Having concluded that the public would no longer buy “Climate change is a Chinese hoax” or “I’m not a scientist, man,” the GOP is starting to revise its message slightly. Is the party still in denial? Here is a comprehensive list of the new responses, and my reactions:
1. Temperatures have increased, but they could change back. Who knows? (Trump): There is absolutely no evidence that a reversal is possible in the foreseeable future.
2. Temperatures have increased, but no one knows exactly how much of the increase is attributable to human activity (Trump and others): The exact percentage doesn’t matter. If you accept that climate change is real and will have a hugely negative impact, you need to take positive steps to address it, regardless of the cause. Logically speaking, a small gap in your knowledge isn’t a justification for doing nothing.
3. Temperatures have increased, but taking action to mitigate the problem will wreck our economy. It simply isn’t worth it. (Trump, Marco Rubio, and others): You can argue about the wisdom of some of the German efforts to support renewable energy, but you can’t say they wrecked their economy. Supporting anachronistic, dirty energy sources over clean ones will damage business in the long run. Finally, we’re already paying for mitigation in the form of natural disaster cleanups; it’s just a question of whether you do it before or after the disaster.
4. In the long run, we’re all screwed, so party on, dudes! (EPA): This is inconsistent with data which show that any effort to reduce the damage will help. It is also the very negation of truly conservative thought. Edmund Burke would be rolling over in his grave.
The bottom line is that the new positions are not technically “denial,” but they’re just as irresponsible.