Obama Declassifies Spy Satellite Images Revealing Climate Change Devastation Bush Tried to Hide

Images that were kept secret under President Bush have just been declassified by the Obama administration. These images reveal what scientists have predicted: “In recent years vast areas in high latitudes have lost their ice cover in summer months.” The Guardian reports:

The pictures, kept secret by Washington during the presidency of George W Bush, were declassified by the White House last week. President Barack Obama is currently trying to galvanise Congress and the American public to take action to halt catastrophic climate change caused by rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

One particularly striking set of images - selected from the 1,000 photographs released - includes views of the Alaskan port of Barrow. One, taken in July 2006, shows sea ice still nestling close to the shore. A second image shows that by the following July the coastal waters were entirely ice-free.

The spy satellite images provide indisputable evidence that the United States needs to take the lead in mitigating the effects of climate change.  Of particular concern is that America’s aging satellites cannot provide the data needed to maintain the “continuity of climate observations”.   There is also concern that the United States will not adequately fund climate monitoring.

Why would Bush hide these images showing the devasting effects in Barrow?  I suspect it was to keep the American public in the dark about the realities of climate change that may distract from his oil war mongering agenda.  Hopefully the newly released images will be the catalyst the American public and Congress need to take real steps towards solving the problem and not succumb to the coal lobby’s attempt to water down the current climate change bill.

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