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Those characters depicted in the fourth panel? Arguably two of the most ignorant and craven people ever elected to office, Republican climate change deniers Sen. James "Sen. Snowball" Inhofe (R-Oilpatch) and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Nitwit).
From the 25th annual "State of the Climate" report by NASA and the American Meteorological Association:
“Most of the dozens of essential climate variables monitored each year in this report continued to follow their long-term trends in 2014, with several setting new records,” the report said. [snip]
Perhaps Jeff Severinghaus of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography provides the best takeaway from the report, saying, if this is Earth’s annual checkup, “the doctor is saying ‘you are gravely ill.'” (our emphasis)If by "several" records you mean seven, including hottest year, record high greenhouse gas emissions, and record Greenland and Antarctic ice melt. But, it's just scientific evidence, so if you're a Republican, feel free to continue ignoring it.
BONUS: Meanwhile, in other climate change denial news, there's this from Down Under:
[Sydney] Cardinal George Pell has publicly criticised Pope Francis' decision to place climate change at the top of the Catholic Church's agenda.
Cardinal Pell, a well-known climate change skeptic, told the Financial Times the church had "no particular expertise in science".
"The church has got no mandate from the Lord to pronounce on scientific matters," he said,
"We believe in the autonomy of science."This clerical cluck, unfortunately, was placed in an important Vatican post by Pope Francis (Prefect of the Secretariat of the Economy), who may now rue that decision. Pell is also not alone among his countrymen: Australia has the highest percentage of climate change skeptics in the world, with 17% of the population having their head up their asses (the US is fourth, with 12% similarly afflicted).
