Rubio says humans aren't behind climate change
Washington (CNN) - Sen. Marco Rubio says he doesn't believe humans are causing climate change and doesn't think any action can reverse course.
This as a new White House report indicated that Rubio's home state of Florida is one of the most vulnerable to rising sea levels.
"I do not believe that human activity is causing these dramatic changes to our climate the way these scientists are portraying it," the first term senator said Sunday on ABC "This Week," after being asked by ABC News' Jon Karl whether humans were contributing to the heating up of the planet.
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"I do not believe that the laws that they propose we pass will do anything about it, except it will destroy our economy," added Rubio, who's seriously considering a bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.
Rubio says he's ready to be commander-in-chief
Rubio's latest comments are similar to what he said on CNN last week.
"I think severe weather has been a fact of life on earth since man started recording history. I understand that there's a vast consensus of scientists that are saying that human activity is what's contributing to changes in our climate. I think it's an enormous stretch to say that every weather incident that we read about or the majority of them are attributable to human activity," Rubio told CNN's Bill Weir Tuesday on "CNN Tonight."
Rubio's comments come as President Barack Obama's administration last week declared, unequivocally, that climate change is underway across the United States. The U.S. National climate Assessment Report, released last Tuesday, offered a dire assessment of the impact of climate change, and named Miami as the city most vulnerable to damage from rising sea levels. The report was criticized by many Republican lawmakers.
The U.S. isn't alone in raising serious concerns. The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change came to the conclusion that humans are behind global warming.
In his CNN interview, Rubio knocked the administration's report and criticized the President's efforts on the issue of climate change. Obama has proposed new programs to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, which most scientists say are the major cause of global warming.
"The President is, he's not a meteorologist. Here's what the President needs to be focused on. He's proposing a certain set of policies that he would have to admit if questioned will do nothing. If in fact these scientists are right and it's greenhouse gas emissions that are changing our climate, none of the things he's proposing would do anything to change that whatsoever, but it would have a devastating impact on our economy.
The most recent national polling on climate chanted indicated that a majority of Americans said humans were causing global warming. According to a Gallup poll conducted in early March, 57% of the public said human activities were behind global warming, with four in ten saying natural changes were causing the earth to heat up.
Fifty-four percent of those questioned in the survey said the effects of global warming were already happening. But less than four in ten said that global warming would pose a threat to their way of life.
The poll indicated a major partisan divide, with a majority of Democrats saying they worried a great deal about global warming, but more than six in ten Republicans saying they worried only a little bit or not at all about climate change.
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What a knucklehead, he wants to be President but will not listen to scientists or the majority of the American public, but yet he wants to be President of a democracy. So I guess when it comes to major issues he'll just do what ever the people that line his pockets with cash want him to do instead of what the American public wants. All politicians think they have all of the answers as to what is good for us and we are just a bunch of idiots that don't have a clue.
I think he's half right. I think it is too late to reverse the damage that has been done. We may be able to slow it down, but mankind is doomed. We were warned about over population, it's here to roost!
. . And cigarette smoking does not really cause cancer, despite the fact that the majority of scientists think it does. Creationism. Guns Save Lives, carbon emissions don't affect climate change = Republican party platform. What century is it anyway?
does he know theworld is not flat???
only a dishonest person or one of low intelligence ignores the information from most of the world's scientists, whose goal is truth. This kind of person doesn't belong in any elected or leadership position. The nation needs informed intelligent leadership not idiots.
What qualifies Marco Rubio to make this decision? His opinion on climate science is the like the opinion of an old, rich, white man regarding a woman's body...uninformed.
Why does this small brain even get two lines on CNN? This guy is full of himself, has been in the Senate for 14 years with NOTHING to show for it. And he wants to be President? Let's just elect a man in a coma for all it's worth, same thing as Rubio.
What will it take for people to accept that humans are contributing to global warming? Ruibio and his followers believe a book that was written 2000 years ago but not the modern day scientific community. This is laughable.
The good news for the deniers is that it is likely too late to do anything to stop runaway climate change. Permafrost is melting and other sources of greenhouse gases are heating up. Forests, great carbon dioxide sinks, are burning and will not be replaced. Even if we never dug up another lump of coal or started our cars again, the feedback loops will ensure catastrophe in this century. Congrats, you've won.
Choices:
1) He's an imbecile
2) He's paid off by big coal
3) He's currying favor from the Koch Brothers
4) All of the above
cal usa
President Obama is not a metereologist, but Rubio is?
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Furthermore, President Obama is not a hypocrite, but Rubio just proved beyond any shadow of doubt that he is.
We learned about green house effect and ozone layer CO 2s in Middle school back in 1993!!
The fact that politicians will ignore dire threats to our children's and grandchildren's future in order to get elected is a sick, tragic testament to the absence of ethics, sense of responsibility or morality among our leaders.
REALLY? Rubio just dropped mightily before my eyes. For all his supposed smarts he is incredibly near-sighted. Of course humans contribute. What bubble does he live in? Why deny it? I want a slice of his ignorant bliss. But it might make me throw up. Humans are parasites on the earth, taking and not giving back. EVERYONE needs to do their part in conserving the environment. A little change goes a long way and certainly doesn't hurt.
Obviously Obama is not a meteorologist, he's our President. But I would rather the President of the United States base his thinking and legislation on the large consensus in the scientific community than his own personal beliefs and political agenda.
Rubio has a lot to gain from the oil and gas industry - all republicans do - who would have a lot to lose if we actually started to reverse course on climate change.
The best part about science is that just because you don't agree with it, doesn't mean it's not true.
And lead in Gasoline does not contribute to lead in the air or the bodies of people. Besides, lead is perfectly safe in small doses, right Rubio?
Amazing. A team of scientists commisioned by the government says human activity is accelerating climate change. An international study commisioned by the UN says human activity is affecting climate change. All scientists accept the factual data that the average temperature of the earth has risen significantly over the last 200 years. But, as soon as Barrack Obama endores the studies and facts, the Pavlovian response from freshman GOP Senators is to say the exact opposite. Senators Rubio and Cruz are less prepared to be Commander-in-Chief than Senator Obama was in 2008. Heaven help America, and the world, if either Senator Rubio or Senator Cruz becomes President
This issue is not black and white, those who portray Rubio's statements on climate change as such (i.e. he thinks all scientists are wrong) must be too wrapped up in their politics. The question Rubio is raising is HOW MUCH is man's effect on the climate and HOW MUCH are the changes being proposed by politicians will make a difference. The FACT is that most scientists may be closer to Rubio's beliefs than those of the opposing party. Most scientists believe that man effects the climate but not with the disasterous results protrayed by the scientists Rubio is talking about. Disagree? I dare you to look up polls by the Amercian Meteorological Socienty and read it ALL in it's context and think about how dishonest is is to claim based on those polls that 99% of scientists believe in the disasterous types of climate change predictions. For those too lazy to look it up, the majority of those scientists polled do not expect any disasters because of climate change. PLEASE get out of the group think and do a little research before you call Rubio out of sync with science. Honestly, If I were rubio I would feel a little bit like Joe from Idiocracy (great movie, very fitting for this topic)
Way to pander to the Luddite conservative base Ricky. Good thing you'll never even sniff the Presidency.
There must be some super secret Meteorology University somewhere that conservative big mouths get there science from. I wish they would tell us what they are using for science instead of all the learned actual experts out there.
First, I pretty much agree with Rubio about the cause of climate change. Then, second, I think pretty much anything we can do to ameliorate or cope with the effects of climate change will be good for us. Just because climate change is natural doesn't mean it isn't dangerous. Of course a majority believe that humans are causing climate change-why? They're not climatologists so it's simply a question of who they believe. Unfortunately Rubio isn't believable. Sure he doesn't think climate change is dangerous-because he & his rich friends can afford to move to the mountains where they'll be safe (they think). The rest of us can grow gills. Right.
And there you have it. Rubio has spoken and of course his words carry so much credibility in the scientific world of climate and weather. Now I know he's the best candidate for president ;o)
Just shows that Rubio is yet another one of the cretins who doesn't understand the difference between weather and climate.
it is the roads we are building,unnatural heat sinks, absorbing too much heat that will not dissipate when not transferred to a living growing thing. Trains were the answer, now it is too late.Storms also follow paths of least resistance and heat generators.
Sure. Rubio the climatologist has something to say. Sit down Marco.