(National Port) CO2 Is it “good for the earth”? Are scientists’ predictions “exaggerated”? Or should we finally “prioritize” climate? American conservatives gathered in Congress this week showed strong differences on the issue.
In the middle of the CPAC stand, a major political convention organized near Washington, sits a series of blue pamphlets calling for “the rejection of the idea that climate change is caused by humans.”
“The climate is changing, but we are denying the catastrophic side of the problem”, argues Gabriella Hoffmann, spokeswoman for the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT).
From its standpoint, the association established between reproductions of the Oval Office and cookies in the colors of the American flag calls for a change in the “text” on climate change.
“We hear them all day long,” Gabriella Hoffman assures, of alarmist statements about the planet’s future, but the truth is often “not so dramatic.”
CO2 my dear
Expert reports, back-to-back temperature records… all these data are so “exaggerated” that Payne Kilbourne, a few rows away, covered in needles “I love CO.”2 “.
For this nuclear engineer, whose association is “CO2 Coalition” participating in the third edition of CPAC, carbon dioxide coming out of exhaust pipes, for example, is “good for the planet”.
“It helps plants grow,” declares the activist, who sells merchandise bearing the slogan “Relax, polar bears are not gone.”
It doesn’t matter that this group has been singled out several times for making misleading claims. “We’re the only scientific position here,” says Payne Gilbourn, assuring that “everybody’s in politics.”
Recapturing youth
But not all conservatives in Congress agree.
Morgan Chrisman, a 24-year-old Republican who has no doubt the climate crisis is imminent, holds a pavilion urging us to “prioritize” the planet’s future.
A rather minority opinion in this conservative high mass, where the panels that praise oil as the dominant energy are held together.
“The left has monopolized these subjects for too long, and many young people feel that Republicans have nothing to offer them,” he laments.
In the last two US elections, young people have increasingly favored progressive candidates and prioritized climate issues.
Morgan, who sells “Make America’s Energy Great Again” hats — a nod to Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign slogan — belongs to the group “Young Republicans for the Carbon Dividend,” which aims to win back young voters.
“Capitalism is the solution to climate change”, “we want nuclear power”… This group believes there are solutions to global warming “based on the market economy”, which are more effective than those currently advocated by Democrats.
“All the under-40s who come to see us are really excited,” says the young Republican.
