Ben Carson, one of many contestants for the GOP presidential nomination recently said that there was no convincing evidence for humans' role in climate change. He said that proponents of action often cite evidence, but never provide it.
California Gov. Jerry Brown sprang to action, sending a letter to Carson with a USB drive containing the IPCC AR5 Synthesis Report. This report contains all the evidence that any rational person would need, and given Carson's background as a neurosurgeon, he should be capable of digesting a wonky, evidence-heavy text.
But whether or not he will accept the science that he now has no excuse to ignore is another question entirely. Note that Carson didn't say there was no evidence for humans' role, just that there's no convincing evidence. Because the Republican fossil-fuel-funded campaign donor class is not going to support any candidate that's realistic on climate change, odds are slim that even a heavily researched report will be convincing enough.
Instead, he's apt to appeal to the GOP denial status quo, which has now moved past sabotaging just domestic action. As Politico reports and Dana Nuccitelli expands on, some GOP operatives have moved to full-blown supervillian territory by attempting to torpedo international negotiations.
Party leaders are reaching out to the diplomats of other countries in order to persuade them not to trust the United States. They're effectively telling the world that the US won't stay true to its word, and that whatever Obama does now will be pointless once a new (GOP) president is elected. Even to a cold-blooded political audience, attacking the credibility of your own country seems like a low blow. If only there were some sort of superhero who could swoop in and save the day—perhaps Pope Francis can throw some muscle around when he comes to the US later this month.
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