Michael Huey: http://www.flickr.com/photos/masteryofmaps/2364966707/
This whopper wasn't relayed to Harry Reid by his imaginary friend. Apparently, he made it up all by himself. Reid claimed at the National Clean Energy Summit 5.0 that global warming had cause the cherry blossoms in Washington to bloom earlier than ever in their 100 year history.
...Twenty-five years ago, President George H.W. Bush promised to use the “White House effect” to combat the “greenhouse effect.” Yet a quarter century later, too many elected officials in Washington are still calling climate change a liberal hoax. They falsely claim scientists are still debating whether carbon pollution is warming the planet.According to the National Park Service, 1990 and 2000 had earlier blooms.
Of course, if those skeptics had taken a stroll along the Potomac River on a 70-degree day this February, they would have seen cherry trees blossoming earlier than at any time since they were planted 100 years ago. Washington experienced its warmest spring since record keeping began in 1895.
And back in the skeptics' home states, the harbingers of a changing climate are just as clear as those delicate February blossoms – and infinitely more perilous.
This year alone, the United States has seen unparalleled extreme weather events – events scientists say are exactly what is expected as the earth's climate changes...
The National Park Service (NPS) has confirmed Washington, D.C.’s cherry blossoms peaked on March 20, tied for third earliest on record.
In the NPS’s 92-year record dating back to 1921, the only years with earlier bloom dates were 1990 (March 15) and 2000 (March 17) . Three other years in the record matched this year’s peak bloom date of March 20: 1921, 1927, and 1945.Oh well. Harry Reid never did let the truth get in the way of a political message.
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