Wonkblog: Senate rejects link between human activity and climate change

Climate change "is not a hoax," according to theU.S. Senate, which voted 98 to 1 in favor of an amendment stating as muchWednesday. Explaining his vote, Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) said that there was "Biblical evidence" of climate change, but that humans were not responsible for it.

With this amendment,Democrats had hoped to force Republicansto take a stance onthe reality of global warming. They didn't succeed. Two other amendments attributing climate change to human activity failed to achieve the 60 votes needed to advance.

There are somewhat intellectuallyrespectable positions to take against climate-change legislation -- for example, that the costs of stopping global warmingmightoutweigh the benefits -- but the Senate's is notone of them.

"In conclusion, the Senate is pretty clearly a hoax," Brad Plumer wrote.

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What's in Wonkbook:1) Quantitative easing in Europe2) Opinions, including Warren on discrimination in housing 3) Climate votes, abortion and more

Number of the day:$30.35. That's the average hourly wage for an Uber driver in New York, according to an analysis commissioned by the company -- about twice that of conventional taxi drivers. Emily Badger in The Washington Post.

1. Topstory: European Central Bank considers buying bonds

The bank's decision Thursday will be an important one for Europe and the euro. Quantitative easing "marks a critical juncture in the history of the currency and the European unity it embodies. The prospect of large-scale government-bond buying to fight the threat of deflation has not only reinforced national trench lines at the heart of the single currency. A failure of the institution's most controversial measure to date, combined with government dawdling on economic reforms, risks condemning the region to a spiral of dissatisfaction in which unemployment and economic weakness drive voters to politicians who say regional integration has gone too far." Jana Randow and Alessandro Speciale for Bloomberg.

European investors weren't impressed by the bank's proposal, though. "The European Central Banks executive board proposed buying roughly 50 billion ($58 billion) a month in bonds for at least a year, according to people familiar with the matter, but Markets largely shrugged as investors pondered whether the ECB will do enough to stoke Europes fragile economy. ... Investors are counting on the ECB to unveil a program that will shock and awe the market." Brian Blackstone in The Wall Street Journal.

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Wonkblog: Senate rejects link between human activity and climate change