A group of scientists, seeking to cut off assaults on climate science at the pass, sent a letter to every member of the House and Senate urging them to take a “fresh look” at climate change and volunteering to appear at hearings on the subject.
The letter asks representatives to set partisanship aside for a fair analysis of the science. “Political philosophy has a legitimate role in policy debates, but not in the underlying climate science,” they wrote. “There are no Democratic or Republican carbon dioxide molecules; they are all invisible and they all trap heat.”
The 18 climate scientists–organized as the Project on Climate Science—stressed the practical need to be concerned about climate even at a time of economic distress, emphasizing that it will only become a more expensive problem if the country waits to act. They also emphasize the threat that sea level rise poses to coastal infrastructure and the human health implications.
The scientists urge members and senators to hold hearings on climate science, offering their own services for that purpose. Some House Republicans now in leadership positions have called for climate science hearings, albeit from the perspective of accusing scientists of fraud. That appears to have fallen down their list of priorities for this year.
