Republicans Must Lead on Climate Change
By Tom Harris and Dr. Jay Lehr
There have always been prominent Republicans prepared to support, or acquiesce to, the climate scare. It is a huge problem for President Donald Trump who understands, correctly, that concerns about dangerous man-made climate change are not based on solid science.
As early as 1990, President George H. W. Bush started the National Climate Assessment, which has been a continual thorn in the side of climate realists. Two years later, Bush signed the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change at the Earth Summit in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro. The treaty set the stage for the climate alarmist stance of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that led to the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement.
Today, we have Republicans such as Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC), U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, and the 23 House Republicans that belong to the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus (CSC) all boosting climate alarmism. George P. Shultz, who served on the Cabinet under three different Republican presidents, is listed first on the Advisory Board of the Citizens' Climate Lobby (CCL), the group which backs the CSC.
Graham is especially aggressive on the issue, dismissing fellow Republicans who oppose climate alarmism at the April 24 EarthX2019 conference in Dallas. Graham told reporters about plans to develop climate change legislation in 2020 that would offer an alternative to the Democrats’ Green New Deal but “that would be good for the environment and good for business."
Perry chimed in, boasting to conference attendees that the United States “continue[s] to lead in reducing energy-related carbon emissions. That’s something to be proud of… Back in Washington, people argue endlessly on what ‘clean’ or ‘cleaner’ means. Does it mean carbon-neutral or carbon-free?”
"Let's just cross the Rubicon," Graham admonished fellow GOP politicians, according to E&E News. "Let's, as a party, say the Green New Deal sucks but climate change is real."
What really sucks is that, in the name of political correctness, these ostensibly conservative politicians say such incredibly stupid things in support of hugely expensive programs that will have little, if any, benefits to the environment. After all, Perry’s ‘carbon’ is really carbon dioxide (CO2), a colorless, odorless gas essential for plant photosynthesis and so needed for life. For that reason, CO2 concentrations inside commercial greenhouses are frequently maintained at up to 1,500 parts per million (ppm), a level at which plants grow more efficiently than in the outside air at 415 ppm. It is not worth spending anything at all trying to reduce the atmosphere’s CO2 content.
And, even if one accepts the flawed science underlying the climate scare, the Republican’s 2020 climate change legislation would have to be far more severe than even the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) to have appreciable impact on climate. The Institute for Energy Research explained in 2014, “It turns out that if you use EPA’s MAGICC model, the impact of this rule (the CPP) would reduce the rise in global temperatures by only 0.137 degrees Celsius by 2100.”
And, yes, climate change is real. So is sunrise and gravity. That doesn’t mean that we cause them, or, in the case of climate change, if we do contribute, that our impact is in any way dangerous. After all, even NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies asserts that the Global Annual Mean Surface Air Temperature Change from 1880 to 2017 is only just over one degree Celsius despite a supposed 40% rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) content. And this modest warming has been a very good thing as we have pulled out of the Little Ice Age.
“Besides wanting to avoid the discomfort of being labeled ‘climate change deniers,’ and attempting to attract left wing voters, many Republican climate alarmists are apparently under the impression that they must follow public opinion on climate change,” said Marc Morano, publisher of the influential Washington DC-based Climatedepot.com. “They should follow President Trump’s example, and lead the public to a more realistic view of this important topic.”
Morano is right. In “Shifting public opinion on climate change: an empirical assessment of factors influencing concern over climate change in the U.S.,” published in 2012 in the journal Climatic Change, Drexel University, McGill University, and Ohio State University researchers demonstrated that the stated positions of politicians and other “elites” in society is the primary factor influencing public opinion. The study showed that when prominent Republicans worked with Democrats to support concerns about dangerous global warming, the public was far more supportive of this stance. However, following the Republican split with the Democrats on the issue in 2008, there was a quick reduction in the fraction of the public who “worried a great deal” about climate.
So, unless Perry, Graham, and the rest actually want the public to support climate alarmism, they should clearly state that Trump is right and, in his support, cite reports such as those of the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change. These documents summarize thousands of studies from peer-reviewed scientific journals that either refute or cast serious doubt on the climate scare. Then Republicans can play their proper role in leading the public to a balanced understanding of this complex and important topic.
_______________________
Tom Harris is Executive Director of the Ottawa, Canada-based International Climate Science Coalition (ICSC) and a policy advisor to The Heartland Institute. Dr. Jay Lehr is Senior Policy Analyst with ICSC and former Science Director at Heartland.
=========================
Republicans Must Lead on Climate Change
By Tom Harris and Dr. Jay Lehr
There have always been prominent Republicans prepared to support, or acquiesce to, the climate scare. It is a huge problem for President Donald Trump who understands, correctly, that concerns about dangerous man-made climate change are not based on solid science.
As early as 1990, President George H. W. Bush started the National Climate Assessment, which has been a continual thorn in the side of climate realists. Two years later, Bush signed the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change at the Earth Summit in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro. The treaty set the stage for the climate alarmist stance of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that led to the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement.
Today, we have Republicans such as Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC), U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, and the 23 House Republicans that belong to the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus (CSC) all boosting climate alarmism. George P. Shultz, who served on the Cabinet under three different Republican presidents, is listed first on the Advisory Board of the Citizens' Climate Lobby (CCL), the group which backs the CSC.
Graham is especially aggressive on the issue, dismissing fellow Republicans who oppose climate alarmism at the April 24 EarthX2019 conference in Dallas. Graham told reporters about plans to develop climate change legislation in 2020 that would offer an alternative to the Democrats’ Green New Deal but “that would be good for the environment and good for business."
Perry chimed in, boasting to conference attendees that the United States “continue[s] to lead in reducing energy-related carbon emissions. That’s something to be proud of… Back in Washington, people argue endlessly on what ‘clean’ or ‘cleaner’ means. Does it mean carbon-neutral or carbon-free?”
"Let's just cross the Rubicon," Graham admonished fellow GOP politicians, according to E&E News. "Let's, as a party, say the Green New Deal sucks but climate change is real."
What really sucks is that, in the name of political correctness, these ostensibly conservative politicians say such incredibly stupid things in support of hugely expensive programs that will have little, if any, benefits to the environment. After all, Perry’s ‘carbon’ is really carbon dioxide (CO2), a colorless, odorless gas essential for plant photosynthesis and so needed for life. For that reason, CO2 concentrations inside commercial greenhouses are frequently maintained at up to 1,500 parts per million (ppm), a level at which plants grow more efficiently than in the outside air at 415 ppm. It is not worth spending anything at all trying to reduce the atmosphere’s CO2 content.
And, even if one accepts the flawed science underlying the climate scare, the Republican’s 2020 climate change legislation would have to be far more severe than even the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) to have appreciable impact on climate. The Institute for Energy Research explained in 2014, “It turns out that if you use EPA’s MAGICC model, the impact of this rule (the CPP) would reduce the rise in global temperatures by only 0.137 degrees Celsius by 2100.”
And, yes, climate change is real. So is sunrise and gravity. That doesn’t mean that we cause them, or, in the case of climate change, if we do contribute, that our impact is in any way dangerous. After all, even NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies asserts that the Global Annual Mean Surface Air Temperature Change from 1880 to 2017 is only just over one degree Celsius despite a supposed 40% rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) content. And this modest warming has been a very good thing as we have pulled out of the Little Ice Age.
“Besides wanting to avoid the discomfort of being labeled ‘climate change deniers,’ and attempting to attract left wing voters, many Republican climate alarmists are apparently under the impression that they must follow public opinion on climate change,” said Marc Morano, publisher of the influential Washington DC-based Climatedepot.com. “They should follow President Trump’s example, and lead the public to a more realistic view of this important topic.”
Morano is right. In “Shifting public opinion on climate change: an empirical assessment of factors influencing concern over climate change in the U.S.,” published in 2012 in the journal Climatic Change, Drexel University, McGill University, and Ohio State University researchers demonstrated that the stated positions of politicians and other “elites” in society is the primary factor influencing public opinion. The study showed that when prominent Republicans worked with Democrats to support concerns about dangerous global warming, the public was far more supportive of this stance. However, following the Republican split with the Democrats on the issue in 2008, there was a quick reduction in the fraction of the public who “worried a great deal” about climate.
So, unless Perry, Graham, and the rest actually want the public to support climate alarmism, they should clearly state that Trump is right and, in his support, cite reports such as those of the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change. These documents summarize thousands of studies from peer-reviewed scientific journals that either refute or cast serious doubt on the climate scare. Then Republicans can play their proper role in leading the public to a balanced understanding of this complex and important topic.
_______________________
Jay Lehr is Senior Policy Analyst with ICSC and former Science Director at Heartland.
===============================
The Stolen
Releases Self-Titled
Debut Record
Available Now
via Spotify + Apple Music
Old Bridge, NJ - May 31, 2019 - The boys of the pop-rock outfit, The Stolen, have released their highly anticipated self-titled, debut full-length album today via Revival Recordings. The record is now available across streaming services including Spotify and Apple Music, and includes singles such as "Rooftop feat. Jake Miller," "Millennial," "Overboard," "Change The Record" and more.
Guitarist Rob Chiarappa shares, "We've been working on this record for quite a bit now. It's an eclectic collection of who we are as a band and where where we came from. There's hints of our old early EP's in some songs as well as some real curveballs that we've never thrown before. This record defines who we are, The Stolen."
In support of the upcoming record, the band will be hitting the road for a North American tour, kicking off today, May 31 in Philadelphia, and wrapping up on June 26 in Washington D.C. For a list of full dates, please see below or visit: https://www.thestolenmusic.com/tour.
Before they honed their songwriting skills to craft inviting pop hooks and kinetic guitar melodies, the four New Jersey natives who make up The Stolen started off as a group of friends who explored their love of music through learning and performing AC/DC songs together, ripping covers of classic rock anthems and Motown tunes at their grade school talent shows.
Almost 10 years later in 2013, the band started officially releasing music. For the release of their single "Chardonnay" in 2015, they worked with producer Paul Levitt (All Time Low, Have Mercy), and began the transition from their pop-punk beginnings to put more focus on their pop sensibilities. 2016 marked the arrival of their self-released, self-produced EP, I'm So Dead, and in 2017, the band released their most collaborative effort to-date, Fragile Heart.
Over the past few years, The Stolen has been recognized and heralded by notable tastemakers such as MTV, Billboard, and Alternative Press, have shared the stage with bands and artists such as Neon Trees, The All American Rejects, Jake Miller, and more, and have played Vans Warped Tour. The band's single "Overboard," released earlier this year, hit No. 21 on the iTunes Alternative Chart, and that, along with recent singles "Change The Record," "Stuck," and "Rooftop" perfectly illustrate where the band's sound is headed.
The Stolen is available everywhere now. For more information, please visit https://www.thestolenmusic.com/.
The Stolen Tracklisting:
01. Jersey
02. Overboard
03. Change The Record
04. Millennial (feat. Patternist)
05. Rooftop (feat. Jake Miller)
06. Stuck
07. Before You Were Gone
08. Autophobia
09. Only In the Night
10. This Is Good For You, Yeah?
11. If I Left Tomorrow (Will I Stay Here When I Die?)
Upcoming Tour Dates:
Download high-res tour admat HERE.
###
The Stolen is Dom Cuce (vocals, guitar), Rob Chiarappa (guitar), Kevin Smart (bass), and Mike Chiarappa (drums).
For more information and to keep up with The Stolen:
Website: https://www.thestolenmusic.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thestolen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestolen/
Twitter:https://twitter.com/thestolen
============================
SILENT PLANET
TO SUPPORT AUGUST BURNS RED
ON '10 YEARS OF CONSTELLATIONS' TOUR
WHEN THE END BEGAN
OUT NOW VIA SOLID STATE RECORDS
STREAM/BUY:
silentplanet.lnk.to/WhenTheEndBegan
MAY 24, 2019 - LOS ANGELES, CA - Silent Planet are set to support August Burns Red on their 10 Years of Constellations tour, alongside co-support act Silverstein. The 40+ North American tour kicks off on 6/20 in Lancaster, PA and will make its way through Boston, MA; Montreal, QC; Chicago, IL; Vancouver, BC; Seattle, WA; Austin, TX; Nashville, TN and more, before
wrapping up on 8/11 in New York, NY. The 40+ date support tour follows the release of Silent Planet's critically-acclaimed album, When The End Began, out now via Solid State Records. For tickets and more information, please visit https://www.silentplanetband.com/.
Since forming in 2009, Silent Planet have steadily gained traction by playing local venues throughout California and expanding to the DIY touring scene throughout the United States. Over the past 9+ years, the band gained prominence thanks to their vast array of influences, anchored by vocalist Garrett Russell's master's degree in psychology and field experience as a mental health therapist. As a result of their continued momentum, Silent Planet took home the "Underground Band of the Year" award at the 2017 APMA awards.
Their latest album When the End Began, which was released in November 2018, captures Silent Planet's aggressive live sound while retaining their more experimental ambient elements. The record was praised by Billboard for its exploration of "high-minded concepts like apocalypse, eternal return and the crisis of the modern world", while Alternative Press named it one of the best albums of 2018, writing, "When The End Began is an explosive blast of metalcore that will leave your heart as battered as your eardrums."
Along with Russell's poignant lyrics, the band had a plethora of talent and skills to draw on for their latest record. From the dynamic range of bassist Thomas Freckleton, to the progressive drumming of Alexrene Camarena and the diverse arrangements of primary song architect and guitarist Mitchell Stark, Silent Planet managed their most deliberate, cohesive effort to date.
For more information on Silent Planet, please visit:
https://www.silentplanetband.com/
https://www.facebook.com/silentplanetmusic/
https://www.facebook.com/silentplanetmusic/
Tour Dates:
06.20 - Lancaster, PA - Chameleon Club
06.21 - Boston, MA - House of Blues
06.22 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
06.23 - Montreal, QC - M Telus
06.25 - Toronto, ON - Rebel
06.26 - Detroit, MI - Fillmore
06.27 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Ballroom
06.28 - Cincinnati, OH - Bogarts
07.01 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
07.02 - Minneapolis, MN - Skyway Theatre
07.03 - Sauget, IL - Pops
07.05 - Kansas City, MO - Truman
07.06 - Denver, CO - Fillmore
07.07 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
07.09 - Edmonton, AB - Union Hall
07.10 - Calgary, AB - The Palace Theatre
07.11 - Vancouver, BC - Vogue Theater
07.12 - Spokane, WA - Showbox SoDo
07.13 - Seattle, WA - Showbox SoDo
07.14 - Portland, OR - Roseland
07.16 - Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades
07.17 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues
07.19 - Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
07.20 - Mountainview, CA - Warped Tour
07.21 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
07.23 - Las Vegas, NV - House to Blues
07.24 - Phoenix, AZ - Marquee
07.26 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues
07.27 - Austin, TX - Emo's East
07.28 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
07.30 - Tampa, FL - Ritz Ybor
07.31 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Revolution
08.01 - Orlando, FL - House of Blues
08.02 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
08.03 - Nashville, TN - Marathon Music
08.04 - Raleigh, NC - The Ritz
08.06 - Charlotte, NC - Fillmore
08.07 - Norfolk, VA - Norva
08.08 - Silver Spring, MD - Fillmore
08.09 - Philadelphia, PA - Fillmore
08.10 - Pittsburgh, PA - Roxian Theater
08.11 - New York, NY - Playstation Theater
* = w/ August Burns Red & Silverstein