"I don't believe the American people, who predominately do believe what is happening with climate change ... are going to accept as a genuine leader someone who doesn't understand the science of climate change and isn't willing to do something about it." Secretary of State John Kerry speaking in the aftermath of the Paris Climate Agreement and making a prediction about next year's presidential election.
But following the release of the Paris agreement, GOP presidential candidates had nothing positive to say about the unprecedented global consensus that was achieved and GOP leaders like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, were doing their best to undermine it. Opinion polls suggest the public is ready to tackle climate change, but if climate change is not high on voters' list of concerns, it may not matter. Voters, whipped into a fear-fury by irresponsible politicians, may forget about climate and this presents a problem for climate activists seeking to capitalize on the momentum of Paris, Keystone and the Clean Power Plan.
After a two and half hour long post-Paris GOP debate, climate change was not even mentioned, except by Ohio Governor John Kasich as a dangerous distraction from fighting ISIS. The focus was on terrorism and if attacks continue, terrorism will drown out climate as an issue in next year's election. Polling suggests worry about terrorism, if it persists, will give the GOP an advantage in next year's election. While terrorism is a short term concern, the long term challenge of coping with climate change is the central challenge the world faces.
If terrorism continues to monopolize the public's attention, we may see a scenario where a public, manipulated by fear, elects a climate denying president. The hyperbole coming from the GOP camp, from former Senator Rick Santorum claiming, 'this is World War 3,' to former GOP Attorney Michael Mukasey comparing San Bernadino to Pearl Harbor, feeds the hysteria. How do we make climate change salient for a public gripped by fear of terrorism?