Sen. Inhofe's Faulty Numbers on Warming

Tulsa's own Jim Inhofe, the senior senator from Our Great State, has once again put politics ahead of facts in the debate over global warming. Speaking recently on the always "fair and balanced" Fox network, Sen. Inhofe claimed that "[i]t was warmer in the '30s than it is today," and that "it was warmer in the 15th century than it is today."

Unsurprisingly, Inhofe offered no evidence in support of these claims. True to form, the Fox correspondent didn't challenge Inhofe's numbers either. The studies Inhofe might have cited, including one by NASA and another by the National Academy of Sciences, show the quite the opposite: it has been getting steadily getting warmer over the centuries. (Check the data yourself at Media Matters.)

Inhofe did admit to some recent warming, but said it's all part of God's plan. "Let's let God work his thing," the senator said. We're not sure about God's "thing," but we do think God's children have a responsibility to look after the planet God gave us.

In any case, Sen. Inhofe's claims about temperature, like many of this global warming claims, seem to be wishful thinking. But fantasies and preconceived notions about the environment are no substitute for actual data and evidence. On the issue of global warming, the evidence keeps working against Inhofe's claims, putting him and his ideas farther and farther out of the scientific mainstream.

Tulsa and Oklahoma deserve better. We need political leaders who know the difference between propaganda and real science and who act on the basis of facts, not wishful thinking.