Hot air over global warming

The hot air of politicians inspired an ingenious idea by a free-market organization, Americans for Prosperity. It is conducting a nationwide hot air balloon tour to build grass-roots pressure against costly state, local and federal climate-change policies.

AFP, consider this your invitation to bring the Hot Air Tour to Washington. When it comes to politicians spouting hot air about "global warming," folks in Seattle and Olympia take the cake.

Gov. Chris Gregoire and her legislative allies have committed our state to an economic suicide pact known as the Western Climate Initiative.

This amazingly complex and costly scheme seeks to redistribute wealth in the name of global warming through an approach already proved unsuccessful in Europe.

The governor's own Ecology staff admit that the pact likely will result in a "leakage" of jobs to other states. Experts agree the WCI most likely also will mean higher costs for Washington's electricity consumers.

So why would anyone support this and other foolish environmental policies?

Many politicians see climate change as another way of persuading voters to surrender more power and authority to government. They also receive contributions and votes from the eco-lobby.

Some businesses have much to gain by using the "green" label and our own guilt to sell us overpriced goods and services.

Many scientists have staked their reputations (and huge research grants) on faulty and often-discredited climate change research.

The WCI is yet another example of government officials using global-warming alarmism for their own self-interest or that of their political allies.

What is most disturbing is that those policies are based on questionable science.

Despite assertions to the contrary, there is no consensus on global warming. More than 31,000 American scientists have signed a petition rejecting "man-made global warming."

"There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of ... greenhouse gases is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth's atmosphere and disruption of the Earth's climate," the petition states.

Even those who promote climate change have to admit the data does not match their theories. German researchers, in the journal Nature, predict that global temperatures might stay flat or decline in the next decade. They predict we'll see warming again in 15 to 20 years.

Global warming "science" is based on computer models that have never been validated through observable data. We have had 10 years of global cooling since 1998, and now the leading proponents of climate change say warming is going to be delayed another 20 years. And they expect us to endure higher taxes, higher unemployment, more bureaucracy and less freedom for this theory?

Enacting policies that will devastate our economy, kill jobs, increase energy prices and reduce our freedoms is not the answer; it's just more hot air.

The real alternative is to look to nuclear power, clean coal, smart grids and other new energy technologies that can deliver true energy independence, improve our environment and keep Washington's economy both green and strong.

Sen. Jerome Delvin, R-Richland, represents the 8th Legislative District and serves on the Senate Water, Energy and Telecommunications Committee.

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