NASA Administrator the White House "denier-of-the-day"

onMay 31, 2007 @ 11:15 PDT

At the same time that NASA scientists are reporting that we are at a dangerous and critical global warming tipping point, their top administrator will take to the airwaves tomorrow morning with a very different, if not diametrically opposite message.

According to a NPR press release out today, Michael Griffin, President Bush’s appointment to the NASA administrator position, states:

…a trend of global warming exists, I am not sure that it is fair to say that it is a problem we must wrestle with.” Griffin continues: “I guess I would ask which human beings – where and when – are to be accorded the privilege of deciding that this particular climate that we have right here today, right now is the best climate for all other human beings. I think that’s a rather arrogant position for people to take.”

Not only is it hard, if not impossible, to find such a conclusion based on NASA findings, it is absolutely absurd when you consider the latest findings of the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. To start, I would suggest that the 75 million to 250 million Africans who will suffer from increased water shortages due to climate change by 2020, might agree that the climate we currently have is just fine.

The timing of this interview and heavy statement by the NASA administrator is even more questionable when one considers the heat the United states is about to take for its expected non-participation in any new climate change commitments at next week’s G8 Summit meeting.

Today we saw White House Environmental Council on Environmental Quality, James Connaughton on the PR offensive saying that the “US has a different set of [greenhouse gas emission] targets.” Tomorrow it will be Bush’s top man at NASA playing the denier-of-the-day role. It will be interesting to see who they pull out for the grand finale of this PR spectacle.

By Kevin Grandia

Kevin is a contributor and strategic adviser to DeSmog. He runs the digital marketing agency Spake Media House. Named a “Green Hero” by Rolling Stone Magazine and one of the “Top 50 Tweeters” on climate change and environment issues, Kevin has appeared in major news media outlets around the world for his work on digital campaigning. Kevin has been involved in the public policy arena in both the United States and Canada for more than a decade. For five years he was the managing editor of DeSmogBlog.com. In this role, Kevin’s research into the “climate denial industry” and the right-wing think tank networks was featured in news media articles around the world. He is most well known for his ground-breaking research into David and Charles Koch’s massive financial investments in the Republican and tea party networks. Kevin is the first person to be designated a “Certified Expert” on the political and community organizing platform NationBuilder. Prior to DeSmog, Kevin worked in various political and government roles. He was Senior Advisor to the Minister of State for Multiculturalism and a Special Assistant to the Minister of State for Asia Pacific, Foreign Affairs for the Government of Canada. Kevin also worked in various roles in the British Columbia provincial government in the Office of the Premier and the Ministry of Health. In 2008 Kevin co-founded a groundbreaking new online election tool called Vote for Environment which was later nominated for a World Summit Award in recognition of the world’s best e-Content and innovative ICT applications. Kevin moved to Washington, DC in 2010 where he worked for two years as the Director of Online Strategy for Greenpeace USA and has since returned to his hometown of Vancouver, Canada.

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