On Thursday the House of Representatives passed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act forbidding the Pentagon from acknowledging climate change Thursday.
As UPI reports, the vote, mainly along party lines, “prohibits the Pentagon from using any of its budget to address climate change and specifically instructs the Department of Defense to ignore the latest scientific reports on the threats posed by global warming.”
The amendment, sponsored by Rep. David McKinley (R-WV) reads:
None of the funds authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to implement the U.S. Global Change Research Program National Climate Assessment, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth Assessment Report, the United Nation’s Agenda 21 sustainable development plan, or the May 2013 Technical Update of the Social Cost of Carbon for Regulatory Impact Analysis Under Executive Order.
There were more than 300 amendments to the bill with bi-partisan support for its passage. The bill passed with a total vote of 325 ayes, 98 noes, and 8 not voting. Republicans voted 216-13 with 3 not voting and Democrats voted 109-85 with 5 not voting.
Criticism of the bill’s passage was sharp, with UPI reporting “John Holdren of White House Office of Science and Technology Policy said. ‘Climate change is not a distant threat — It already is affecting every region of the country and key sectors of the economy.'”
In a letter to the House before Thursday’s vote, Democratic Reps. Henry Waxman and Bobby Rush wrote the “McKinley amendment” is “science denial at its worst and it fails our moral obligation to our children and grandchildren.”
The bill was passed in spite of a new study that was released earlier this month by the U.S. government saying that climate change is already having a major impact on us, affecting both the weather and our economy. That study was confirmed in another new report that just came out that calls climate change a definite threat to our national security. This report was written by a group from the Military Advisory Board, made up of 4-star Generals and Admirals, who all agree that climate change poses a real risk to homeland security, as well as to our troops around the world.
The bill will now go to the Senate for a vote although the President has already indicated he will veto the measure if passed.
For more information on the military and climate change:
- Article and 2 Videos: National Security Threatened By Climate Change According to Military And Intel Strategists
- Article and Video: Is Climate Change Real? The Pentagon Sure Thinks So
For more info on the Arctic Ice Collapse:
For more articles on Climate and the Environment
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