This post has been updated.
A group of House Republicans plans to call for action on climate change in time for Pope Francis’ visit to the Washington, D.C. next week, according to National Journal.
Rep. Chris Gibson (R-NY) penned a resolution stating that human activity contributes to climate change and urged his fellow Republicans to sign on.
“This is a call for action to study how humans are impacting our environment and to look for consensus on areas where we can take action to mitigate the risks and balance our impacts,” he told National Journal.
The resolution, which was first reported by ClimateWire, has gained the signatures of nine House Republicans in addition to Gibson, according to National Journal. They hope to unveil the resolution as soon as Thursday.
Rep. Robert Dold (R-IL), one of the Republicans who signed onto the resolution, said he doesn’t believe climate change should be political.
“As an Eagle Scout and Scoutmaster for many years, I know firsthand why we must all work to strengthen conservation programs and other policies that promote public health, protect our environment and keep our air clean,” Dold said in a statement to TPM. “Climate change is occurring and human contributions to this change are important to acknowledge and understand. Protecting the environment is not a partisan issue, which is why we must work together to find a sensible path forward that improves our planet for future generations.”
Pope Francis has been outspoken in calling for world leaders to address the impacts of climate change. And numerous Republicans, including Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-KS) and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush have dismissed the Pope’s comments.
