O.K. I've been dragging my feet for several weeks on this one. In this assignment, we are supposed to find a source on the web that argues that climate change is not an issue. I've been avoiding it as I strongly believe that anyone who denies the presence of climate change in the overwhelming light of overwhelming evidence is either deeply in denial him/herself or is working under a hidden agenda. Either way, s/he would make my blood pressure go up and that wouldn't be pretty.

Anyhow, I had to tackle it, so I found an article in the Telegraph online about Dr. Michael Griffin. Dr. Griffin was nominated head of NASA by George W. Bush in 2005. His nomination was later approved by the Senate. In 2007 Dr. Griffin stated, "it was 'arrogant' and unfair to treat global warming as a problem that needed to be tackled." He further stated that global warming did likely exist but that he didn't feel it was a problem. He said, "To assume that it is a problem is to assume that the state of Earth's climate today is the optimal climate, the best climate that we could have or ever have had and that we need to take steps to make sure that it doesn't change."

Sure, he's not denying climate change, but he is suggesting that it's not necessarily a bad thing --perhaps he might also be suggesting that climate change is just a matter of earth's evolution and not a man-made thing. Hooey! Dr. Griffin was widely criticized by his colleagues for taking this stand and later apologized to them behind closed doors.

It is also a well-known fact that George W. Bush had extensive oil interests and came from an oil state. And, as we learned in class, he and his administration did a good job of burying climate change data. Talk about an agenda! (See the 60 minutes interview with respected NASA scientist Jim Hansen and the Bush administration: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/17/60minutes/main1415985.shtml) Dr. Griffin seems to have climbed on board Bush's agenda train too.

Jim Hansen, however is a respected scientist who first brought climate change to world attention in the late 1980's. Climate change is not a new concept --it just seems to be after eight years of foolishness under the Bush administration. Jim Hansen referred to Griffin's statement as "arrogant" as well.

It is also interesting to note that, with the coming of the Obama presidency, Griffin left his position as head of NASA. There is this complicated dance where the heads of various agencies tender their resignation during a change of administration. Various colleagues make recommendations that certain heads should stay, and the new administration decides to accept or decline their resignations. Dr Griffin's resignation was accepted and he had to find a new "agenda". GOBAMA!