Mitt Romney's shifting views on climate change
(Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images)
The longer he runs for president, the more doubts Republican front-runner Mitt Romney seems to have about the science behind global climate change.
Speaking at a closed-door fundraiser Thursday in Pittsburgh, Romney's position on the causes of global warming continued the rightward shift that has been underway for several months. "My view is that we don't know what's causing climate change on this planet. And the idea of spending trillions and trillions of dollars to try to reduce CO2 emissions is not the right course for us," he told donors at the Consol Energy Center.
As recently as his 2010 book, No Apology, Romney wrote, "I believe that climate change is occurring. ... I also believe that human activity is a contributing factor. I am uncertain how much of the warming, however, is attributable to man and how much is attributable to factors out of our control."
In June of this year, Reuters reported that Romney said that the United States should "reduce our emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases that may be significant contributors." Then in August, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who openly questions the science of climate change factors, entered the GOP primary race, and Romney appeared to dial down his own certainty of the science, saying, "I think the earth is getting warmer. ... I think humans contribute to that. I don't know by how much. It could be a little. It could be a lot."
While Romney's expressed skepticism about climate change plays well with conservatives, Democrats are bound to use it against him with the moderate and independent voters who hold sway in a general election. His remarks at the Pittsburgh fundraiser were captured on video, which ended up in the hands of the liberal Center for American Progress. The center distributed the video to news outlets today.
Romney spokesman Ryan Williams said Friday, "Governor Romney has been consistent in his statements on global warming."
At the fundraiser, Romney was asked by a member of the audience to explain his position on man-made global warming and asked further whether he would reject a cap-and-trade bill to limit carbon emissions linked to climate change.
Romney replied, "Man-made global warming and cap and trade and so forth - I actually had in Massachusetts a consortium of states that came together with a cap and trade program. It was called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. And all the governors, Governor Pataki and so forth, signed it. I refused to sign. I do not believe in a cap and trade program."
By the way, they do not call it America warming, they call it global warming. So the idea of America spending massive amounts, trillions of dollars to somehow stop global warming is not a great idea. It loses jobs for Americans and ultimately it won't be successful, because industries that are energy intensive will just get up and go somewhere else. So it doesn't make any sense at all. My view is that we don't know what's causing climate change on this planet. And the idea of spending trillions and trillions of dollars to try to reduce CO2 emissions is not the right course for us. My view with regards to energy policy is pretty straightforward. I want us to become energy secure and independent of the oil cartels. And that means let's aggressively develop our oil, our gas, our coal, our nuclear power."
Sarah Boxer contributed to this story.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9Ah9ySeraw
Ya Know, lets all listen to this guy ...MITT 'WILLARD' ROMNEY .... I read him giving 'FORECLOSURE and BANK HEISTED AMERICANS" EMPTY ADVICE .... most of us have houses underwater due to massive FRAUD in the offshore banking industries , the FEDERAL RESERVE, assisting in the HEIST of AMERICAN EQUITY...yet Romney says , hey fix 'em up and rent 'em, great advice ...he ought to get his real estate license ....RIGHT?
dont hear a word about the FRAUD, no , nor the FEDERAL RESERVE giving TRILLIONS to offshore banks ....and NOT TELLING US ...no, MITT is right , just fix up your house that is close to foreclosure, UNDERWATER EVERY MONTH, and rent it to someone with an EBT CARD....good plan
NO THNX DOOFUS
RON PAUL ....Y'all
-against the federal reserve
-constitutionalist (meaning) investigate the FRAUDSTERS MITT, you PALS remember?
here is the story:
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is planning to nearly quadruple the size of his $12 million California beachfront mansion.
The former Massachusetts governor is planning to bulldoze his 3,009-square-foot home facing the Pacific Ocean in La Jolla, Calif., and replace it with an 11,062-square-foot home, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Romney filed an application with the city for a coastal development permit but that no date has been set to consider the project.
2. There's those who will never believe in HCGW, regardless of the science.
3. There's those who are on the fence because of what appears to be a 'controversy'.
If you fall into this 3rd category, then all you need to do to move to the 1st category is read the wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming_controversy#The_mainstream_scientific_position.2C_and_challenges_to_it
Its that simple.
Also: If you're response is that the scientific community is corrupt/inaccurate and then the wiki community is also corrupt/inaccurate, then you might just be in the 2nd category, which is where you will stay.
obama can decimate the entire business environment with the EPA and that's OK?
That's the meaning of their whole plug on "faith". It's not about Christianity, it's about getting in line with the party and the donors.
Denying science allows you to make tragically destructive policy for the folks that want it. +1 for King Coal
The idea that mankind effect the global climate change is just too much, mankind is just too insignificant to make a difference.
There is no science behind global climate change only liberal propaganda. The climate changes for a great many reasons that man has noting to do with. The climate has been changing since the world began. The climate will continue to change until the end.
Liberal or neocon or scientifically illiterate, this planet lover is happy and over joyed a CO2 climate crisis was not true after all. Nothing could possibly be worse than a climate crisis. It was virtually a comet hit of an emergency, the ultimate disaster. As for the rest of you well-wishers of other people's misery............history is watching you fear mongers. Now go back to rubber necking car accidents.
is the grunt of a CO2 fear mongering bible thumper and no different from a fear mongering neocon.
"The science says..........the science says.............."
It was a tragic exaggeration so why would you hope for this misery to have been true?
yep, all those hoaxster liberal scientists here hoaxing you again
The idea that mankind effect the global climate change is just too much, mankind is just too insignificant to make a difference.
There is no science behind global climate change only liberal propaganda. The climate changes for a great many reasons that man has noting to do with. The climate has been changing since the world began. The climate will continue to change until the end.
It is not science it is politics of the left. Why is it you do not remember the so called scientist were caught cooking the books.