The Climate Change Denier Awards

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With the spotlight on the COVID-19 virus and the social and economic devastation it is causing, it’s easy to overlook the many other challenges that are still ahead. One such challenge is our response to climate change. In the interest of diverting attention from the present troubles, the Climate Deniers Awards have been created. While the list of politicians, talking heads and others who are deserving of consideration is long, only 2 are truly worthy of the top awards—“The Archimedes Principal Award” and the coveted “Head in the Sand Award”.

Honorable Mention

  • Former US Senator Rick Santorum who called climate science a “phony theology” – “a worldview that elevates the Earth above man and says that we can’t take those resources because we’re going to harm the Earth.”
  • Former President George W. Bush for not allowing administration officials to mention climate change or global warming.
  • Former Florida Governor now US Senator Rick Scott who reportedly ordered officials at the state Department of Environmental Protection not to use the term ‘climate change’ or ‘global warming’ in any official communications, emails, or reports.
  • Massey Coal Company CEO Don Blankenship for saying, “We must demand that more coal be burned to save the Earth from global cooling.”
  • The Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial candidate who said a woman asking him about climate change was “young and naive.” He has said human body heat and the Earth spiraling toward the sun are contributing to global warming.
  • The North Carolina Legislature that passed a law requiring projected rates of sea level rise be calculated on historical trends and not include accelerated rates of increase. If you don’t like the science pass a law against it.
  •  Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi who said, “Climate has not changed. We have changed…our tolerance and habits have changed. If we change then God has built the system in such a way that it can balance on its own.
  • Former Prime Minister of Australia Tony Abbott who so eloquently stated, “The climate change argument is absolute crap.”

Archimedes Principal Award

  • Awarded to Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Alabama) who said, “Every time you have that soil or rocks or whatever it is that is deposited into the seas, that forces sea levels to rise, because now you have less space in those oceans, because the bottom is moving up.” It should be noted that Rep. Brooks is a member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Head in the Sand Award Runner Up

  • US Senator James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) who said in a Senate speech, “ I have offered compelling evidence that catastrophic global warming is a hoax,” adding “The claim that man-made emissions is causing global warming is simply untrue and is not based on sound science.” He claimed that EPA is “brainwashing our kids” and brought a snowball onto the senate floor to prove climate change isn’t real. He also said that climate change is impossible because “God’s still up there.”

Head in the Sand Award First Place

Donald J. Trump-Who else could it be? There are way too many things to list to demonstrate why he is so deserving of this award. Here are a few examples:

  • Withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord.
  • Claiming it is a hoax created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.
  • Appointing a lobbyist for coal companies as the head of the EPA.
  • Claiming 97% of climate scientists who believe the climate is changing “…have a very big political agenda“.
  • Appointing a Task Force of climate change skeptics to re-evaluate the federal government’s current conclusions about climate science and the negative impact of fossil fuels.
  • Undoing Obama-era emission limits.
  • Not understanding the difference between climate and weather.

If anyone has a nominee for next year’s awards, please let me know. Bruce.hyde@uconn.edu