President Barack Obama said Wednesday at a Democratic fundraiser in Chicago that he’s willing to work with Republicans to improve the environment, but he doesn’t have “much patience” for those who refuse to accept the scientific consensus on climate change.
Obama warned donors that the climate is warming at an accelerated rate, and that while the dangers may not be readily apparent, they are still severe.
“But the flipside is we also know that the climate is warming faster than anybody anticipated five or 10 years ago, and that the future…in part, is going to depend on our willingness to deal with something that we may not be able to see or smell the way you could when the Chicago River was on fire, or at least could have caught on fire, but is in some ways more serious, more fundamental,” Obama said.
Because of that seriousness, Obama said he’s willing to hear out “a different approach” to dealing with the issue. What he won’t consider though, he said, are ideas from climate change deniers.
“If I’ve got somebody who has a different approach to dealing with climate change — I don’t have much patience for people who deny climate change, but if you’ve got creative approaches, market-based approaches, tell me about them,” Obama said. “If you think I’m doing it the wrong way, let me know. I’m happy to work with you.”
Obama was speaking at one of two fundraisers in Chicago held to raise money for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).
