This week, more than 150 heads of state visited Paris for the start of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, a showing that demonstrates the seriousness with which the world views global warming. Meanwhile, here in the United States, the GOP’s would-be presidents have adopted positions that are, by turn, deceptive, disingenuous, or defeatist.
Mind you, it wasn’t always this way. In the 2008 election cycle, eventual GOP nominee John McCain proposed a cap-and-trade plan. Climate change had yet to be politicized, which meant that the scientific consensus was treated with appropriate bipartisan seriousness.
Then things changed. Self-interested industrialists and their political allies began trying to muddy the issue. Conservatives started charging that cap-and-trade, a market-based pollution solution pioneered by President George H.W. Bush, was a liberal scheme aimed at expanding government control over the economy.
These days, most Republican presidential aspirants are more intent on finessing than addressing the issue. Thus it can be Heisenbergianly hard getting an exact fix on where any given candidate is at any given moment. But here’s a basic breakdown.
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The ‘It’s a Hoax!’ Blokes
The hoax folks are easy to recognize: They are given to wild-eyed conspiracy theories and prone to mangling history and distorting data in their efforts to debunk climate science and bolster their own spurious claims that there has been no warming in recent decades. Rick Santorum, Ted Cruz, and Donald Trump are all members in good standing of this kooky conclave.
The No Reliance on Science Alliance
“I’m not a scientist” is one regular dodge of this group. In truth, it’s an uncomfortable camp to be in, since the logical, if unstated, implication of the “I’m not a scientist” sidestep — therefore I’m unable to render an intelligent judgment about science — is distinctly unflattering. Paradoxically enough, some of the Not-A-Scientists seem confident in declaring that “the science isn’t settled,” an assertion that suggests they really are incapable of making a reasonable assessment of the level of consensus that should trigger government action. Or, as Lindsey Graham put it recently: “If I went to 10 doctors and nine said, ‘Hey, you’re gonna die,’ and one says ‘You’re fine,’ why would I believe the one guy?”
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Certainly a president so perplexed by science would find himself in a regular muddle in this complex age of ours. Include in this group Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, and Mike Huckabee.
The No Can Do Crew
The mindset of this group of resigned Republicans runs this way: Yes, man-made climate change is real, but it’s also tough to tackle. And besides, I don’t trust other countries to follow through on their commitments. So don’t expect me to do much about it.
But if mightily pessimistic about policy solutions, the No Can Doers are hopeful that innovation and technology, if left to their own devices, might solve the problem. John Kasich belongs here, as do Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina.
The Both Clear And Obscure Tier
This basically admirable group counts a membership of two: Graham and George Pataki. They both forthrightly acknowledge climate change and chide their party for its anti-science attitude. Both say they would tackle the issue. Problem: Having retreated from previous support of cap-and-trade, they offer only generalities about the policies they’d pursue.
On the one hand, it’s good to see even two GOP candidates willing to speak truth to their party.
On the other hand, their vague solutions underscore just how far the GOP has devolved from the forthright, forward-looking stand John McCain struck in 2008.
Scot Lehigh can be reached at lehigh@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeScotLehigh.
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