CNN moderator Jake Tapper directed the first climate question of the night to Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. The question, asked on behalf of Republican Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, was if Rubio would, as president, acknowledge the reality of the scientific consensus of climate change and pledge to do something about it.
“Sure, the climate is changing. And one of the reasons why the climate is changing is because the climate is always changing,” Rubio said, reiterating a common refrain from his campaign. “There’s never been a time when the climate is not changing.”
“I think the fundamental question for a policymaker is: is the climate changing because of something we are doing and if so, is there a law we can pass to fix it?’
“As far as a law that we can pass in Washington to change the weather, there’s no such thing,” Rubio added. “On the contrary, there are laws they want us to pass that would be devastating for our economy.”
“I’m in favor of a clean environment,” Rubio said. “But these laws some people are asking us to pass will do nothing for the environment and they will hurt and devastate our economy.”