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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Glad he pointed out the president isn't a meteorologist... neither is he! And by the way, anybody can believe whatever they want to, but it doesn't mean it will happen. That is the beauty of science - it is based on the idea to let the the evidence do the speaking instead of coming up with conclusions before hand...
i wish both groups be more honest about this climate change has been happening for millions of years and there is not a thing humans can do to stop it. humans do add to the affect of climate change but they do not create climate change
This position alone by this politician should disqualifying him as our national leader. He's obviously on the take from the fossil fuel industry to make take such an absurd position. AMERICA, PLEASE. Let's start electing leaders who are there for us, not the CEO bosses. By supporting puppets like this we are keeping our country from being the innovation nation on alternative energy sources... The GOP keeps talking about jobs, jobs, jobs...then they do this! They don't care about your job...they care about the CEO's status qua. Do we really want to hand the future to the Chinese?
More hollow words from a politican scientist bet Rubio believes there's a Santa Claus somewhere in the world!
Statements like this will endear him to to far Right but will cause him to lose credibility with a majority of the electorate.
Please come to Texas and drive of west... Most of the places are in drought and Oil and gas companies wiping out well's, lake and river. It is going to be really worse before it get's better.
The problem is by the time climate changes enough to convince Rubio it is human activity, it's too late to change it.
The feds should focus on smog, asthma, pricing and less on climate change. China is cleaning up their air because of the smog not because of the potential for severe weather. We're pushing wind and solar because they'll eventually get cheaper than mining, shipping, refining and burning coal and managing coal waste.
The problem is by the time climate changes enough to convince Rubio it is human activity, it's too late to change it.
The feds should focus on smog, asthma, pricing and less on climate change. China is cleaning up their air because of the smog not because of the potential for severe weather. We're pushing wind and solar because they'll eventually get cheaper than mining, shipping, refining and burning coal and managing coal waste.
Cows are more harmful for enviroment than cars. So, to a point Rubio is correct but you can`t totally dismiss human pollution. The planet will continue to be polluted no matter what we do and planet will die.
Wait, I've lost track. Aren't we on to "step 3" or even 4 yet?
1) It's not happening.
2) It's not us.
3) It's us but the changes will make things better.
4) It's us and it's bad but it's not so bad.
5) It's us and it's bad but be can't afford to change.
Come on CNN, at least TRY to hide your bias. The National Climate Assessment said:
"The report stopped short of definitively attributing a rash of extreme weather to man-made climate change, concluding "there is new and stronger evidence that many of these increases are related to human activities." "
Read that last clause well.
People can make fun of Mr. Rubio but The National Climate Assessment said:
"The report stopped short of definitively attributing a rash of extreme weather to man-made climate change, concluding "there is new and stronger evidence that many of these increases are related to human activities." "
Read that last clause well.
What kind of nincompoop ignores what 99% of scientists say as to what is going on and instead picks the insane 1% that are backed by big oil money as paid lobbyists and spouts that as the gospel? Why....a knit-wit Tea Party extremists who also gets his money from those same interests. That's who.
The reviews are mixed, BUT there is a lot of truth to natural cycle being a huge part of climate change. In the '80 a
solar astronomer James Eddy (?) predated that around 2000 the sun would stat "being it's self again" and that the
weather would be more severe, global temps would rise, and that we had been experience ing a century of mild
solar activity. He was the one who also discovered the Maunder Minimum in which for almost 100 years temps
around the glob e dropped causing harsh famines and seasons too. It doesn't take much to realize that ~10,000
years ago Florida was cold – the animals had heavy coats, and that sea levels dropped considerably as the water
was held in glaciers. Now we can go to a beach that is 100 miles away from where they were then, and dah – it's
warmer ! Politicians love the idea that we are totally responsible because then they can tax us for "our sins" !
Thanks, Marco, but I'll rely on scientists and facts rather than politicians with opinions and donors.
Environmentalists enact rapid "Pollution Control Standards" on U.S. businesses. The U.S. products become too expensive to compete internationally from the effect, even though they already had decent pollution control. As a result China picks up the slack building new coal power plants with no pollution controls, to power industry with no pollution controls. Now the pollution is so bad that you cannont see your hand in front of your face in China an the smog literally shows up in L.A.
Brilliant strategy! Destroy U.S. jobs and pollute the planet 10 fold.
You people are incredibly narrow minded.
For all of you moaning that he is not a scientist, show me 1 scientist with actual proof that humans are causing global warming?
The Earths weather moves in cycles, some short, some long, some regular, some not. Science has barely categorized even 1/10th of these patterns, and now they claim that humans are changing them.
WHERE IS YOUR PROOF? Show me some kind of cause and effect and then I will believe you.
So he recognizes that meteorologists are experts on the weather, but not that scientists are expert on the climate. (forgetting that meteorologists study the weather and what is changing is the climate) The republican argument is simply: "I do not believe what we observe to be true because it does not fit my political agenda." It is one thing to have different opinions on economics, national security etc., but when your party is arguing against reason, observation and science, you are lost.
Yeah, whatever. They were mad when science proved the Earth isn't flat and isn't held up by infinite cosmic turtles and they're still throwing a nutty over the FACT of evolution. If the ideas and data can't be reduced to a Sunday School coloring book, then they don't want anything to do with it. People like this are the friction that slows down human progress...and they'll be standing in front of tsunamis and tornadoes holding their bibles and reality-denial brochures until the very end. What's surprising is that Captain Cuban didn't resort to pointing out the story of Noah as "proof" that extreme weather is nothing new and is all in God's control/plan. As it is, some moron on Faux News a few months ago claimed we'd found Noah's ark and proved the story true (which is lolz, because no, we haven't). It's truly a wonder they don't grow up believing the Smurfs, Carebears and Superfriends are all real as well....of course, if the Smurfs were real, we'd have to suppress their votes....can't have little blue illegals voting all up in our elections....
Climate change has been happening sense the last iceage its getting warmer PPL until the next iceage happens .
I believe that aliens created God... so because I added the words "I believe", does it make it newsworthy?
The President is not a meteorologist ... and it's obvious Rubio is not a scientist. Very scary and how you can read the statement "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. .. with a straight face confounds me.
I'm so glad that's been finally settled, by a guy whose background is in political science and nothing whatsoever to do with climatology. I think I'll ask my auto mechanic for tax advice next, or the guy at the dry cleaning place to check out that lump on my neck.
Wow, the ignorance runs amok.....can't Rubio have a differing opinion without being lambasted on this board? Believe it or not, there are aclaimed scientists who will say the same thing that Rubio is saying. Also, please, I try not to spout off political talking points, it shows you have no real opinion than the one you have been fed. 99% of scientists agree????Take a look at the 2009 survey details, who it was sent to and why they got near 100% returns and you will know why that survey was put in place to get the results they wanted. Your real questions should have been who created this survey in this manner and why if their point was indesputable. Let's also look at one of the most outspoken individuals for "global warming", which by the way, since recent reports of polar caps increasing, has now been put out to the masses to call it "global climate change", ladies and gentleman, Mr. Al Gore....The same Al Gore who travels around on a personal jet and has multipe residences using more engergy and affecting any green house gasses than all of our homes combined. Why would someone who believes so strongly be a hypocrit?? Answer: money, take a look at how much Big Al has made in the last 10-15 years snowing people like those on this board. Simply put, just ask questions, if you have a strong opinion, do some research, be a critic of your own opinion. If you can't prove yourself wrong, then by all means, stick to it. But don't just come on some board and spout off what you have been told.
Does the GOP want to hand over the presidency to the Dems again? He states "The President is, he's not a meteorologist" But you are Mr. Rubio?