Senate committee backs $60 million 'abrupt climate change' research progra

[Judi Lynn]

Senate committee backs $60 million 'abrupt climate change' research program

By John Heilprin
ASSOCIATED PRESS
9:56 a.m. March 9, 2004

WASHINGTON – A Senate committee voted Tuesday to approve a bill that would authorize creating a $60 million program for researching sudden or unexpected changes in the climate.

By a unanimous voice vote and with little discussion, members of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee sent the bill to the full Senate for consideration. The bill is sponsored by Maine Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, Washington state Democratic Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, and Sen. Jim Jeffords, I-Vt.

Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, told fellow committee members the bill was important for Alaska. He has previously expressed concern with climate warming problems in his home state such as melting permafrost, possible village relocations, receding Alaskan forests and submerged air strips.

Under the bill, the $60 million research program for studying "abrupt climate change" – rapid alterations that people, animals and plants have difficulty adapting to – would be established within the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
(snip/...)

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/science/20040309-0956-climatechange-senate.html

[tom_paine]

1. Stevens is a hypocritical sh*tpile

[joeunderdog]

7. Yeah, just like we are now investigating the absence of WMD's.

The report already came out!!! Check the Pentagon, or is that not a good enough Focus Group for you. Maybe we just haven't done a good enough job filtering this info yet, and the $60Mil can help us with that.

Another flimsy stalling tactic. Get with the PROGRAM already. Sign the treaties. Tell the car manufacturers that they better start making edible cars if they can't make ones that are more enviro-friendly. Maybe Exxon can use some of their record profits....

Nah, this is reality.

[pinto]

2. money well spent, hope it gets to the floor.

[randr]

3. By calling it the "abrupt climate change"

they are covering their asses for ignoring the issue for two decades.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Right! Who knew it was coming? n/t

[damnraddem]

4. Abrupt climate change?

As opposed to a longer-term trend toward global warming? By the time the world gets to abrupt spikes, the global warming trend may be too far advanced to do much.

Are we there yet?

[justinpower]

6. Yeah we are there

I dont have a link but i recently read a few articles about how scientists have determined that the climate doesnt slowly change. Instead it reaches a tipping point and changes dramatically and quickly, like in a matter of two or three years. The pentagon has assessed the situation and come up with a plan to deal with the global socio economic ramifications (boat people). It seems that things *could* get real ugly real quick.

[gristy]

8. "Abrupt climate change" is the proper designation.

This is a good thing.

[brook]

9. We're breaking...

heat records here this week. 83 degrees on Sunday. After a pretty cold February. (My heating bill was 2x the norm).