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A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 21 June 2018

Too hot to handle: Politics of warming part of culture wars

By SETH BORENSTEIN and Taylor now actively tries to industry efforts.
STEVE PEOPLES fight climate change as "Their goal was to prevent
Associated Press founder of the Niskanen the United States from
WASHINGTON (AP) — When Center, a moderate acting on climate," Oreskes
it comes to global warming, think tank with libertarian said. "They were much
America's political climate principles. more effective getting
may have changed more The political shifts across their message of
than the Earth's over the haven't been limited doubt than scientists were
past three decades. to Republicans. Many effective in getting across
NASA scientist James liberal Democrats have their message of science."
Hansen put the world moved sharply to the left The fossil fuel industry "took
on notice about global on environmental issues, the tobacco playbook
warming on June 23, 1988. ignoring nuclear energy as and worked to stop
Looking back, he says: "I an option to fight climate climate change action by
was sufficiently idealistic change and thinking solar denying the science," said
that I thought we would and wind can do it all, Northeastern University
have a sensible bipartisan when it can't, Hansen said. policy and communication
approach to the problem." It's not just politicians. professor Matthew Nisbet.
After all, Republicans The 12 states with the highest "They were brutal," Sen.
and Democrats had per person emissions of the Wirth said.
worked together on an main heat-trapping gas, First-term Republican
international agreement carbon dioxide, voted for Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of
to fix the hole in the Earth's Trump in 2016. The 10 states Pennsylvania struggles
ozone layer. Republicans with the lowest per person to understand his party's
would later represent eight carbon emissions voted for environmental priorities.
of the 20 co-sponsors on Hillary Clinton. One of the few GOP
the first major bills to fight Polling suggests that members of the Climate
climate change in the In this Aug. 10, 2009, file photo, former-Sen. Tim Wirth moderates global warming is now Solutions Caucus with
1980s and 1990s. the National Clean Energy Summit 2.0, in Las Vegas. even more polarizing than a passing grade from
Yet 30 years after Hansen's Associated Press abortion, said pollster and environmental activists,
initial warning, the issue Yale Center for Climate Fitzpatrick is quick to call out
is as much at the core of be taken seriously. of Colorado. In 1988, two Communication Director his Republican colleagues
the nation's political divide "We hit a low in the tea months after Hansen's Anthony Leiserowitz. for "not putting their money
as abortion, same-sex party," Inglis said. "That warning, George H.W. Nearly 7 in 10 Republicans where their mouth is" on
marriage and immigration. turned out to be a false Bush vowed to fight the — or 69 percent — think environmental issues.
Most Republican bottom because we went greenhouse effect. Even the seriousness of global "It's pretty obvious to me
candidates today cannot lower with the election of 20 years later, Republicans warming is generally that climate change is
speak the words "climate Donald Trump." adopted a party platform exaggerated, Gallup caused in large part due to
change" — let alone President Trump, who once at the 2008 convention found in March. Among human activity," Fitzpatrick
support policies to address tweeted that climate that openly addressed the Democrats, just 4 percent said. "I think we all need to
it — without risking a fierce change was a "Chinese threat of climate change. — not even 1 out of 10 acknowledge that basic
political backlash from their hoax," pulled the United At the same time, the — believe the issue is fact."
base, which increasingly States out of the Paris party's rhetoric also began exaggerated. The newly formed
believes that man-made climate agreement — the to shift dramatically, Academics, politicians American Conservation
climate change is a liberal only country to do so — and adopting former Alaska and climate scientists say Coalition is working
fantasy. his Cabinet has aggressively Gov. Sarah Palin's "Drill politics — and an industry across two dozen states
There's virtually no dismantled and dismissed baby drill" catch phrase. campaign to shed doubt to convince Republicans
space left for a climate government efforts to fight Its embrace of fossil fuels, on the science — led to the to return to their pro-
change advocate in the global warming. and rejection of climate public divide. environment roots. Yet the
Republican Party of 2018. "As the climate is getting change as a serious threat, Fossil fuel industry interests group's website doesn't
Just ask Bob Inglis. worse, the politics is getting only intensified with the seeing a threat from a mention the words "climate
The former South Carolina worse," said Paul Higgins, 2010 rise of the tea party. 1997 international treaty change" because it would
Republican lost his public policy director of the It is "a core element of that required U.S. carbon alienate conservatives,
congressional primary in American Meteorological Republican identity to emission cuts spent a lot said the organization's
2010 after speaking out Society. reject climate science," of money to "promote a Benjamin Backer.
about global warming It wasn't always this way. said Jerry Taylor, who for message of confusion, a "I hope that in the next
following a trip to the Arctic. "A lot of Republicans were more than two decades message of doubt," said decade, or hopefully a lot
He has since dedicated involved" in fighting climate downplayed global Harvard science historian sooner, we can have a
his professional life to change after Hansen warming as an energy and Naomi Oreskes, who wrote discussion about climate
convincing conservatives testified, said former environment analyst for the the book "Merchants of change where it's not so
that climate change must Democratic Sen. Tim Wirth libertarian Cato Institute. Doubt" about this and other partisan," Backer said.q