Climate Change

In the not-too-distant future, a highly advanced alien civilization discovers the planet Earth and its inhabitants. Shocked at the environmental devastation they see, and afraid that it might spread to other planets, the aliens use their advanced technology to wipe out the human race and save the Earth from destruction.

Does this sound like the plot of a bad science fiction movie? It actually comes from a NASA-affiliated scientist and his colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania, who produced a report about possible outcomes for human contact with extra-terrestrials.

Now my question is, what will the aliens do with our planet once they destroy us? Turn it into an inter-galactic eco-tourism destination? more >>

A group of 31 scientists from universities across Iowa wrote an open letter to political candidates asking them to acknowledge the scientific evidence for human-caused climate change.

“We urge all candidates for public office at national, state, and local levels to acknowledge the overwhelming balance of evidence for the underpinning causes of climate change, to develop appropriate policy responses, and to develop local and statewide strategies to adapt to near-term changes in climate,” the letter states.

Most scientists who study the topic believe that increasing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, mostly by burning fossil fuels, is causing the earth to get warmer through a “greenhouse effect.” more >>

The longer former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney stays in the GOP presidential race, the more Republicans seem to doubt his ideology as a true conservative.

Romney has been accused of changing his mind on many political issues and most recently his views concerning global climate change have come under scrutiny.

Before Romney gave his speech in Pittsburgh last week, he had been a Republican who fully supported the scientific claims that human activity contributes to climate change. According to Reuters, Romney had also said in June of this year that the U.S. should "reduce our emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases that may be significant contributors." more >>

Republicans, who are determined to eliminate federal regulations deemed a hindrance to energy independence and jobs, are questioning the accuracy of science utilized by the Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency.

In a letter released dated Tuesday, Sens. David Vitter (R-La.), and James Inhofe (R-Okla.), and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) list a number of incidents in which federal agencies have either misrepresented scientific studies or did not properly present data to support its conclusions.

"We've seen facts manipulated and science ignored across the administration while they've developed policies with huge negative effects on the economy," Sen. Vitter said in a statement. more >>

Friends of the Earth, an environmentalist political advocacy organization, has successfully secured, through the Freedom of Information Act, the release of email communications from the State Department regarding TransCanada, the company charged with building the Keystone XL pipeline. The emails reveal bias in the State Department's environmental impact study, according to Friends of the Earth.

The Keystone XL pipeline would carry oil from Canada through the United State's midsection to refineries in Texas.

Proponents of the pipeline argue it would bring wealth and jobs to the states the pipeline would run through, and it would make the United States less reliant on oil from the Middle East. more >>

Using records reported by Opensecrets.org, The Christian Post calculates that bankrupt solar manufacturer Solyndra spent nearly $1.1 million on Washington lobbying since 2008. That includes 2009, when critics say the White House pressured the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to cut short due diligence on a federal loan guarantee of more than $500 million for the Calif.-based company.

The White House may even have known about repeated predictions that the company would go bankrupt.

The bulk of the lobbying money was spent in 2010. In May of last year, President Obama visited the Solyndra plant after it opened and touted it as a model for how government and private sector collaboration can bring about "green energy" jobs. Just two months earlier, however, auditors from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP had warned that the company was in jeopardy and could go bankrupt. more >>