Discussions about climate change in the U.S. have been creating quite a stir lately, especially after the White House released a new report about its devastating effects based on the recent Third National Climate Assessment (NCA) by the U.S. Global Change Research Program.
Over a week ago the NCA Report was discussed in S.E. Cupp's CNN Crossfire, only to end up in a heated discussion and with Science Guy Bill Nye being accused of allegedly using scare tactics to urge people to believe in global warming.
Now, the politicians are talking.
In an interview with Jonathan Karl of ABC News, Florida representative Sen. Marco Rubio openly stated his skepticism about climate change and whether humans are to be blamed for it.
"I don't agree with the notion that some are putting out there, including scientists, that somehow, there are actions we can take today that would actually have an impact on what's happening in our climate," he said.
Even after Karl cited the NCA report that mentioned Florida, particularly Miami and Tampa, as the "most threatened by climate change," Rubio said he would not buy it because to him, climate is always changing.
"Well, I don't know of any era in world history where the climate has been stable. Climate is always evolving and natural disaster has always existed," he explained.
To which former U.S. vice president Al Gore reacted. In an open forum at the University of Chicago's Institute of Politics, Gore expressed his thoughts about the drastic shift of the Republicans' stance regarding climate change, as in the case of Rubio.
For Gore, there is more to the declarations that climate change itself. He sees it as about gaining the favor of multi-billionaires like Charles and David Koch, who are the major donors of the GOP and known skeptics of climate change.
"You know, when you say there is a strain in the Republican Party, there is an enforced orthodox in the Republican Party," Gore began.
He cited Republicans John McCain and Mitt Romney as candidates who both showed their support with climate change; they acknowledged climate crisis, even preparing proposals and solutions to solve it.
"I don't think it's particularly complicated why they have all cowed into abandoning that position [of supporting climate change]," Gore said. "They will face primary opponents financed by the Koch Brothers, and others who are part of their group, if they even breathe the slightest breath of sympathy for the truth about climate science."
Gore added that anyone who wants to run under GOP could not "cross the Koch brothers and the others that are part of that group" whose industries are major contributors of carbon emissions because these business giants fear anyone in the government could do something against them.
