From illegal immigration and trade to voter fraud, CNN’s Lou Dobbs is never shy about expressing his opinions. That rule held true when Dobbs brought up global warming on Jan. 5.
The outspoken host of “Lou Dobbs Tonight” observed that global warming activists treat their belief in global warming like a religion following a segment about the issue by CNN correspondent Ines Ferre.
“The one issue here, and as we have examined and reported on the issue of global warming, uh, it is so clear that on both sides, but particularly the pro-global warming, if there’s such a thing, uh, if I can put it that way, uh, there, they bring this thing to a personal belief system,” Dobbs said. “It’s almost a religion without any question.”
Dobbs noted how “miniscule” man’s impact on the climate is compared to other factors, specifically sunspot activity.
“And what we are watching now – we’re in the second year of the solar sunspot activity cycle – an 11-year cycle and many scientists are saying, ‘My gosh, compared to what our sun can do – man has miniscule influence,’” Dobbs said.
Dobbs also said that data is cherry-picked to make the case for global warming alarmism.
“Well, passionate – we’re all concerned about this planet. We’re concerned about our atmosphere, our air, our water and our children’s, uh, futures,” Dobbs said. “But, there seems to be such a crowding out of facts and objective assessment of those facts, uh, and as the scientist – the climatologist in your report suggested – there’s such selective choices of data, as one discusses and tries to understand the reality of the issues that make up global warming.”
The climatologist Dobbs referenced from Ferre’s report was Joseph D’Aleo – the executive director of International Climate and Environmental Change Assessment Project (ICECAP) (http://icecap.us).
ICECAP is one of 33 groups co-sponsoring The Heartland Institute's
2009 International Conference on Climate Change in
“We are too short-sighted or certainly, uh, those who believe in it, are not looking at the big picture, which needs to include other factors, the natural cycles in the ocean and the sun that are the real drivers,” D’Aleo said.
Ferre alluded to the $175 “cow tax” that some farmers feel is a possibility and could increase their operating costs.
“Some farmers fear future regulations on greenhouse gas emissions could include what could amount to a cow tax,” Ferre said. “The United Nations calculates that livestock are responsible for 18 percent greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.”
Ferre said the Environment Protection Agency has denied it is considering a tax on livestock.
“The Environmental Protection Agency says methane, a greenhouse gas associated with livestock, is not being considered for regulation at this point,” Ferre said.
However, Rick Krause, senior director of congressional relations for the American Farm Bureau, told the Business & Media Institute it is a possibility – especially based on the rhetoric of President-elect Barack Obama and the use of the EPA to combat global warming. Such action by an Obama administration would take an act of Congress for livestock to be exempt.
“The new president has been on record as saying that he really supports regulating greenhouse gases out of the Clean Air Act,” Krause said to the Business & Media Institute. “So, we really have to keep an eye on it. Legislation would really be the only way to exempt it at this point – the cow tax.”
