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.
[twitter-follow screen_name='politicalticker']
"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.
We re all born ignorant, but it takes a ifetime of trying to reman so. I do not believe that Mr. Rubio is either stupid or ignorant. I guess all that leaves is lying or polital expediency. Sounds like he will be a perfect candicate for the Flat Earth Society in the Primaries...
just another gop clown. truth and intelligence has no meaning
So Rubio nows more than the scientists from around the world who spent years putting this together...just another politician looking to garner election points even if it means ignoring the scientific proof...these people will do anything to get elected...is it any wonder that the "profession", if one could call it that, has a lower opinion rating than the local dog catcher..."where are we going and why am I in this hand basket"...the political leadership in this country has simply been awful for the last 40 years...
You have to "love" his logic. First he says climate change is not a problem. Then he basically says that even if climate change is occurring, there is nothing we can do about it, so why bother trying. I have yet to hear any credible argument as to why we should not try to limit greenhouse gases.
It is funny – He says that Obama is not a meteorologist .. As if – If a meteorologist had said these things, He will beleive it. And then on 2nd line he doesnt beleive in Scientists also. Fuuny that they dont believe in Scientists and and if someone says something , they say you are not a scientist...
Mr. Rubio,
How dense are you, if not completely which don't think, but a significant part of it.
Talk about a problem with denial!! I guess lying is a political necessity......
"I do not believe that human activity is causing these dramatic changes to our climate the way these scientists are portraying it." OK ... taking on the scientific community is quite bold. This is going to be interesting. Surely he must have ground breaking new evidence or iron-clad theory to support this bold statement. (I keep reading the article with great anticipation). Oh wait, he has nothing to back that up, this is just what he believes. Enough for me. I think his beliefs carry more weight than countless hours of research by the world's top scientists.
"The President is, he's not a meteorologist." True, but neither are you Mr. Rubio. The difference is the President listen's to those who are.
"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." Again true statement, but no one is saying that. Making up an argument that you can defeat does not give you credibility. To be credible you must refute what others are actually saying.
Everything this guy says is laughable. Ready for President? God help us.
We Floridians are baffled also as to how this idiot got elected Senator. He's an embarrassment to Florida. Maybe we can send him back to Cuba?? Let them deal with his stupid ideas!!
This headline should read "Marco Rubio is wrong about something"
And he wants to run any part of the government. He wants to manage medicare and social security. Scary scary
What has Rubio done for the people of Florida. Nothing, he has done nothing for the People or the state of Florida. All Rubio talks about is himself and he is always putting other people down.
No, the President is not a meteorologist. He only consults them. I suppose Mr. Rubio consults his political advisors, who have a lot to say about politics, but nothing about science. Not a single scientific principle was brought up by Mr. Rubio. BTW, even if the bulk of global warming was found to be natural, we are still stuck with dealing with it.
It's not that human aren't behind climate change, its that what we are being told doesn't make any sense – and politicians need something approaching honesty, before they can be perceived as being genuine.
How can humans releasing all this carbon into the atmosphere be the problem – and somehow a slight variation to the INCREASE in carbon being released, be the answer?
Democrats keep leveraging the climate change issue to only ask for feel good changes that wouldn't have any real impact – that makes them come off as not genuine.
How can you support bringing the next billion people in China, India, Brazil into driving cars – owning their own homes, adopting western lifestyle – which is a dramatic increase in carbon release, and then claim the answer is a tiny offset by having stricter MPG rules for trucks?
It makes no sense at all – the glaring problem is the billions that are set to come online with western style living – and nobody saying we all must move into apartments and give up our cars.
People in many parts of the world ride bicycles...they are already so carbon efficient, we cannot even imagine being that efficient....
No, tell the truth about what needs to be done, or shut up.
To Mr.Marco " Smart Pants " Rubio.
The huge West Antarctic ice sheet is starting a glacially slow collapse in an unstoppable way, two new studies show. Alarmed scientists say that means even more sea level rise than they figured.
Just in , Rick Perry and Marco Rubio tell's RNC , since Texas is flat , So must the the Earth be .
It's a fad in the world to think modern and if you differ, you're labeled as anti-science. I have two master's degrees, one of them majoring in 'Einstein's theory of relativity' so I am not illiterate. I agree that we do have natural consequences to civic irresponsibilities but to say that we are causing climatic changes, temperatures to rise or go down, cause to flood, earth quakes etc is absurd. Climate change is a cyclic phenomenon. In fact, if you look at the history; you will find that there used to be much bigger earthquakes, more massive floods few thousand years back when there was no pollution. Most of our climate is controlled by sun and moon. I do agree that there are lot more flare up happening in the sun which could be causing these changes.
@Really? – Really Chuck? It's the SCIENTISTS that are saying this NOT liberals. Liberals are just agreeing with the SCIENTISTS.
---–
SCIENTISTS with LIBERAL political agendas! Remember intelligent design? WHY is SCIENCE on the stand testifying about something science isn't even qualified to address? Oh yeah, political gain. AGAIN, I tend toward the opinion of these liberal scientists, but abhor their misuse of science as their politically entangled hammer. SCIENCE is bigger than liberals. It's important. And, we should not misuse science for politics. The stakes are too high. What happens when the masses start discounting science because poor scientists have mislead people on so many issues based on their political agendas? Really think about that. Science is bigger than politics. We MUST protect it from those who misuse it. I'm ashamed of scientists who damage an entire line of inquiry for short-term political gain. GET OUT OF POLITICS!
Really? Really? REALLY?!?!
There are still people like this that REFUSE to believe scientific data?
Granted, I wish it weren't true. There is no way I'll ever give up my Lincoln for a little compact. Maybe I would for a large luxury electric or very fast medium sized electric. Or the same in a hydrogen burning car.
But what is it with these conservatives? Are they in denial or is it that they feel so entitled they refuse to give up their standard ways of adding to their ever increasing fortunes.
This world will be a better place if we can ever discover a way to rid it of these antiquated draconian people.
Tell that to China, which has the filthiest air and water, all man made. Mr. Stupid Idiot Republican sellout speaks.
The imbecility is strong in this one; he will go far in his peer group! Try not to be surprised folks, this from the same party who brought us Bobby Jindal, Newt Gingrich, and the Orange man himself John Boehner. 2016 is shaping up to be the most entertaining campaign in history. And the flaccid D's have nothing better to offer!!
More stupid from the far right. Obviously he is on the Koch bro's dole.
A climate change parable:
Let's say your child is very ill, so you take them to 100 different doctors for advice. Ninety-seven of them tell you that immediate intervention is necessary. But three of them tell you, "Don't worry about it, everything will be just fine."
Which advice would you take? When the scientific facts change, so does the educated mind.
Rolly, stop listening to Rush
"I do not believe that human activity is causing these dramatic changes to our climate the way these scientists are portraying it,"
That's true – cow flatulence is the only cause of climate change.
Polar Bear
Of course, in the "tolerant" minds of liberals, there is no room for any opinion other than theirs. So, what is Rubio to them? Pick one: -denier, -hater, -phobe, -ist, etc. Those are the only debate tools at the disposal of liberals, the "progressive, tolerant" people. (Only if you agree with them, of course.)
_____________
Unlike those open minded conservatives who believe the earth is only 6,000 years old, because some book tells them that?
Unlike conservatives who label anyone who isn't as ultra-conservative as they are a "RINO".
Unlike conservatives who want Christianity worked into the laws of this country because they feel that their religion is the only religion on the planet that anyone should listen to, and anyone who disagrees is going to hell?
Where is the "tolerance" in any of that?
I love the smell of GOP hypocrisy in the morning. It smells like stupidity.