TOPEKA – A speaker being hosted by the state’s largest business group expressed skepticism Monday that man-made carbon dioxide emissions are causing global warming. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found last year that human activity was causing global warming and that harm from it could be blunted by prompt action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels. Hansen, considered one of the world’s leading climate scientists, is giving a similar talk at the Kansas Wind & Renewable Energy Conference in Topeka today. One of the first researchers to help raise awareness about global warming in the 1980s, Hansen has accused the Bush administration of trying to silence him and stifle public discussion about the need to reduce carbon emissions. Kansas Chamber officials said their forum was sparked by an energy and environmental debate earlier this year surrounding a proposal for two new coal plants in southwest Kansas. Kathleen Sebelius’ administration denied two air-quality permits last year for Hays-based Sunflower Electric’s project, citing concerns that the plants’ CO2 emissions would contribute to global warming. read more

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