Climate Change Isn’t a Threat: God Said So

<p>Under the Democratic-led Congress, action against climate change went essentially nowhere. Under the coming Republican-led Congress, it appears to be headed backward.</p>
<p>Republican Illinois Representative John Shimkus, who according to the <strong>New York Times Green</strong> blog stands a dark-horse chance of <a href=”http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/16/god-man-and-congress-on-climate-change/?partner=rss&emc=rss” target=”_blank”>chairing the House Energy and Commerce Committee</a>, has gone so far as to suggest that <a href=”http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1328366/John-Shimkus-Global-warming-wont-destroy-planet-God-promised-Noah.html” target=”_blank”>climate change won’t destroy the planet</a> because God promised Noah it wouldn’t. His 2009 comments, recounted here by London’s <b>Daily Mail</b>, sent a shockwave of amazement through the progressive and environmental blogospheres:</p>
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<p>Speaking before a House Energy Subcommittee on Energy and Environment hearing in March, 2009, Shimkus quoted Chapter 8, Verse 22 of the Book of Genesis.</p>
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<p>He said: “As long as the earth endures, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, will never cease.”</p>
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<p>The Illinois Republican continued: “I believe that is the infallible word of God, and that’s the way it is going to be for his creation.</p>
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<p>”The earth will end only when God declares its time to be over. Man will not destroy this earth. This earth will not be destroyed by a flood.”</p>
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<p>Speaking to <b>Politico</b> after his comments went viral, Shimkus stood behind them, clarifying that while he believes <a href=”http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/44958.html#ixzz15OZIfeZh” target=”_blank”>climate change is occurring</a>, he thinks it’s folly to spend taxpayer dollars trying to stop “changes that have been occurring forever.”</p>
<p>See Shimkus’ 2009 remarks on the Bible and climate change in this video:</p>
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<span>UPDATE 11/19/2010: At least <a title=”one brave Republican” href=”https://www.utne.com/environment/a-republican-realist-on-climate-change.aspx” target=”_self”>one </a>
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<a title=”one brave Republican” href=”https://www.utne.com/environment/a-republican-realist-on-climate-change.aspx” target=”_self”>brave Republican</a> in Congress concedes that global warming is real and should be aggressively addressed. There’s a problem, though: He’s just been voted out of office.</span>
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<span>Sources: <a href=”http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/” target=”_blank”>New York Times Green</a>, <a href=”http://www.dailymail.co.uk/ushome/index.html” target=”_blank”>Daily Mail</a>, <a href=”http://www.politico.com/” target=”_blank”>Politico</a>
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