Commentary by Anne Macquarie: The party of denial

It will not surprise readers of this column that I think climate change is the biggest environmental challenge facing us in this century. I've written about it a few times - what the effects of human-caused climate change may be on Northern Nevada, who is bankrolling climate change denial on a national level, and our shameful lack of a national energy policy.

So what more can I say? Just that it's been interesting to watch the Republican presidential candidates refine - if I can use that word for so blundering a process - their views on climate change.

Current wisdom - backed by some polls - is that the Republican base thinks human-caused climate change is a bunch of hooey and that we can't do anything about it anyway. Candidates are falling all over themselves to, instead of lead, agree. Here's a rundown of some of the candidates' views, including current frontrunners Perry and Bachman.

Rick Perry believes "the issue of global warming has been politicized" and "scientists have manipulated data so that they will have dollars rolling in to their projects."

Regarding doing anything at all to alleviate or halt climate change, Perry says he doesn't want America "to be engaged in spending that much money on still a scientific theory that has not been proven and from my perspective is more and more being put into question."

Michele Bachman gave a rambling speech on the House floor about how CO2 is just a harmless gas and "a natural byproduct of nature," whatever that is. She goes on, "yet we're being told that we have to reduce this natural substance and reduce the American standard of living to create an arbitrary reduction in something that is naturally occurring in the earth."

Frankly, her ignorance of climate science is astonishing, even embarrassing.

Mitt Romney appears to be working hard to repudiate his earlier moderate views regarding the reality of climate change: "Do I think the world's getting hotter? Yeah, I don't know that but I think that it is." But, he says, " I don't know if it's mostly caused by humans."

I'm running out of room, so I'll finish with Ron Paul, who doesn't mince words: "the greatest hoax I think that has been around for many, many years if not hundreds of years has been this hoax on the environment and global warming." 

The consensus of scientific opinion is that climate change is occurring, that it has been profoundly influenced by human activity, and that there will be significant, even disastrous, effects on ecosystems and societies. These politicians are the would-be leaders of one of the two major political parties of the most powerful nation in the world. I try to laugh at their ignorance, but I feel more like crying.

• Anne Macquarie, a private sector urban planner, is a long time resident of Carson City.