On Climate Change, Palin Bucks Science ... and McCain

VP pick has denied warming is man-made, focused on adapting, not reversing
By Gabriel Winant,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 23, 2008 10:09 AM CDT
On Climate Change, Palin Bucks Science ... and McCain
Though Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin acknowledges that the climate is warming, she disputes man's role and focuses on adapting to climate change rather than reversing it.   (AP Photo)

Sarah Palin disagrees with both John McCain and scientific consensus on the causes of global warming, acknowledging that while Alaska has warmed by 4 degrees during the past 50 years, she’s not among those who “attribute it to being man-made.” McCain, meanwhile, has made a signature issue of capping carbon emissions in an effort to reverse climate change, the Washington Post reports.

Palin has focused on adapting Alaska to the warming trend rather than making moves to counter it. The governor also fought an effort to protect polar bears, claiming it would hurt Alaskan industries, and falsely suggesting that state scientists don’t believe the bears are at risk. “We didn't find their views had merit,” says a federal biologist of Palin and her deputies. (More Sarah Palin stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X