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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Big mistake on his part. He is stupid on the environment.
Because he is such a smart person... right...
A monument of shame should be constructed in a prominent location on high ground to memorialize the names of all the climate change deniers who were in a position to start doing something about it. Their names should be engraved in stone so future generations will never forget who they were. Then we'll see how many continue to take this absurd position.
"I understand that there's a vast consensus of informed voters that are saying that I am owned by oil and coal, and that, as such, I am contributing to climate change" – And I say "I think its an enormous stretch to say that every Republican voter we read about, or the majority of them, are smart enough to prevent me from pulling the wool over their eyes and run for President."
We need not argue whether warming is man caused or not. There has been no warming for the past 15 years. The models have been wrong and will continue to miss their predictions.
The last global warming cycle in the 15th century was caused by the Vikings on Greenland driving around in their SUVs and spraying aerosol into the eyes of their enemies. When they banned SUVs, the thing iced over again.
Barns on fire, I don't think I started it, so I'm not going to do anything about it!
The road to human annihilation...Rubio says "Yes we can!" annihilate ourselves!
Hey Rubio !!
Why don't you park your car in the garage, close the garage door, and keep the car running !!
See how long it will take for you to realize carbon dioxide and other toxic gases from "man made" automobiles does have an affect on the environment !!!
As if we were all standing around anticipating Rubio's take on the climate.
The more Rubio opens his mouth, the more WE know how little HE really knows! Definitely a politician all the way...
Oh, dear. Maybe we should start calling him Marco Boob-e-o.
As Bugs would say, "What a maroon."
Cant we have some basic qualifications to run for President, like an I.Q. over 30 for starters....pallleeeeeaaaaazzzze. It would keep out the riff-raff like this guy.
YAY!!!!!!!!!! FINALLY someone who makes sense!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you!
Does Rubio think the world is flat too?
Could somebody get this man a drink of water?
7 billion people burning fossil fuels and spewing huge quantities of CO2 into the atmosphere without consequences? Rubio clearly did not get the 'stop being the stupid party' memo.
If everyone who believed global Warming is cause by humans, and thus can be solved by humans, gave up fossil fuels, we would have an instant 50% drop in CO2 emissions. The world will be saved, and those of us who are skeptical of the "plans" to save the world can continue to have reasonable use of fossil fuels. The only problem with this plan is the liberals won't have anything to feel guilty about.
He doesn't believe what the mainstream believes?! He's formed his own opinion and facts away from the mainstream corporate news and politicians? OH MY GOD...GET HIM!!!!
CO2 going up over 400 ppm relatively suddenly...what part of that measurement doesn't he want to accept?
Another moron. These fools will be regarded as the shame of mankind in 10-20 years. I hope they all remember their words because the Earth is going to make them eat those words.
Unfortunately, there isn't much that is going to stop the climate changes that are coming. 400ppm of CO2 has not been present for millions of years and we only know that it will get warmer. We don't know by how much and we don't know when the Earth will strike to correct the balance. When it strikes, of well, time will be up.
"See how long it will take for you to realize carbon dioxide and other toxic gases from "man made" automobiles does have an affect on the environment !!!"
So he should kill himself for not sharing your opinion? How American of you.
Carbon monoxide is from cars...carbon dioxide is what humans and other living creatures exhale. Completely different...
looks like Rubio is only reinforcing that the gop still is and always will be the 'party of stupid'
rj senterp wrote: "Actually it sounds like Mr. Rubio knows what he's talking about. Just wanted to add some balance to all the liberal whiners who have commented."
A couple of questions for you, sir:
1) Is it only LIberals who believe that humans are a factor in climate change? Check the Pew Research survey and get back to us.
2) And HOW does Mr. Rubin know what he is talking about? Tell me how THIS GUY is an expert on climate change and can so easily dismiss NASA, etc?
"I do not believe that human activity is causing these dramatic changes to our climate the way these scientists are portraying it,"
"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."
So, he thinks he knows more than the scientists who's job it is to study these things. What arrogance.
Key word here : "believe". Science is not a religion. We study physical phenomena and look for the most likely cause. Human activities have changed the composition of the atmosphere. That is a fact. It is not the only contributor to climate change but is the one we can modify to increase our future generations chances of survival.