Confused about the science of climate change? Don’t feel bad. You’re probably not as confused as Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO).
Locked in what is often described as the closest U.S. House race in the country against Democrat Andrew Romanoff, Coffman “appeared to stumble,” on climate change during a debate Tuesday night, according to the Denver Post. Here is what the paper said, and it’s pretty clear that “appeared to stumble” is a generous description.
Asked whether humans contributed significantly to climate change, [Coffman] responded that he did not think so.
Asked whether climate change could be reversed, he answered, “Don’t know.”
Asked by a Post moderator, “What? Sir?” Coffman said, “Um, no.”
Coffman quickly sought to clarify his answer, backtracking to say humans do contribute to climate change, but the magnitude of the influence is unclear.
“On the climate change issue, I just think the science is not quite settled. Does it have an impact? Yes,” Coffman said. “Do I know how much of an impact it has, man-made climate change? I don’t know. But I think we need to do everything responsible to bring down carbon emissions. Sometimes, my worry is we go too far.
“What happens is we push, particularly manufacturing jobs overseas to a country like China, that has no environmental rules, and those products are made with greater carbon emissions than otherwise would have been made in the United States. So I think there has to be a balance to the issue here.”
Coffman isn’t the type of climate change denier that refuses to believe that the climate is changing. He concedes it’s real, but says on his House website the question of whether it’s human caused “is still a subject of debate.” This is a typical science-is-unsettled dodge, recently given space in the Wall Street Journal’s opinion pages.
In his race this year, in a district that is far more competitive than he’s been used to, Coffman has adopted a new tack: saying the U.S. should do everything it can to cut carbon emissions. But he’s repeatedly voted in the House against legislation that would cut carbon pollution.
Maybe it’s the altitude, but Coffman has plenty of company among Colorado Republicans on the climate change issue. In a state that has repeatedly felt severe impacts from climate change, including devastating floods and wildfires, the state’s four GOP House members — including Cory Gardner who is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Mark Udall — are all confused.