Republicans oppose NIE on climate change
As part of a major intelligence bill being considered in the House, Democrats have included a measure instructing the intelligence community to produce a National Intelligence Estimate on the impacts of climate change and the global risks it will create. From the New York Times article:
Democrats are arguing that large-scale crises caused by climate change, like drought, pandemics, famine and rising sea levels, will affect how the United States conducts foreign policy ... The proposed National Intelligence Estimate would project the effects of global warming over the next 30 years, examining political, social, economic and agricultural risks.
But all 9 Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee opposed the bill. On the surface, they say it's because they believe it's an unnecessary diversion of intelligence resources, when we have a war on terror going on. But the facts don't back them up. Representative Silvestre Reyes (D-TX), chairman of the committee:
This is the largest intelligence bill ever ... The notion that we are shortchanging intelligence is not accurate.
According to the NYT article, the bill provides more funding for intelligence spending than President Bush asked for. And it builds on suggestions in "National Security and the Threat of Climate Change," a report by 11 retired admirals and generals that points to the need to seriously study and plan for national security risks that will arise from the impacts of global warming.
The real reason the Republicans opposed sending the bill to the floor? Because, despite the sound science demonstrating global warming is real, they still don't believe in it. Which makes them terrible lawmakers on environmental issues.
