[PG&E] criticized the Chamber for taking an extreme position on climate change, which [PG&E CEO] Darbee said does not represent the range of views among Chamber members. In particular, he took the Chamber to task for its recent demand that there be a “Scopes monkey trial of the 21st century” to challenge the science on climate change:
“We find it dismaying that the Chamber neglects the indisputable fact that a decisive majority of experts have said the data on global warming are compelling and point to a threat that cannot be ignored. In our opinion, an intellectually honest argument over the best policy response to the challenges of climate change is one thing; disingenuous attempts to diminish or distort the reality of these challenges are quite another.”
May many more companies follow suit. The science on climate change is overwhelming and verified by thousands of studies and scientists. For the Chamber of Commerce to howl that there must be a trial to prove the already proven merely displays their willful ignorance and extreme right wing agenda.
As for that Monkey Trial, Darwin was right, the biblical fundamentalists were wrong. Apparently the Chamber of Commerce is demanding that they be on the wrong side of history too. They will get their wish, as they continue to lose supporters and contributors.
The US is the only industrialized country where climate change denial still has any political power. It’s embarrassing. Countries like Great Britain, Japan, France, Australia, and China have accepted at a governmental and business level that climate change must be remediated, and are taking steps to do so. It’s way past time for the US to do the same.