A real conservative, as I’ve stated many times, is suspicious of change. When he is forced to deal with it, he assumes the worst, and plans accordingly. He does his best to make sure that any mistake he might make won’t damage the interests of future generations.
The GOP’s reaction to climate change is precisely the opposite. Instead of taking small measures now to address a potential future worst case scenario, the GOP believes in living for today, and simply hoping that everything will work out in the long run.
That is their attitude on tax cuts and the deficit, too. And that is why the GOP cannot be called a “conservative” party under any meaningful definition of the word.