Wagoner Vs. Lutz in "Crock Wars"
At a press breakfast this morning, GM CEO Rick Wagoner dismissed Bob Lutz' comment that "global warming is a crock of shit." "The comments weren't coming out of our company," said Wagoner [via Detroit News]. "The data is pretty clear that the temperature on the earth is rising. There's all sort of debates as to why but we've clearly come down on the side it makes sense for us to put our business in a position where we can participate proactively in reducing the amount of (carbon dioxide) emissions." At the same time, Wagoners said the General would keep fighting to prevent California and 16 other states from eventually getting to impose their own strict tailpipe emissions standards. Such standards could force passenger cars to average 43.7 mpg by 2016. "I don't think it's the right thing for the country," Wagoner said. Wagoner went on to blame the gas – electric plug-in Volt's development "issues" on the fact that the United States "is way behind, way behind" in battery technology. That's right folks, GM blames the feds. What a crock.
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What I can't figure out is with the greenhouse effect adding all this heat to the Earth why is it so cold and snowing so much? Only the smartest scientist and bureaucrats in the world seem to be able to understand this.
Leaving aside the issue of whether global warming is driven by human activities, this entire episode makes me wonder just how GM is really being run. On a topic such as this, it is important that the corporation either speak with a unified voice, or just keep quiet. When a highly visible member of top management says this kind of stuff, and then the top dog contradicts him in another statement, it looks as though the left hand doesn't know what the right is doing. For Mr. Wagoner to say that Mr. Lutz's statements "weren't coming out of our company" is plain nonsense. Mr. Lutz wouldn't receive nearly as much attention if he weren't in his present position at GM. His statement received wide media play precisely because of his current position with GM. Like it or not, Mr. Lutz is perceived to be speaking on behalf of GM, so if GM doesn't like his statements, someone should either fire him, or explain to him exactly how corporate communications are supposed to work, and just why it is not a good idea to make that type of statement in the future.
Kwanzaa, Read the Wiki entry for "The Great Global Warming Swindle." Very entertaining.
bluecon: Actually any person even remotely familiar with the literature can tell you that it is AVERAGE global temperature. It has nothing to do with what happens in your local trailer park.