Marco Rubio: Humans aren't causing climate change
Scott Eisen / Getty Images


Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) dismissed the dire warnings in the White House's latest climate change report, saying flatly that humans were not to blame for the warming planet.
"I do not believe that human activity is causing these dramatic changes to our climate the way these scientists are portraying it," he said in an appearance on ABC's This Week, adding that proposed laws to address the issue would do nothing but "destroy our economy."
The climate change report, released last week, concluded that the nation was already enduring the effects of climate change, such as prolonged droughts in the Southwest. And it faulted carbon-trapping emissions for the phenomenon, warning of incredibly expensive, irreversible damage should swift action not be taken soon to curb those emissions.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In the interview, which was taped Friday and aired Sunday, Rubio also responded "I do" when asked directly if he believed he was "ready" to be president. Yet he stopped short of saying he would indeed run for the White House in 2016, saying instead that the GOP had a number of good, qualified candidates to offer.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.
-
Can Trump put his tariffs on stronger legal footing?
Today's Big Question Appeals court says 'emergency' tariffs are improper
-
Film reviews: The Roses, Splitsville, and Twinless
Feature A happy union devolves into domestic warfare, a couple's open marriage reaps chaos, and an unlikely friendship takes surprising turns
-
Thought-provoking podcasts you may have missed this summer
The Week Recommends Check out a true crime binger, a deep-dive into history and more
-
At least 800 dead in Afghanistan earthquake
speed read A magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit a mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan
-
Massive earthquake sends tsunami across Pacific
Speed Read Hundreds of thousands of people in Japan and Hawaii were told to evacuate to higher ground
-
FEMA Urban Search and Rescue chief resigns
Speed Read Ken Pagurek has left the organization, citing 'chaos'
-
Wildfires destroy historic Grand Canyon lodge
Speed Read Dozens of structures on the North Rim have succumbed to the Dragon Bravo Fire
-
Search for survivors continues after Texas floods
Speed Read A total of 82 people are confirmed dead, including 28 children
-
EPA is reportedly killing Energy Star program
speed read The program for energy-efficient home appliances has saved consumers billions in energy costs since its 1992 launch
-
US proposes eroding species protections
Speed Read The Trump administration wants to change the definition of 'harm' in the Environmental Protection Act to allow habitat damage
-
Severe storms kill dozens across central US
Speed Read At least 40 people were killed over the weekend by tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms