This week in climate change, former New Mexico governor and Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson said he accepts that climate change is “man-caused” while attributing the current condition of the coal industry to “the free market’ not regulation.
He also said he is “open also the notion of a carbon tax” but not as a “revenue generator.”
Stephen Hadley, President George W. Bush’s national security adviser, warned that climate change will be a major national security threat for the next administration. “Climate change and a lot of other economic dislocations have put a lot of people out of work, they are on the move and they have no place to go and it means they are recruiting grounds for terrorists and extremists and potential refugee flows that will tax Europe even more.”
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson claimed, “the climate hasn’t warmed in quite a few years” while comparing those who advocate for climate change solutions to Joseph Stalin and Fidel Castro. Johnson said it is “proven scientifically” that the earth hasn’t warmed. “That’s why they’ve changed the terminology from global warming to climate change–that covers everything,” Johnson said.
Prominent GOP pollster Whit Ayers cited the need for “Republican candidates to talk about [climate change] intelligently” and further recommended they “not be dismissive” of the issue.
“The way you talk about climate change sends a signal to millennials about how sensitive you are to the environment,” Ayres said. A recent poll showed that 76 percent of Americans ages 18-29 accept that human activity causes climate change.
Climate news junkies: we are always on the hunt for more acts of climate service, especially on the local level. If you know of eco-right climate leaders doing their part, to address this global problem, let us know.