You know you've got a hot topic when outlets on the Left run stories of media showing bias against it and outlets on the Right run stories of media showing bias for it.
The congressionally mandated National Climate Assessment released this week is just such a topic. The report says climate change is already costing the economy billions and bringing flooding, droughts, and other disasters to the U.S. And, it suggests changes state and local governments can make to deal with this.
As you'll see below, starting with the headlines, coverage of this report varied considerably.
Snippets from the Left
Huffington Post
The report notes that American society and its infrastructure were built for the past climate -- not the future. It highlights examples of the kinds of changes that state and local governments can make to become more resilient. One of the main takeaways, said David Wolfe, a professor of plant and soil ecology at Cornell University and a coauthor of the chapter on the Northeast, is that "you don't want to look at the weather records of yesteryear to determine how to set up your infrastructure."
Snippets from the Right
Fox News
The report, though, quickly came under fire from Republicans, who said the administration would use it to push job-killing regulations.
… [Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo:] "The American people have made it clear that they want Washington to focus on the economy and make it easier for them to find good jobs. Once again, President Obama is completely ignoring their concerns -- and doubling down today on extreme regulations that will put more Americans out of work."
Snippets From the Center
Wall Street Journal- News
The congressionally mandated National Climate Assessment, produced by more than 300 experts overseen by a panel of 60 scientists, pins much of the increase in climate change on human behavior. The report says, however, that it isn't too late to implement policies to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, and calls on governments at all levels to find ways to lower carbon emissions, particularly from energy production.