Since Americans are Teenagers, They Won’t Understand Greenhouse Gases

obama-200By Nick Loris

“The American public… just like your teenage kids, aren’t acting in a way that they should act. The American public has to really understand in their core how important this issue is.”

In case you haven’t heard, that was Secretary of Energy Steven Chu discussing your ability to curb greenhouse gas emissions. As long as we’re acting like teenagers, we might as well be treated like them. According to the Obama administration, we can’t understand what greenhouse gases are, so we’ll use the terms “carbon pollution” or “heat-trapping emissions” instead. From Lauren Morello, E&E reporter:

“We know that our planet’s future depends on a global commitment to permanently reduce greenhouse gas pollution,” President Obama said yesterday at the U.N. Summit on Climate Change in New York, one of several references to “greenhouse gas pollution” and “carbon pollution” sprinkled throughout his speech. The president also referred to “carbon pollution” in April, during a much-publicized speech to the National Academy of Sciences, and again in June, in a press conference just before the House voted to pass a broad climate and energy bill.

And he’s not alone. Top Obama administration science officials, including Energy Secretary Steven Chu and U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, have also adopted similar vocabulary, a subtle linguistic shift in the ongoing climate debate. In fact, during an hour long June briefing to launch a major government climate change report, a panel that included White House science adviser John Holdren and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief Jane Lubchenco mentioned greenhouse gases just once — instead warning about the perils of “heat-trapping gases” or “heat-trapping pollutants.”

Read the rest of this commentary at Heritage Foundation.

13 Responses to Since Americans are Teenagers, They Won’t Understand Greenhouse Gases

  1. Paul Wenum September 23, 2009 at 8:03 pm #

    Put us all in Congress and we will all have “heat trapping pollutants.” This is getting weird. If it looks like a dog, barks like a dog, a dog it is. Remember 2010 is all I can say.

  2. Neil F. AGWD September 24, 2009 at 6:42 am #

    I for one am glad they changed the verbage. I am just so stupid that I had no idea what greenhouse gas meant. Now I get it. Its a gas that traps heat! Duh, I am so grateful to this administration for clearing that up for me, duh, carbon pollutants are bad m’kay.
    Never mind that the AGW theory has yet to be proven to be fact, m’kay, never mind that it is the one sure fire way to control every single aspect of modern life, to control CO2. Duh, I love BO…………..

  3. Rob N. Hood October 2, 2009 at 8:41 am #

    It’s so comforting to have Paul and Neil to tell us about the scary world-wide conspriacy headed up by Al Gore, opps I mean B.O., and that the brave Republicans are out to to save us all. Keep up the good work guys, because of you I can go back to watching football and drinking beer.

  4. Rob N. Hood October 2, 2009 at 4:11 pm #

    If the Chinese or Al Queda had done it, we would be absolutely furious. But in fact, it was our own overclass that trashed America, and not only are we not furious at them, most people don’t even notice the crime. Or, if we do notice, we’re furious at some ridiculously inappropriate target, like a ‘liberal’ president who isn’t even remotely liberal.

    They think, oh if only we can vote in the Right Wing again, everything will be peachy. What naivete.

  5. paul wenum October 2, 2009 at 11:59 pm #

    You read Alinsky well I must say. Bye.

  6. Rob N. Hood October 5, 2009 at 8:39 am #

    Paul don’t worry so much, your side is not only winning it has won. Now, if you don’t like the way things are you should re-think some stuff, right? Clinton was not a real Liberal and apparently neither is Obama. Even Carter was pretty moderate. Real liberals lost any power they might have had a long time ago. It truly amazes me that people like you guys cannot see that. You are so stuck- you need to get un-stuck. What will it take? A nuclear war? A real 2nd Great Depression? (it’s closer than you think). What probably will happen is another convenient terrorist attack to scare Americans again into giving up more of thier rights. It’s so sad. It will occur at a moment that will best serve the fascists that are really running the show. Just like last time…

  7. paul wenum October 5, 2009 at 11:57 pm #

    Bye Saul.

  8. Rob N. Hood October 6, 2009 at 8:14 am #

    Sore winner.

  9. Paul Wenum October 6, 2009 at 10:01 pm #

    I hate facts distorted!!!

  10. Rob N. Hood October 7, 2009 at 8:39 am #

    So do I. Your sources do it ALL the time, my sources maybe only some of the time. You have to be careful. It actually is kind of dumb for either of us to believe most of what info we get no matter where we think it comes from. Problem with you is you will never admit that. You swallow whole what you want to believe. I do to sometimes, we all do. But I also examine as many alternatives as possible- I’ve done that a very long time to arrive where I’m at today.

  11. paul wenum October 7, 2009 at 11:13 pm #

    Where are you at today?

  12. Rob N. Hood October 9, 2009 at 8:16 am #

    Well since you asked- I am in my very fancy office in the Kremlin, and I’m drinking very expensive Vodka. Oh and the caviar…mmmmmm.

  13. paul wenum October 9, 2009 at 8:55 pm #

    Polish Zubrowka is better according to my wife.

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