Source:  UK Guardian

The world needs to prepare for a climate sceptic defeating Obama

Barack Obama is losing his grip on the White House – and climate sceptic Rick Perry is favourite to succeed him

A year or so ago, the very idea that the most powerful person on the planet could, within just a couple of years, be someone who refuses to accept the science that underpins our knowledge of anthropogenic climate change was almost laughable.

Sarah Palin – who is no stranger to climate scepticism – has long been on people’s lips as a future candidate for the US presidency. But most analysts thought that Barack Obama would likely see off any challenge from any Republican who flirted with the extremes of the Tea Party movement and its anti-science agenda. And that was before Obama received a political fillip after green-lighting the assassination of Osama bin Laden in May.

But everything has changed now. The US economy continues to wade through treacle and, as a result, there seems to be growing talk that Obama is destined to be a one-term president. And currently leading the polls as his most likely Republican successor is Rick Perry, the governor of Texas.