Climate Collapse Literally Written In Fire In 2023: GQP: "Hoax!" "Arson!" "Plant Trees!"
Heat waves, wildfire smoke and floods have swept across the U.S. and the world this summer, but extreme weather events aren’t swaying House Republicans on climate change — at least not yet. Indeed, while scientists have widely linked the recent alarming weather to global warming, many Republicans are still not sold on the science of climate change. And even those who do believe say concerns about the climate crisis are overblown. Even though GOP members have changed their rhetoric on climate change in recent years, comments this week show deep divisions remain within the party.
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Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) mused that wildfires in Canada that have blown toxic smoke into major U.S. cities, canceling outdoor events and keeping many indoors, could have been caused by “lightning” or “arson” rather than “global warming.” His comments were made during a hearing to undermine environmental, social and governance investing (ESG) and poke holes at a movement by regulators to consider what risks climate change poses to financial institutions. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), when asked this week if he thought there was a correlation between recent heat waves and climate change, replied simply, “No, I don’t.” Many Republicans have moved away from outright climate science denial, advocating instead for an “all of the above” strategy on energy and innovation rather than regulation.
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Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.), the co-chair of the recently reformed House Climate Solutions Caucus (Ed - Oh BOY!!!) said it’s only a matter of time before his colleagues start to connect the dots between these events and the need for legislation to address the climate crisis. “A lot more people are having these things happen to their districts; a lot of people are seeing it firsthand. It’s no longer just the coast,” he said. “It will definitely change the coalition” calling for climate action.
Yet Garbarino’s own relaunch of the bipartisan group was also somewhat dampened last week. After boasting that the number of Republican members had finally met parity with the number of Democratic members for the first time since 2018, House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) clarified she had not, in fact, rejoined the Climate Solutions Caucus. Stefanik was once seen as a vocal champion of GOP climate action, including as a member of the Climate Solutions Caucus. Her participation in the coalition now could have given it a major boost and showed the extent to which her party’s leadership was engaged in climate issues. Her office did not provide a request for comment.
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https://www.eenews.net/articles/climate-change-and-extreme-weather-big-yawns-for-gop/