Marco Rubio: I Don't Believe Humans Are Causing Climate Change

[darkangel218]

Of all the states that stand to suffer from climate change, Florida is facing potentially the bleakest consequences. A New York Times report noted last week that global warming was already having an effect on everyday life, like leading to flooding on streets that never used to flood.

Meanwhile, a National Climate Assessment has named Miami as the city most vulnerable to damage from rising sea levels. While a Southeast Florida Regional Climate Compact paper warned that water in the area could rise by as much as two feet by the year 2060.

On Sunday, one of the state's U.S. senators, Marco Rubio (R), was pressed about the general subject of climate change, and despite the warnings outlined above, he argued that there was nothing lawmakers could or should do to reverse the climate trends (whose origins he also questioned).
"I do not believe that human activity is causing these dramatic changes to our climate the way these scientists are portraying it," Rubio said, according to excerpts released by ABC "This Week,"

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/5305082?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592

Really, Mr Rubio??



Grrrrrr

[mucifer]

1. Well Ok then all is fine in the world. Glad to hear it!

[randome]

2. It doesn't matter what's causing it, goddamnit!

Is there anything we can do about it? YES! Do we do something when it's cold outside? YES!

Getting sucked into this fool's debate leads nowhere.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]If you don't give yourself the same benefit of a doubt you'd give anyone else, you're cheating someone.[/center][/font][hr]

[bigmonkey]

24. ^^This^^

Are people so addicted to name-calling that they're oblivious to this obvious truth? It's irrelevant whether humans are causing it or not, the argument over that is a total red-herring. Undercut the right's ability to re-frame this by cutting to the chase -- we should do what we can no matter what the cause is!

Thank you, randome, for making this case.

[randome]

50. I've made it before but not many pay attention.

And the media never asks a Denier's plans to deal with Climate Change, regardless of who or what is causing it. Republicans are the laziest creatures on Earth. They don't want to work for government and they don't want to solve problems. But they do want a big government salary for doing nothing.

People will remember who did nothing to mitigate Climate Change and that will be their death knell, I think, just as ACA is another nail in the coffin.

You're right, we're addicted to name-calling and butting heads. Fighting fire with fire just means everyone gets burned.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in."
Leonard Cohen, Anthem (1992)[/center][/font][hr]

[DirkGently]

86. Well their corollary is obviously, "So people can't

do anything about it."

Which is where the logic breaks down, of course. But what they want us to keep in mind is that under no circumstances may PROFITS BE HINDERED, because nothing that hinders profits is ever good.

[freedom fighter jh]

82. What would you do about it?

The fix depends on the cause. If the cause is too much CO2 in the atmosphere, then we have to cut back on CO2 emissions. If it's something else, we have to find out what it is and fix that. But I think it's known: It's CO2.

Yes, there are engineering proposals, like messing with atmospheric composition to force the planet to reflect more solar energy back into space. To carry these out would be an act of desperation, because it is not possible to anticipate all the effects of such things. Better to stop causing climate change in the first place.

[L0oniX]

3. Yea ...and I don't believe the rich are destroying our country.

[ladjf]

4. Not only has the climate change been shown to have been

caused by humans, Florida will suffer about 33% of the first losses due to salt water encroachment. That means that Rubio is directly
working against the best interests of his own state. He is either incredible stupid or extremely disingenuous. Florida, you've got yourselves a real winner there.

[darkangel218]

5. Yah, no kidding

We're in deep doodoo.

[steve2470]

15. already flooding a bit in Miami Beach nt

[ladjf]

39. I saw that in the news. The same article was explaining that

when the first major salt water incursions happened, Florida was going to be hit with about 33% of the total National damage.
You'd think that Rubio would have enough sense to at least keep his mouth shut rather than trying to debunk the science.

[KaryninMiami]

57. That's why I was so shocked

Maybe he doesn't remember that Miami Beach is part of his state? Keeping his mouth shut would have been smarter!

[KaryninMiami]

42. More then a bit!

It's like Venice here at times and not in a good way. I hope the new pumps and months of construction nightmares are worth it in the end...

[steve2470]

44. does Miami Beach really think they can fend this off ?

I'm no engineer, but it seems that billions and billions of dollars have to be spent just "putting the finger in the dike", so to speak. Good luck !!!

[KaryninMiami]

58. Hard to say- I hope it helps!

Between the traffic woes and the businesses losing revenues for over a year. I do hope it makes a difference! It's a huge project. Oddly they've yet to do anything in my neighborhood which also floods many times each year.

[FarCenter]

59. It was mangrove swamp before they dredged the bay and built it up.

They will have to do more dredging and add more fill.

[steve2470]

60. yes, quite a bit

My layman's prediction is that they will need to spend billions to really "future proof" Miami Beach. I forget exactly what the dire worst case scenarios are, but all of MB would be under water, for sure, except for the tops of buildings.

[FarCenter]

63. Projections in the 2007 report were for 220 to 500 mm of sea level rise by 2100

This is from 9 to 20 inches.

Not a lot of fill will be needed.

http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/faq-5-1.html
http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/faq-5-1-figure-1.html

[steve2470]

64. ok I guess I was thinking of the catastrophic "all polar ice/glacial ice melting" scenario

20 inches isn't the same as being submerged.

[yeoman6987]

79. In 1977, Time Magazine said we were going into an ice age by 2000

[steve2470]

80. a bit of hyperbole probably not backed up by the overwhelming climatalogy community consensus nt

[yeoman6987]

81. I don't know

But I do know that it is a tough issue that will never really be known. Between the climate cycles and detractors, who knows what will be done. I imagine that eventually they will tax carbons on businesses. Cars are getting better. The President seems to want this a priority. Although I think from now on any "Global Warming" speeches need to be done at the White House and not flying across the country using carbon to do so. Other than that I have no idea what the results will be.

[steve2470]

65. this is what I was thinking about

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/09/rising-seas/if-ice-melted-map

screenshot from article:

[FarCenter]

66. "some scientists say it would take more than 5,000 years to melt it all"

Which is roughly 48 centuries longer that the buildings in Miami are likely to last, considering the construction techniques used.

And it is not clear that a warmer climate won't actually result in a lowering of sea levels. There is some evidence that the snowfall in Antarctica has increased due to the warmer, moister atmosphere. If the Arctic Ocean is open for more of the year, snowfall over Greenland may increase.

Please explain your theory about how glaciers formed over North America and Europe for most of the last 3 million years except for short interludes.

[steve2470]

67. I'm not a scientist my friend

I'm not one to argue FOR the worst case. You are reading me completely wrong. I admit I have not studied this in detail. I'm guessing you have. Congrats. I come here to LEARN about climate change, which I'm doing. I wish the people in Miami Beach well, and you too. Good day.

[hatrack]

93. Well, Milankovitch Cycles and axial tilt variations are good places to start . . .

The episodic nature of the Earth's glacial and interglacial periods within the present Ice Age (the last couple of million years) have been caused primarily by cyclical changes in the Earth's circumnavigation of the Sun. Variations in the Earth's eccentricity, axial tilt, and precession comprise the three dominant cycles, collectively known as the Milankovitch Cycles for Milutin Milankovitch, the Serbian astronomer and mathematician who is generally credited with calculating their magnitude. Taken in unison, variations in these three cycles creates alterations in the seasonality of solar radiation reaching the Earth's surface. These times of increased or decreased solar radiation directly influence the Earth's climate system, thus impacting the advance and retreat of Earth's glaciers.

It is of primary importance to explain that climate change, and subsequent periods of glaciation, resulting from the following three variables is not due to the total amount of solar energy reaching Earth. The three Milankovitch Cycles impact the seasonality and location of solar energy around the Earth, thus impacting contrasts between the seasons.

Eccentricity

The first of the three Milankovitch Cycles is the Earth's eccentricity. Eccentricity is, simply, the shape of the Earth's orbit around the Sun. This constantly fluctuating, orbital shape ranges between more and less elliptical (0 to 5% ellipticity) on a cycle of about 100,000 years. These oscillations, from more elliptic to less elliptic, are of prime importance to glaciation in that it alters the distance from the Earth to the Sun, thus changing the distance the Sun's short wave radiation must travel to reach Earth, subsequently reducing or increasing the amount of radiation received at the Earth's surface in different seasons.



Today a difference of only about 3 percent occurs between aphelion (farthest point) and perihelion (closest point). This 3 percent difference in distance means that Earth experiences a 6 percent increase in received solar energy in January than in July. This 6 percent range of variability is not always the case, however. When the Earth's orbit is most elliptical the amount of solar energy received at the perihelion would be in the range of 20 to 30 percent more than at aphelion. Most certainly these continually altering amounts of received solar energy around the globe result in prominent changes in the Earth's climate and glacial regimes. At present the orbital eccentricity is nearly at the minimum of its cycle.

Axial Tilt

Axial tilt, the second of the three Milankovitch Cycles, is the inclination of the Earth's axis in relation to its plane of orbit around the Sun. Oscillations in the degree of Earth's axial tilt occur on a periodicity of 41,000 years from 21.5 to 24.5 degrees.



oday the Earth's axial tilt is about 23.5 degrees, which largely accounts for our seasons. Because of the periodic variations of this angle the severity of the Earth's seasons changes. With less axial tilt the Sun's solar radiation is more evenly distributed between winter and summer. However, less tilt also increases the difference in radiation receipts between the equatorial and polar regions.

One hypothesis for Earth's reaction to a smaller degree of axial tilt is that it would promote the growth of ice sheets. This response would be due to a warmer winter, in which warmer air would be able to hold more moisture, and subsequently produce a greater amount of snowfall. In addition, summer temperatures would be cooler, resulting in less melting of the winter's accumulation. At present, axial tilt is in the middle of its range.

Precession

The third and final of the Milankovitch Cycles is Earth's precession. Precession is the Earth's slow wobble as it spins on axis. This wobbling of the Earth on its axis can be likened to a top running down, and beginning to wobble back and forth on its axis. The precession of Earth wobbles from pointing at Polaris (North Star) to pointing at the star Vega. When this shift to the axis pointing at Vega occurs, Vega would then be considered the North Star. This top-like wobble, or precession, has a periodicity of 23,000 years.



Due to this wobble a climatically significant alteration must take place. When the axis is tilted towards Vega the positions of the Northern Hemisphere winter and summer solstices will coincide with the aphelion and perihelion, respectively. This means that the Northern Hemisphere will experience winter when the Earth is furthest from the Sun and summer when the Earth is closest to the Sun. This coincidence will result in greater seasonal contrasts. At present, the Earth is at perihelion very close to the winter solstice.

EDIT

There, that wasn't so hard to find, was it?





EDIT

http://www.indiana.edu/~geol105/images/gaia_chapter_4/milankovitch.htm

[FarCenter]

94. That doesn't really explain it, since Milankovitch Cycles were going on prior to the Ice Ages

The Milankovitch Cycles provide a driving signal, but they had little or no effect until the earth's climate systems reached a configuration that was resonant with their period.

It's not clear what happened, but the closing of the Isthmus of Panama, the narrowing of the Bering Straits, and changes to the topography of the North Atlantic seafloor between Greenland and Scotland are candidates for causing the beginning of the Ice Ages.

See for example "Global Impact of the Panamanian Seaway Closure" http://people.oregonstate.edu/~schmita2/pdf/S/schmittner04eos.pdf

[darkangel218]

45. Is that what they were doing on Washington and Collins?

Last time I was there we could barely drive due to what looked like road construction. It was probably the pumps now that you're mentioning

[KaryninMiami]

56. Probably. Alton and Collins are both a mess

I'm pretty sure both areas are under construction due to new pumps to better handle the flooding. Not fun driving here these days!

[darkangel218]

61. I agree.

Have you noticed South Beach also getting dirtier than years ago? In 2001-2005 they made it really nice , then out of a sudden it all went downhill. I almost don't recognize it when I go back.

[KaryninMiami]

73. Yes- it's a very different place now

It was fun in the 90s here- everything was being renovated and upgraded. Great community spirit. But things then went way over the top and its crowded with a different type of tourists/visitors then before. And now sadly Lincoln road is like a big mall- the smaller businesses and galleries are gone ( rents too high).

[Skidmore]

47. He needs to be hammered on this.

[City Lights]

6. And I don't believe Marco Rubio is a human.

See how easy that was! Anyone can do it!

I also believe Marco Rubio is a fucking idiot.

[BootinUp]

28. Reminds me of Glenn Beck's Nazi Tourretts

http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/04rkt0/back-in-black---glenn-beck-s-nazi-tourette-s

[City Lights]

37. That was excellent!

Thanks!

[pscot]

35. Fully human

An especially glossy specimen.

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. He also made news with this statement:

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., says he is ready to be president -
abc news headline this am

I honestly thought that climate change deniers were a SMALL sub group of the stoopid, until I watched Vice this week, where they interviewed some otherwise intelligent sounding Texans, who are living with a VERY severe 3 year drought, but still deny warmer climate is man made, that all they have to do is pray harder for rain.

[world wide wally]

8. Would the term "arrogant asshole" be apropo rIght about now?

[Thinkingabout]

9. So the scientist Rubio should be presenting the cause of climate change if he knows humans is not

the cause. It is products in use by humans and if those products was curtailed it just might change the climate. Of course probably the worst offenders is China, out to kill the world.

[CatWoman]

10. I just saw the interview on This Week

and Rubio looked and sounded really ignorant.

He is desperately trying to appeal the the wingnut nut jobs, and it's UGLY.

[MH1]

11. What a fuckin' maroon.

[malaise]

12. What is his area of expertise other than lying about his father

Who the fugg cares about his opinion...on anything

[ronnie624]

13. He doesn't "believe"?

I wonder if the moron could be convinced to look at the evidence, then. I seriously doubt it.

"destroy our economy"

Translation: marginally reduce the obscene profits of the millionaire class.

[Louisiana1976]

54. +1000

[steve2470]

14. I wonder how much ExxonMobil paid him to say that nt

[Jack Rabbit]

87. Are you sure it wasn't Dave and Charlie Koch?

??

[steve2470]

89. could have been, very true ! nt

[ck4829]

16. "Those crazy scientists are being all 'alarmist' again" - The start to like every disaster movie

[ohheckyeah]

41. The obvious solution

to the climate problem is to set off a large number of nuclear weapons.

That's what they usually do in the disaster movies.

[darkangel218]

46. Theyre probably already pre ordered

[ananda]

17. While more and more of Miami and LA become submerged.

Sheesh

[Ed Suspicious]

18. How does an issue like this cut down party lines? How is it possible that

all thinking people from the left proffer that it is, at least in part, human caused, while the other side nearly to the man hold humans faultless? How can facts have a political bias? It blows my mind how even the split is when in reality it either is human attributable or it isn't. I just don't understand the idea of lying to one's self. One side of the political divide is doing precisely that. Lying to themselves.

[randome]

19. Selfishness. Wanting to protect existing profitable corporations, I guess.

Yeah, it blows my mind, too.

Republicans have lost on ACA, gay rights and Benghazi. There is enough grumbling from their side to admit it. I hope that carries through and some half-way intelligent GOP'er (oxymoron, I know) is willing to say, "Let's not climb aboard for another loss. Admit to climate change and let's move on from there."

Fingers crossed.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]“If you're not committed to anything, you're just taking up space.”
Gregory Peck, Mirage (1965)[/center][/font][hr]

[pangaia]

30. It's not, that republicans all think one way,

and democrats think another. That's putting the cart backwards. It's that people who have a relationship to reality tend to associate with similarly minded people- in this case people who think that..well who "think."
People who have less relationship with reality also associate with similarly people - in this case, people who do not think.
And that is why the sky is blue.

[lpbk2713]

20. This guy's a certifiable idiot.

With so many retired military vets living in his state he
consistently votes against veterans' benefits of any kind.


He'd rather vote the party line than vote what is best for
the people he is supposed to represent.

[L0oniX]

70. Clearly a college education was wasted on this one.

[deminks]

21. And he got paid big bucks to say that.

If he or any other politician could think for themselves, they wouldn't say that.

It harms no one to be a good steward of the earth. We were given a gift, and we didn't take care of it.

[exboyfil]

22. Will Rush Limbaugh live to see the day

when the Atlantic is in living room?

[historylovr]

23. I don't believe that Marco Rubio

has two brain cells to rub together.

[QuestForSense]

25. He's as dumb as he looks.

The Repuglicans have become a parasite not only on mankind, but of the earth itself.

[Theyletmeeatcake2]

26. He's made a science of being stupid!!!

[oldandhappy]

27. It has gotten hard for me to believe

these people who speak against climate change. Really??!! They have turned off the reality part of their brains.

People wading to work in Miami are OK??!!

[hobbit709]

29. Marco better learn the difficult art of mud breathing.

[DonCoquixote]

31. All you people that did not vote for Meek

who kept saying the democratic Meek should yield to the then independent Crist, this is what you are responsible for.

[SoapBox]

32. Funny...I don't believe you are a human.

Evil asshole.

[BayouBengal07]

33. So let me get this straight.

He couldn't answer a question about how old the earth is because "I'm not a scientist, man", but he's apparently enough of a scientist to make an informed judgement on climate change?

[darkangel218]

43. Thats how they roll.

[hatrack]

34. Then fuck you, Senator.

You made your choice. You chose bullshit, denial, and willful disregard for reality.

Fuck you.

[Jefferson23]

36. It's too bad he can't be charged with a crime for that lie. n/t

[egold2604]

38. Its obvious that if man is not causing catastrophic climate change, then God is because...

he is really pissed at all these sanctimonious assholes who are misquoting God

[KaryninMiami]

40. I was flabbergasted! What a schmuck!

I live on Miami Beach. We are in full on massive road construction (not fun) to hopefully reduce the flooding which has become pretty horrendous. Did he miss the memo? Does he really believe climate change is not related to anything man made? And then saying there is nothing we can do to impact climate change or slow the process down- he is a disgrace. And yet he believes he is ready to be President. Give me a break.

[spanone]

48. spanone: 'i don't believe this mental midget is a senator'

[DCBob]

49. The Republicans have painted themselves into a corner on this one.

They really have no way out other than trying to convince us all not to believe the obvious.

[NickB79]

51. When Mother Nature finally swallows the Wang of America that is Florida

With rising seawaters, I hope this fucker is standing right on the tip.

[mike_c]

52. deliberate, willful ignorance is the worst kind....

eom

[0rganism]

53. "the way these scientists are portraying it"

The way that reads, he's using "scientist" as a synonym for "kook" and "con-artist", and his constituents eat that shit up, which is why we aren't going to get any meaningful action to address the causes in the next 25 years. The amount of disrespect shown for science by lawmakers in the last 20 years is something i never thought i'd see.

It's already too late to roll back the onslaught of climate change directly on the scale at which it needs to be tackled. We are facing major disasters on a world-wide scale within what i'd consider to be the average lifespan of someone reading this post. i can only hope our policy-makers at least, eventually, at the end of the day, can talk sensibly about mitigating the effects of the problem they refuse to address but now grudgingly, little by little, admit to existing.

[Louisiana1976]

55. Well said.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

62. No one ever benefited from willful ignorance Marco

[Turbineguy]

68. He obviously

wants republican teabaggers to vote for him. He has to say idiotic things.

[Eleanors38]

69. So, it really is my neighbor's flatulent cat?

[Blue Owl]

71. Marco Loco

[Cha]

72. rubio's such a

loser.

[raouldukelives]

74. Just toeing the corporate mantra.

He and his ilk are paid well by millions of small investors who joined together form the greatest propaganda mouthpiece the world has ever seen.
As it all goes down the drains, be sure you know to whom to address the accolades for providing the ammo to kill any message we hope to send and for profiting from it on the other end.

[merrily]

75. Oh, just shut up.

[Iggo]

76. Idiot.

[JustAnotherGen]

77. I don't believe he's human

So I guess he and I are even?

[SamKnause]

78. I don't give a damn about Rubio's beliefs.

Beliefs are like assholes, we all have one.

Let's deal in scientific facts !!!!

[Dopers_Greed]

83. Climate change is causing drought

That bottled water is going to get more expensive.

[tclambert]

84. Later, Marco Rubio said, "I don't believe sex causes babies."

[deutsey]

85. As John Oliver pointed out

“Who gives a shit?” Oliver said of that particular Gallup poll’s findings (note: that one in four Americans don't believe in climate change). “You don’t need people’s opinion on a fact. You might as well have a poll asking: ‘Which number is bigger, 15 or 5?’ or ‘Do owls exist?’ or ‘Are there hats?’”

“The debate on climate change ought not to be whether or not it exists,” he continued. “It is what we should do about. There is a mountain of research on this topic.”

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/john-oliver-and-bill-nye-mock-climate-skeptics-you-dont-need-people%E2%80%99s-opinion-on-a-fact/

[blkmusclmachine]

88. Gawd's "in the mix."

[olegramps]

90. You don't know what he actually thinks since he just panders to the right-wing base.

For example when he was asked if he thought that the earth was 4.5 billion years old, he responded that he wasn't a scientist and didn't know so as not the alienate the creationists jerk-offs. He reverses himself as a knowledgeable observer and essentially debunks the theory of climate change once again not the alienate his redneck hillbilly base. And to think that this jerk is on the science committee in congress.

[burfman]

91. hard not to sound like 'chicken little' but the cure will happen by economics eventually

I don't know that anyone really can separate out what's caused by normal climate swings and our man-made pollution - though I admit it's really hard to pretend that our impact is not screwing up things. But it is possible today to see that non-polluting power generation from solar, wind, tides and geothermal are almost to the point that they will be economically superior compared to oil, coal and nuclear - even if you forget about the advantages from getting rid of the pollution. All that's needed is a little more time and the game changing will occur automatically. Fossil fuels while they are still there for the taking are becoming much more expensive as time goes on. Think of how far wind and solar power have come in the last 30 years in terms of cents per watt - and it still has a lot of room to get even better economically. Think ahead and we should see the same things happen to batteries to store the power when the sun isn't shinning or the wind isn't blowing or to run your car instead of gasoline. We could however speed up the arrival of this better future by pouring some more money into R&D along with some subsidies to get things rolling.