridiculing scientists' work that he found silly.
- Chairman Smith tried to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from doing its job of science-based public health and environmental protections via the Sound Science Act
- And he's attacked science in other ways too. But who's counting?! (Me.)
And yesterday's climate-denying tweet was not even its first science-attacking tweet of the week. The day prior, the Committee's handle had trolled Yale Climate Connections.
We cannot normalize science denial
Despite this pervasive record of science-slamming, the House Science Committee was still taken to task for the recent climate-denying tweet and this is a good thing. We cannot normalize science denial. It is entirely inappropriate for members of Congress to be peddling misinformation on climate science--especially when they are in charge of the House Science Committee. The world noticed this and called them on it.
We need to do more of this. When science is denied by our decision makers, this cannot stand. We must persist in calling out such misinformation when we see it, whether it will come from the House Science Committee, the Trump administration, or other decision makers in the future. Americans deserve leaders who respect science and scientists. I promise to be a little less cynical moving forward and I hope you will too.
Gretchen Goldman
Gretchen Goldman is a lead analyst in the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists. She holds a PhD and MS in environmental engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a BS in atmospheric science from Cornell University. See Gretchen's full bio.
On Thursday the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology tweeted some good ole fashioned climate denial--you know, the old tired long discredited nonsensical claim that cold weather negates the global consensus of scientists that climate change is happening (It doesn't.). The scientific community and the news media did not let this go unnoticed and that's a good thing for our continuing to hold decision makers accountable for respecting science under a Trump administration.
Here was the tweet:
It was quickly followed by a multitude of responses from other decision makers, scientists, and others. Think Progress has a nice summary of responses. I especially liked this one from House Science Committee member Representative Don Beyer:
Another day, another Lamar Smith attack on science
I saw the House Science tweet and didn't think much of it. Perhaps I'm cynical. Perhaps I've been following science in Washington DC for too long. But it didn't seem notable to me. This is because the House Science Committee, and particularly its Chairman Lamar Smith, now have a broad and consistent record of denying climate science, bullying scientists across disciplines, and otherwise disparaging the scientific enterprise it's supposed to be supporting.
Not that I'm keeping a running list (I am actually), but here are some highlights:
- The Committee attacked scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for producing policy relevant climate science, demanding to see their email communications.
- Currently, the Committee is targeting this scientist, well, the Union of Concerned Scientists, for having spoken with state attorneys general about the role of ExxonMobil selling a product they knew to be harmful due to the risks of climate change.
- Chairman Smith previously attempted to interfere in the National Science Foundation's grant process, ridiculing scientists' work that he found silly.
- Chairman Smith tried to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from doing its job of science-based public health and environmental protections via the Sound Science Act
- And he's attacked science in other ways too. But who's counting?! (Me.)
And yesterday's climate-denying tweet was not even its first science-attacking tweet of the week. The day prior, the Committee's handle had trolled Yale Climate Connections.
We cannot normalize science denial
Despite this pervasive record of science-slamming, the House Science Committee was still taken to task for the recent climate-denying tweet and this is a good thing. We cannot normalize science denial. It is entirely inappropriate for members of Congress to be peddling misinformation on climate science--especially when they are in charge of the House Science Committee. The world noticed this and called them on it.
We need to do more of this. When science is denied by our decision makers, this cannot stand. We must persist in calling out such misinformation when we see it, whether it will come from the House Science Committee, the Trump administration, or other decision makers in the future. Americans deserve leaders who respect science and scientists. I promise to be a little less cynical moving forward and I hope you will too.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.