Ted Cruz calls climate change 'pseudoscientific,' then cherry-picks data

As the "son of two mathematicians and computer programmers," Ted Cruz claims to be all for policy following science; he just doesn't think the data is pointing toward climate change.
In an interview with NPR hosts Steven Inskeep and David Greene published Wednesday, the Texas senator and Republican presidential candidate called climate change the "perfect pseudoscientific theory for a big government politician who wants more power." Then he explained why: "The scientific evidence doesn't support global warming," Cruz told Inskeep. "For the last 18 years, the satellite data — we have satellites that monitor the atmosphere. The satellites that actually measure the temperature showed no significant warming whatsoever."
The trouble is, Cruz is obviously cherry-picking evidence here, as The Washington Post pointed out in a critique of this popular line of attack:
Subscribe to 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.
First, he's selectively using one type of data over others. Second, he's starting his analysis with a single warm temperature year — 1998 — rather looking at the aggregate temperatures of multiple years (or decades). [The Washington Post]
The fact that NASA data shows this century holds nine out of 10 of the warmest years ever, for instance, seems not to have made the deft debater's cut.
You can read Cruz's full interview over at NPR.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Music reviews: Bon Iver, Valerie June, and The Waterboys
Feature "Sable, Fable," "Owls, Omens, and Oracles," "Life, Death, and Dennis Hopper"
By The Week US
-
Are bonds worth investing in?
the explainer They can diversify your portfolio and tend to be a safer investment than stocks
By Becca Stanek, The Week US
-
Elon has his 'Legion.' How will Republicans encourage other Americans to have babies?
Today's Big Question The pronatalist movement finds itself in power
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
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
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Severe storms kill dozens across central US
Speed Read At least 40 people were killed over the weekend by tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Rain helps Los Angeles wildfires, risks mudslides
Speed Read The weather provided relief for crews working to contain wildfires, though rain over a burn area ups the chances of flooding and mudslides
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Death toll rises in LA fires as wind lull allows progress
Speed Read At least 24 people have died and 100,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Biden cancels Italy trip as raging LA fires spread
Speed Read The majority of the fires remain 0% contained
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Fast-spreading Los Angeles wildfires spark panic
Speed Read About 30,000 people were under an evacuation order as the inferno spread
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Hundreds feared dead in French Mayotte cyclone
Speed Read Cyclone Chido slammed into Mayotte, a French territory in the Indian Ocean
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Thirteen missing after Red Sea tourist boat sinks
Speed Read The vessel sank near the Egyptian coastal town of Marsa Alam
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK