Obama Aide Insists Humans Contributing to Climate Change

President Obama's senior science advisor, John Holdren, told the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming that human activity was "beyond any reasonable doubt" the cause of rising temperatures worldwide, the Wall Street Journal reported today. Committee Democrats agreed with the statement, while Republicans did not.

The Journal wrote that during the hearing "supporters of emissions caps said the controversy over the behavior of prominent climate researchers doesn't undercut the scientific rationale for action. Meanwhile, opponents of such caps said the foundations of the case for man-made global warming are in question because of the disclosures from thousands of emails from the University of East Anglia's Climate Research Unit. The emails suggest that prominent climate researchers sought to disguise certain discrepancies in their data showing a trend of rising global temperatures and attack those who disagreed with their views."

Holdren and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator Jane Lubchenco said recent temperature dips were natural fluctuations, but the "10 warmest years recorded since 1880 have all occurred within the past 12 years, they said. They added that the U.S. average temperature has risen more than two degrees Fahrenheit over the past 50 years and is projected to rise more," wrote the Journal.