An offshoot of President Obama’s 2012 political campaign has published a list of politicians — more or less a catalog of Republican lawmakers — who have denied or expressed skepticism about man-made climate change.
Organizing for Action lists “deniers in the House” directly above “deniers in the Senate” on a webpage that features the lawmakers’ photos and a quote on their beliefs.
One House member on the list, Rep. Louie Gohmert, Texas Republican, said, “We’re finding out the world is staying the same or actually cooling.”
The OFA site quotes Sen. Pat Roberts, Kansas Republican, as having said: “There’s no question there’s some global warming, but I’m not sure what it means. A lot of this is condescending elitism.”
The quotes are listed alongside a link to their source, typically news articles. Some lawmakers deny climate change outright, while some say there is not enough proof that human actions are causing it.
Whether or not global warming is a real phenomenon, and how much humans may be contributing it, have been a source of heated political debates for decades. Many Democratic lawmakers and scientists vent frustration with the deniers, saying the evidence is overwhelming and clear.
“Climate change is real, it’s caused largely by human activities, and it poses significant risks for our health,” Organizing for Action said. “Some members of Congress disagree with this simple, scientifically-proven fact.”