EPA staffers receive climate-denial “talking points”

The administration’s climate propaganda isn't subtle: This week, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency staffers were given a list of “talking points” from the Office of Public Affairs that promote climate denial in the face of intense scientific and public scrutiny. “Human activity impacts our changing climate in some manner,” one point reads. “The ability to measure with precision the degree and extent of that impact, and what to do about it, are subject to continuing debate and dialogue.” (Pay no mind to the scientific consensus behind the curtain.) And another: “Clear gaps remain, including our understanding of the role of human activity and what we can do about it.” The carefully crafted phrases mirror those used recently by EPA chief Scott Pruitt in interviews where, for example, he ponders whether a warmer planet is “necessarily a bad thing.” It also falls in line with age-old tactics used by other public health villains, like the tobacco industry, of inserting doubt where none truly exists. What was that about wanting transparency, Pruitt?