The crowded list of Republican presidential candidates recently got shorter, but there remains a lot of competing thoughts among the GOP on climate change for the environmentally conscious voters to study.
The GOP field currently has no general consensus on the topic, unlike their Democratic counterparts, who have a nearly uniform view that climate change is a big problem. Even with former Texas Gov. Rick Perry out of the race (he dropped his campaign last week), the 16 contenders are almost evenly split, debating whether the science behind climate change is reality or fiction.
Those in the believers’ camp are split into even more conflicting positions. Some say human activities contributed to climate change, while others argue they have not. And the believers’ willingness to take action on climate change varies. Here’s a breakdown of how each candidate stacks up on the issue.
Alright, who are the strongest believers in climate change?
Four candidates have stood out from the pack by calling for action to curb climate change: former New York Gov. George Pataki, former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Pataki brings with him a record of environment-friendly policies. According to the Guardian, Pataki signed clean air and water acts, created parks and protected more than a million acres of land as governor of New York. When his term as governor ended, he was named co-chair of an independent climate change task force by the Council of Foreign Relations in 2007. During his time there, the task force produced a 142-page document that noted the dangers of man-made climate change and called for comprehensive action against it. However, he has yet to outline an action plan on the campaign trail.
As governor of a Gulf Coast state, Jindal also took action against climate change. He published a climate plan that called for a level playing field for all forms of energy, including renewable energy, development of efficient ethanol and more strict energy consumption information requirements for high-energy consumption products. He also wants increased renewable energy production and development of clean technology, but opposes the Kyoto Protocol, which calls for worldwide reduction in carbon emissions.
Gilmore calls climate change a reality, but stated that whether or not it’s man-made is still up for debate. The former governor has not laid out any plan to combat climate change, but called for the preservation of air and water quality, and animals around the world. He is opposed to international treaties or regulations that would limit carbon emissions and claims such rules would “strangle our economy.”
Graham, the only non-executive to take a firm stance on the issue, said he would “address climate change, CO2 emissions in a business-friendly way,” according to Politico. However, he has yet to make any other statements in the public sphere and has not released any detailed plans to achieve his climate goals.
Environmentalists should note, however, these four are currently among the lowest in recent polls. According to Huffington Post’s primary polls, 0 percent of Republican voters would vote for Gilmore and Pataki, while 0.4 and 1 percent would vote for Graham and Jindal, respectively.
What about the other believers?
There are more popular candidates who say they believe in climate change and its effects, but they either believe the consequences are still debatable or prioritize other key issues.
When he was governor of Florida, Jeb Bush warned of climate change and its possible effects on Florida farmers, cities and tourism. According to The Nation, however, Bush’s office claimed the issue was not a top priority. And he still holds that view. Bush said it is necessary to find long-term solutions but is wary of “alarmists.”
Gov. John Kasich, who has been surging in the polls, agrees with Bush saying, “I don’t want to overreact, I can’t measure it all, but I respect the creation that the Lord has given us and I want to make sure we protect it.” In an interview on Meet the Press, Kasich said the impact man has on the environment is still up for debate.
Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, believes enacting climate plans would hurt the U.S. economy. When discussing the drought in California, she told MSNBC: “We’re disabling our own economy and not having any impact at all on climate change.”
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie joined Fiorina when he called for clean air, but dismissed regulations as “anti-business.” He claims he has done a lot to protect the environment as governor and that his state was third in the nation for solar power production in 2014 (New Jersey actually ranked sixth, according to the Star-Ledger.) In 2011, however, he pulled New Jersey out of a 10-state program that aims to reduce carbon emissions.
Then, there are the two junior senators, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Marco Rubio of Florida. They both believe climate change is real, but do not blame human activities. On Face the Nation, Rubio said, “I believe the climate is changing because there’s never been a moment when the climate is not changing.”
While his claim is somewhat true — there are natural cycles of glacial advance (ice ages) and retreat, according to NASA — he dodges the question of whether that change is happening at an extreme rate.
The closest either of the senators get to talking about the environment while campaigning is when talking about energy. Rubio wants to lift the ban on crude oil in hopes of creating new jobs. Paul, a strong supporter of the Keystone XL pipeline, says he intends on “cutting red tape and encouraging energy freedom, new technologies and discoveries.” Paul also said the science behind climate change is “not conclusive,” but does believe the U.S. should take measures to fight pollution.
Now, who are the deniers?
Here’s the list:
- Donald Trump, chairman and president of The Trump Organization
- Neurosurgeon Ben Carson
- Texas Sen. Ted Cruz
- Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee
- Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker
- Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum
Cruz, who has consistently come up in the top five in polls, called climate change a “pseudoscientific theory,” saying that satellite data hasn’t showed any warming of the planet. He claims climate change was created by politicians “who want more control over our lives.”
Some, like Trump, have referenced record cold weathers to justify their opinion that global warming is not happening.
Others, including Huckabee, say scientists just don’t have all the facts together yet. He said on Meet the Press that “science is not settled on [climate change] as it is on some things.”
Contributed by Katie Pohlman
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