Marco Rubio at Thursday’s GOP debate acknowledged that climate change existed, but said it was “because the climate has always been changing.”
Moderator Jake Tapper took his cue from Republican Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado — a Rubio endorser — who urged Tapper to ask Rubio to pledge to do something about climate change.
“I have long supported mitigation efforts,” Rubio said, noting, “South Florida was a bit of land that was largely a swamp.”
“But as far as a law that we can pass in Washington to change the weather, there’s no such thing,” Rubio said. “On the contrary, there is laws they want us to pass, there are laws they want to us pass that would be devastating for our economy.”
He criticized President Obama’s actions to address climate change.
“You know what impact it would have on the environment? Zero. Because China and India will still be polluting at historic levels,” Rubio said. “I want to be a safe and clean place but these laws they’re asking to pass will do nothing for the environment and will hurt and devastate our economy. “
Tapper pressed him again, asking him if whether the Miami mayor was wrong about man contributing to climate change.
“I would say there’s no law we could pass that would have an impact on that,” Rubio said. He even argued that the mayor will start hearing from Floridians angry their electricity bills have gone up because of such laws.
“America is not a planet. It’s a country,” Rubio said.
