On Wednesday’s "Good Morning America," Sam Champion, ABC weatherman and liberal environmentalist, escalated his campaign to encourage Americans to fight global warming. In addition to lecturing viewers about their contribution to climate change, he, once again, engaged in identification bias.
Champion’s segment featured a representative from the Natural Resources Defense Council, a liberal environmental group. The organization’s ideology, not surprisingly, went completely unmentioned. However, the weatherman began the piece by standing in front of a bank of televisions and scolding viewers for their energy output:
Sam Champion: "For example, did you know that even with the flip of a switch, we all contribute to global warming? Well, I know it sounds a little intense. But there are some small things you can do to change that, like paying attention to your carbon footprint...If you think you have nothing to do with global warming, think again. From the car you drive, to the house you live in, it all contributes to the problem."
(Mr. Champion didn't mention how much energy the television screens behind him were contributing to global warming.) After introducing the piece, which aired at 8:35am on April 18, the ABC host segued into a discussion of carbon footprints, which is the sum total of an individual’s energy output, and how one family, the Flanagans, have decided to reduce it. Allen Hershkowitz, a representative of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) dropped by their house to instruct the Flanagan family on how to accomplish such a goal.
Champion made no mention of the group’s extreme liberal agenda. (For instance, they have advocated arms control and harshly complained that the Bush administration hasn’t adopted left-wing solutions to global warming.):
Champion: "The average American household produces over 35,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year. Added together, that's 20 percent of the greenhouse gases our entire country produces. Kristen and Kevin Flanagan wanted to reduce their part of those greenhouse gases. So they set out to calculate their family's carbon footprint. With six kids, it was a daunting task."
Kristen Flanagan: "We're a large family, so I figured we'd probably have a pretty large footprint."
Champion: "The EPA website showed them how."
Kristen Flanagan [Looking over family energy records]: "That's gas."
Champion: "First, they got their heating and electric bills. Then, added up how much gas they used and their mileage. That's your carbon footprint. With three cars, the Flanagans used over 1,100 gallons of gas and drove over 20,000 miles last year. That created 20,000 pounds of carbon dioxide. Next, annual electricity. Nearly 16,000 kilowatt hours. That produced 25,000 pounds of carbon. And heating fuel, about $2500 for the year, producing about 20,000 pounds of carbon. Now, give yourself some credits for recycling. Their carbon footprint totaled 60,000 pounds, considerably higher than the national average. So, how do you get that number down? Enter Allen Hershkowitz of the Natural Resources Defense Council. He says, the car is the biggest problem."
Hershkowitz has been a strong proponent of using Hollywood to encourage Americans to adopt liberal environmental policies. Unsurprisingly, this is the same strategy that Sam Champion adopted.
The GMA weatherman closed the report by having Hershkowitz tour the Flanagan household and instruct them on how to fight global warming:
Allen Hershkowitz: "Automobiles contribute more carbon emissions than everything else in your home combined."
Champion: "Combine trips, he advises, and keep your tires inflated. Oh, yeah. And driving a hybrid would help. Next, heading into the house. And first stop, the basement."
Hershkowitz: "So, the number one cause of carbon emissions from your house is your boiler and your air-conditioner. They give off 65 percent of all the carbon coming out of your household."
Champion: "Maintaining the boiler and reducing AC use helps cut the carbon. Up next, the kitchen."
Hershkowitz: How old is this refrigerator?"
Kristen Flanagan: "2003."
Hershkowitz: "2003. So, this causes about 15 percent of the carbon emissions in your household. If it were older, it would be a lot worse."
Champion: "Any refrigerator over 10 years old should be replaced, he says. Your new one will pay for itself in efficiency in just a few years."
Hershkowitz: "The next big cause of emissions in your house is your lighting. You have some spots here. Replacing light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs will save you money and reduce your carbon footprint by 60 to 70 percent when it comes to your lighting."
Kristen Flanagan: "You know, you realize that every little thing you do makes a difference."
Champion: "And that's the point, little things. So, if you don’t know how much power you are using, there’s a cool way to know that, these little things called kilowatts. If you plug something into it and, you can see right there on it, it said zero. As soon as you turn on the power, then you can see how much power you're using. It just gives you an idea that power isn't something that’s abstract. It's something that actually can be measured."
GMA co-host Robin Roberts: "That’s right. Every little thing you do."
Viewers shouldn’t expect any break in the climate change advocacy. On Friday, April 20, GMA will use Earth Day to lobby for global warming.
—Scott Whitlock is a news analyst for the Media Research Center.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Indeed these numbers look
December 20, 2007 - 11:14 ET by GordmanIndeed these numbers look scary, we have to wake up for once. I know that each one of us pays attention to this we could produce good changes in these dramatic trends. For starters we could be more careful about recycling and also renewing household appliances would be a good idea. I personally bough a new set of Maytag parts just because of that and now I feel like I did the right thing.
"if you think you have
April 18, 2007 - 14:53 ET by ckc1227"if you think you have nothing to do with global warming, think again. From the car you drive, to the house you live in, it all contributes to the problem."
As does the broadcasting of your little television show and the operation of the theme parks that are owned by your parent company. Perhaps those watching at home could start to contribute to the solution by turning off the tv when your show is on.
Also, I trust you've made recommendations to your many bosses that it would be in the best interest of the environment if Disney and all it's various entities would cease operations immediately. Sure, thousands would be out of work, and such actions would have zero effect on killer global warming, but what the hell? It's the thought that counts, or, if you're a liberal, it's the thoughtlessness.
ckc1227,Their hypocrisy is mi
April 18, 2007 - 15:54 ET by msh1973ckc1227,
Their hypocrisy is mind blowing. Just think of all the power it takes to run one Disney Theme park for one day, let alone all the Parks combined. Oh, but that is ok, it is just us little Ol' people out here that can make a difference. It makes me want to scream. I have seemingly sound minded friends (who call themselves conservatives) that are falling for these lies. What is it the left wants from all of this? I don't get it, never will I guess.
"Their hypocrisy is mi
April 19, 2007 - 03:34 ET by ckc1227"Their hypocrisy is mind blowing. Just think of all the power it takes to run one Disney Theme park for one day, let alone all the Parks combined."
I'd love to see them try to run those theme parks using solar panels and windmills, lol. Now THAT would be good tv.
Scam
April 19, 2007 - 06:27 ET by allanfWhat a great scam. The pitch goes "you are evil just by living and participating in society". Has all the appeal of a religion with Gore as the god.
Good grief. I'd learn more
April 18, 2007 - 14:54 ET by radiofitz34Good grief. I'd learn more from Dora The Explorer than for Sam Champion. I have a good idea Sam. Rather than worry about light switches, I'll switch channels on my remote.
***sigh***It is just sad how
April 18, 2007 - 14:56 ET by Sick-n-Tired***sigh***
It is just sad how they have an unobstructed platform from which to preach. Friday-Sunday is going to be a disgusting orgy of GW hype.
Btw, how much of a sasquatch footprint do those monster flat panels behind him have? Perhaps he should go back to the old school way of maps painted on plywood with little suns and clouds he can pin to it as he goes through the forecast!
Here's a solution:
April 18, 2007 - 14:57 ET by c5thenEveryone stop watching GMA. That will save thousands of ponds of CO2 from the TV's being off, but it will save 10's of thousands of pounds due to the studio being vacant for those hours and all the lights and sound equipment and AC can be shut down.
If all the Libs would simply
April 18, 2007 - 15:01 ET by mattmIf all the Libs would simply live the way they want everyone else to live all thses kinds of problems would go away. I figure there are at least 500 million Libs in the world. If they all started living a primative (so-called) lifestye, and aborted all their kids, etc. they'd all die off eventually. Until then they'd be out of everyone's hair....
...a guy can dream, can't he?
matt...I share your dream!The
April 18, 2007 - 15:04 ET by Clear thinkermatt...
I share your dream!
The liberal MSM has become an enemy of the USA.
"If it was good enough f
April 18, 2007 - 15:54 ET by Rackie"If it was good enough for my great, great, great, great, great grandpa, it's good enough for me".
do as I say not as i do
April 18, 2007 - 15:00 ET by nicksmith112I wonder what kind of carbon footprint Mr. Champion has?
99% chance of hypocrite!
How much of a "carbon fo
April 18, 2007 - 15:02 ET by Justin McCarthyHow much of a "carbon footprint" is Sam Champion leaving powering up those video screens behind him?
To Justin and all the comment
April 18, 2007 - 15:33 ET by Scott WhitlockTo Justin and all the commenters who mentioned it: I added in the line about Champion and the video screens behind him. Thanks for the great zinger!
Their carbon footprint totale
April 18, 2007 - 15:50 ET by taznarHow shocking! I wonder how that could possibly be???
Hmm.... a family of 8 people...
Would that be the average family of 4???
Let's all give this family a round of applause for having a below average per capita carbon footprint! Maybe Al Gore should buy some carbon credits from them.
Here's how I'm HELPING to ach
April 18, 2007 - 15:53 ET by Mr. KafirHere's how I'm HELPING to achieve global warming (I hate the cold temperatures):
Morons.
Bumper sticker
April 19, 2007 - 09:48 ET by UnsaneBumper sticker seen in Anchorage: "ALASKANS FOR GLOBAL WARMING"
"HAV3 TH3 BRIDG3S OF INSANITY B33N CROSS3D AND FOR3V3R R3TRACT3D???." - Meshuggah, "3ntrapm3nt", from Catch Thirty Thr33 (2005)
The average American househ
April 18, 2007 - 16:02 ET by Dave in TexasThe average American household produces over 35,000 pounds of carbon
dioxide each year. Added together, that's 20 percent of the greenhouse
gases our entire country produces.
It may be 20 percent of what humans in our country produce, but I would be very interested to see the total amount of carbon dioxide produced by all emitters in our country, and where humans fit in. I've got a feeling that the ants and termites are kicking our keisters.
Oh, yeah. And driving a hybrid would help.
If he's encouraging these people to go out and purchase a new hybrid, shouldn't he be calculating the amount of carbon dioxide that will be emitted by the production and distribution of that car so that we know what the net decrease will be?
So, the number one cause of carbon emissions from your house is your
boiler and your air-conditioner. They give off 65 percent of all the
carbon coming out of your household.
Assuming they have an electric water heater, wouldn't the actual carbon dioxide be emitted from the power source that provides the electricity? I don't know where the Flanagans live, but if they are getting their electricity from a hydroelectric or nuclear power plant, then every electronic device in their house isn't responsible for squat.
sam's money
April 18, 2007 - 16:38 ET by m1xramIf Sam were willing to send me 100Gs or so, 200Gs would be better, I'll do my very best to implement some of his suggestions. There are some very fuel efficient Ducati's I need to reduce my carbon footprint.
Then I'll build a new home, one big room, R300 insulation, low ceiling for better heating/cooling, with a big windmill out back. Better make that 300Gs.
Oops, the old home is inefficient, better bulldoze it and send me another 300Gs for the family that wishes to live here.
A couple more homes and Sam will be out of cash, better search around the neighborhood for a refrigerator box for him to live in.
With all of Sam's help what would the result be? Would we reduce global warming 1%? 5%? What if it keeps rolling on like some scientists think it will? Is it worth bankrupting us to find out?
m1xram
To them? Of course, it is d
April 18, 2007 - 16:45 ET by Sick-n-TiredTo them? Of course, it is definately worth it---sad to say. Scary huh?
Dim Bulb
April 18, 2007 - 17:09 ET by nkviking75I'll just bet those ABC technicians are lighting ol' Sam with those cute little florescent light bulbs, right?
NAH!
If I want to be preached to, I'll turn on TBN.
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
You read my mind. I was think
April 19, 2007 - 07:31 ET by danboYou read my mind. I was thinking of them using those little lights the science guy pushes.
They preach but make no changes in their own way of doing business.
They only want us to change. Not themselves. How selfish of us to not change because chicken little says the sky is falling.
The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.” H.L. Mencken
And now Americans have to try
April 18, 2007 - 17:21 ET by ucAnd now Americans have to try to live down international rep that it now takes near a million americans to change one lightbulb.
On Walden this isn't.
Bless me father, for I have used electricity
April 18, 2007 - 18:06 ET by QueenMumOh God! Would it help if I apologize on national T.V. and then go into Global Warming rehab?
YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY?!
April 18, 2007 - 21:45 ET by dahliatraversYOU HAVEN'T ALREADY?!
Hairdos without brains like
April 18, 2007 - 18:19 ET by daveinbocaHairdos without brains like Edwards, Kerry, and Champion appear to be the wave [or curl] of the future. How does this pretty-boy get his credentials?
I tuned in the Weather Channel a couple of nights ago and some bimbo named Heidi was preaching old-time religion on global warming.
Those icecaps melting on Mars have no effect on snake-oil salesmen like Champion and Heidi---they're on automatic pilot.
Heidi Cullen, chief meterolog
April 18, 2007 - 18:22 ET by ahusserHeidi Cullen, chief meterologist for the weather channel, stated a couple of months ago than any scientist that denies global warming should be de-certified. The debate is over. She has spoken.
On scientists and Dzugashvili
April 19, 2007 - 09:49 ET by UnsaneI wonder if Cullen was actually born in December 1879?
"HAV3 TH3 BRIDG3S OF INSANITY B33N CROSS3D AND FOR3V3R R3TRACT3D???." - Meshuggah, "3ntrapm3nt", from Catch Thirty Thr33 (2005)
That New Refrigerator
April 18, 2007 - 19:37 ET by pbthinkerI was taken aback, when I read the comment about buying a new refrigerator and it paying for itself in a few years. I'm generally aware of the large energy users, in the home, and the refrigerator is not at the top of the list. I went to a site to get some information and came across this:
"In fact, choosing energy-efficient appliances is one way you can immediately reduce your contribution to global climate change. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary gas affecting global warming and virtually all energy-using equipment results in CO2 emissions either directly or indirectly. Since burning oil or gas in your furnace creates CO2 directly, choosing a more efficient furnace will reduce this pollutant right from your home. Furthermore, coal or gas is burned in most power plants to create electricity and this produces emissions. By replacing a 20-year-old refrigerator with a new, energy-efficient model, not only will you save about 800 kWh per year, you will also reduce your home's CO2 contribution by about one ton per year—all while saving about $65 per year through reduced electric bills."
So, at $5.00 a month or $65.00 per year, roughly, how many years will it take to pay for a cheap refrigerator (say $300) and not that side by side model, with the water and ice in the door? This is typical MSM, where they put out STUFF, I call it stuff because you certainly can't call it information, with no research and no facts and, because it's on the MSM with their knowledgeable weatherman, it certainly must be true. HOGWASH, they don't do any research and they're agenda driven, period.
Never argue with an idiot. They'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.
Well after reading this...I w
April 18, 2007 - 20:00 ET by sembyWell after reading this...I wanted to know what kind of schooling Sam Champion attended, what did he major in?
From Wikipedia...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Champion
Champion holds a B.A. in broadcast news from Eastern Kentucky University, where he interned at WKYT-TV in Lexington, Kentucky. He will also contribute to weather and environment-related stories for ABC News programs. Champion is not a meteorologist, but he gained weather forecasting knowledge through his broadcast work. Not a meteorologist or a scientist, but just a BA in broadcast news.
Yeah! like we really are going to listen him....
Credentials
April 18, 2007 - 20:12 ET by pbthinkerHey, in the Global Warming world, that is sufficient to get yourself quoted as an expert. What background does the Goracle have? Oh yeh, he was almost the President of the United States, another case of divine intervention to prevent a disaster. Somehow I think there may be divine intervention going on with the GW crowd, every time they march, it snows. Sounds like a plan to me. They can eventually say that, had they not marched, it wouldn't have snowed, so that they have actually cooled the planet just by stating their views.
Never argue with an idiot. They'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.
Excellent research, semby.
April 18, 2007 - 21:53 ET by dahliatraversExcellent research, semby. Global warming skeptics who possess a degree in the field are marginalized. Global warming skeptics without credentials are dismissed out of hand. On that basis, why should we take anything Champion says seriously?
This is getting to be like that hotel commercial. "Are you an expert in climatology?" "No, but I watched An Inconvenient Truth last night."
Excellent work, semby
April 18, 2007 - 22:18 ET by RJExcellent work, semby. Someone should send this ignorant clown this thread.
"Did we think Kyoto would [reduce global warming] when we signed it? Hell no!" -Al Gore
Never watch GMA, but this s
April 18, 2007 - 23:30 ET by SnowWhiteNever watch GMA, but this story makes me wonder how many puppets the GW alarmists have in their pockets? Surely Sam & others who have jumped on algores climate-change bandwagon can't really believe what they're saying. And, I'll bet they're not practicing what they preach.....just like their big leader, lord al. I thought gore believed in God. Apparently not or he wouldn't be lying to people and he would know that, "the earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof". And, didn't God promise not to ever flood the earth again? Yet they keep predicting major floods along with other catastrophic events. What arrogant, lying, disgusting, hypocritical scum-bags these people are! And that's the nicest thing I can think to say about them.
Sam Champion is male bimbo,
April 19, 2007 - 02:15 ET by radiofitz34Sam Champion is male bimbo, if there were such a thing.
Let's have some fun and break down the term "greenhouse gases" shall we. First of all a greenhouse is an enclosed unit or building that is made from transparent material such as glass or plastic. Gases are the byproduct of chemical interaction and happen for the most part naturally.
OK now people build greenhouses in order to make plants grow in a controlled environment. Gases happen when cows fart or Al Gore farts (holy cow!) or many other combinations. That's the way the earth is set up.
If these AGW fanatics want to feel guilty about it, don't look at us, look in the mirror.
On nuclear power
April 19, 2007 - 09:53 ET by UnsaneYou know, Sam Champion-for-guilt, I am willing to bet we wouldn't be contributing to this theoretical occurrence of yours if the United States were mostly generating nuclear power. I will safely bet that you will not, under any circumstances, support nuclear power, as that does not allow you to destroy the world's largest and most advanced economy in the name of your personal guilt.
"HAV3 TH3 BRIDG3S OF INSANITY B33N CROSS3D AND FOR3V3R R3TRACT3D???." - Meshuggah, "3ntrapm3nt", from Catch Thirty Thr33 (2005)