Climate divide widens under Obama

Climate divide widens under Obama
By Timothy Cama - 04-05-14 06:12 AM EDT

The divide between advocates and skeptics over whether to do something about climate change is widening, with both sides growing more certain of their convictions. 

A report this week from the United Nations warning of dire consequences from greenhouse gas emissions made headlines around the world and spurred calls for action from environmental groups.

But the report landed with a thud in Washington, where both Democrats and Republicans clung more tightly to their positions about the prudent policy response to climate science. 

“I would have been shocked if this would have caused anybody to change what they thought,” said Andy Dessler, a professor of atmospheric science at Texas A&M University. “If people are persuaded by evidence, they would have been persuaded long ago.”

Experts and lawmakers broadly agree that climate change has become a more polarizing issue during President Obama’s time in the White House.

While Democrats feel that drastic government actions are necessary, Republicans are wary of taking aggressive steps that could stifle the economy, and question whether the scientific proof is strong enough to justify such action.

The skepticism of Republicans is exacerbated when Democratic lawmakers and Obama push for new regulations, such as the push for stricter fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks.

“The pendulum on climate change in the Senate all goes back to each side's fundamental belief in the role of the federal government with respect to taxing, spending and regulations,” said Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), perhaps the Senate’s best-known skeptic of climate change.

“The alarmists of man-made climate change tend to support big government policies and believe that Washington knows best how to take care of the people rather than the local communities and families,” Inhofe said. “These policies limit freedom and make it more difficult for people to pursue the American dream.”

A day after the U.N.’s report was released, the House passed legislation that encourages the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to focus more on weather prediction. The measure passed with bipartisan support, but only after Republicans moved to strike provisions that would have prevented the agency from studying climate change, as its sponsor, Jim Birdenstine (R-Okla.) had intended.

“Those folks don’t think that this is a serious problem,” said Eric Smith, a political science professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), a leading liberal in Congress, said the polarization over climate change is far more pronounced in Congress than in the country as a whole.