May 05 2009
US climate change denier James Inhofe joins Al Gore in fight against soot | Environment | guardian.co.uk
He said his concern about the health effects of soot grew from his interest in Africa, where poor families who cook on wood stoves can suffer lung diseases from the soot.
As for the oddness of his alliance with the climate evangelist Gore, Inhofe said: “Al Gore probably would be against automobile accidents and I am too. This has nothing to do with the CO2 issue.”
But the convergence of interests has raised hopes among environmentalists that it might be easier to reach consensus on the need to act on soot – which is familiar and can be felt and touched – than it has been on greenhouse gases.
“This is a very significant breakthrough from his past positions so we are very pleased,” said Erika Rosenthal of EarthJustice.
In a further twist, Inhofe came out a few days ahead of Gore in drawing the public’s attention to what scientists have recently identified as the main cause of global warming after carbon dioxide.
This is very good news – and the very essence of what we can hope for out of bipartisanship. Finding areas where we can agree – and making it POSSIBLE for us to agree where we can – is what the Obama brand is all about. It isn’t bipartisanship if it requires one party or the other to relinquish their principles – it’s only bipartisanship if we create a climate where our “convergence of interests” can be expressed.
Well done, Sen. Inhofe. 
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