U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., made headlines again for his denial of global warming and the resulting issue of whether to give money to help “save the planet.”
A recent Washington Post article noted at the last Senate Environmental Committee hearing, Inhofe disputed both science and statistics to emphatically claim that global warming doesn’t exist and science is just wrong.
He did not provide specific support for his theory that global warming is a hoax, and, at least this time, he didn’t cite his usual singular point of reference — the Bible.
Because that book doesn’t explicitly state anything about global warming, he has therefore concluded, loudly and on record, that it could not exist.
Seriously? That’s who’s representing us at the U.S. Capitol?
Before you label me a heretic, let me note I was raised in church. I go to Sunday school and continue to learn the Bible.
I do, however, believe that the Bible should not dictate government policy. Just like my stances on women’s choice, LGBT rights, prison and taxes, I don’t believe the Bible has any place in deciding what is and shall be when the government’s concerned.
If you read the Federalist papers and other early historical, constitutional literature, you’ll find the majority of Founding Fathers agree with me. Separation of church and state is there for a reason and it always makes me cringe when politicians dictate policy reflective of what they believe to be the Lord’s intentions.
I bring this up because environmental policy is gaining serious steam as a major determinant of economic recovery. Going green pushes the creation of green collar jobs as industries grow and change, a stronger foreign policy that lessens dependence on oil and gas and creates healthier citizens who work in healthier surroundings.
President Obama listed climate change as a big agenda item in creating a stronger, more sustainable America. Even Boone Pickens bought two or three states worth of wind turbines because he sees wind, not oil, as the energy of the future.
In Illinois, Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., recently said, “Humans can’t cause global warming that makes the sea levels rise to devastating levels” because “God promised never to destroy the world again with floods,” referring back to the God’s promise in Genesis.
That statement and other recent statements like the one from former House leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, in support of Inhofe’s claim that global warming isn’t a problem that humans can make because “the Lord God Almighty made the heavens and the Earth … to his satisfaction … it’s pretentious of we little weaklings here on Earth to think that, that we are going to destroy God’s creation.”
This damages America’s future in creating a clear climate change plan, and consequently, a clear plan for establishing and maintaining economic durability.
Economic recovery is intrinsically tied to changing habits and we cannot afford to continue to elect leaders who advocate denial and dangerous policies while ignoring sound research.
Lindsey Bilbrey is a Spears Continuing student in business living in Washington D.C. She received her B.A. in political science in 2006 at OSU.
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