CLIMATE CHANGE DENIERS!
We can't afford to deny the reality of climate change -- we
don't live in a fantasy world of sparkles and unicorns.
Climate change is already having an impact on
western states. Droughts are made worse by declining snowpacks and higher
temperatures. The recreation and agriculture industries are threatened, and
water supplies are at risk. According to an analysis of U.S. Forest Service
data, wildfire season is two and a half months longer than it was several
decades ago -- and in some places, wildfires can now happen all year round.
The scientific community is sounding the alarm.
We can't let climate change deniers stand in the way of taking common-sense
steps to solve this problem.
Cory Gardner
(CO)
When asked during a debate: “Do you believe
humans are contributing significantly to climate change?“ He dodged the
question twice before saying “I believe climate is changing, but I disagree to
the extent that's been in the news that man is changing [the climate].”
FACT:
It’s not just the
news. Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists agree that climate change is
real and man-made.
John Barrasso
(WY)
“When Barrasso was in college and medical
school, he said, the 'best science at the time said that the Ice Age is
coming...’”
FACT:
Some scientists did
predict cooling, decades—however, in the four decades since, the evidence of
man-made climate change caused by carbon pollution has become overwhelming.
Dana Rohrabacher
(CA)
“In fact, the ice caps are melting, which we
see over and over again. Yeah, they’re melting on Mars too!”
FACT:
There is little
evidence that Mars’ climate is changing, but there is overwhelming evidence
that man-made climate change is already impacting communities today.
Duncan Hunter
(CA)
"Nobody really knows the cause [of
climate change] ... Maybe we should kill the cows to stop the methane, or stop
breathing to stop the CO2 ... Thousands of people die every year of cold, so if
we had global warming it would save lives ... We ought to look out for people.
The earth can take care of itself."
FACT:
The causes of climate
change are well known, and climate change will also carry serious health
impacts, including malnutrition, increased disease, extreme weather disasters,
and heat stress.
John Boehner
(OH)
“Every cow in the world, you know, when they
do what they do, you've got more carbon dioxide.”
FACT:
Carbon pollution in
the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels is the primary cause of climate
change.
Candice Miller
(MI)
“There is little doubt that the world's
climate is changing, because the climate has always changed. Just ask the
dinosaurs or remember the ice age and how huge glaciers melting and moving
formed our Great Lakes. The question is whether the current climate change is
human-induced.”
FACT:
According to NASA and
97% of climate scientists, this question has been answered. Human activity
causes climate change.
Ron Johnson
(WI)
"I absolutely do not believe in the
science of man-caused climate change … It's not proven by any stretch of the imagination.
It's far more likely that it's sunspot activity or just something in the
geologic eons of time."
FACT:
Ninety-seven percent
of climate scientists agree that climate change is real and caused by human
activity.
Steve King
(IA)
“There are a couple of German engineers that
took that theory apart and proved it wrong in a lab.”
FACT:
No such thing has
occurred. Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists agree that man-made
climate change is real, and the science behind the "greenhouse
effect" has been known for over a century.
Jim Inhofe
(OK)
Threw a snowball on the Senate floor in an
attempt to disprove climate change, saying "I ask the chair, you know what
this is? It’s a snowball, just from outside here. So it’s very, very cold out.
Very unseasonal. Mr. President, catch this.”
FACT:
The existence of
winter does not disprove climate change—every decade since the 1970s has been
hotter than the one before, and 2014 was the hottest year in over 130 years of
record keeping.
Ted Cruz
(TX)
“There remains considerable uncertainty about
the effect of the many factors that influence climate: the sun, the oceans,
clouds, the behavior of water vapor (the main greenhouse gas), volcanic
activity, and human activity.”
FACT:
Earth’s climate is
complex, but the evidence is clear: Climate change is real and caused by carbon
pollution from burning fossil fuels.
Mitch McConnell
(KY)
“For everybody who thinks it's warming, I can
find somebody who thinks it isn't.”
FACT:
This is cherry
picking. Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists agree that climate change
is real and man-made.
Lamar Smith
(TX)
"I believe climate change is due to a
combination of factors, including natural cycles, sun spots and human
activity.”
FACT:
The primary cause of
climate change is carbon pollution from fossil fuels.
