Will Republicans put climate science back on trial?

Senate Republicans appear likely to use their majority status in the next Congress to attack the argument behind climate change in an attempt to undercut environmental policies. But some GOP strategists wonder whether such an offensive might backfire. Questioning — and attempting to delegitimize — climate scientists has been an oft-used tactic of Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), who is poised to reprise his role as chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee. It was a hallmark of his 2003 to 2007 chairmanship of the panel — and the following six years, when he was its ranking member. As one of the most outspoken skeptics of the scientific consensus that greenhouse gas emissions from humans cause climate change, Inhofe is still a frequent critic of climate scientists. “A lot of us, way back in 2001, in that timeframe, they thought there was actually some truth to the global warming thing, and a lot of people are trying to resurrect that now,” Inhofe said on the Senate floor Wednesday in a speech about President Obama’s deal with China to limit greenhouse gases in both countries...more