Matt Gaetz makes rare break with Trump: ‘Climate change is real’
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) on Tuesday made a rare break with President Trump on the subject of climate change.
Gaetz is a vocal supporter of Trump, but he posted in contrast to the president after Trump tweeted in support of a “Fox & Friends” segment that called climate change “fake news” and “fake science.”
{mosads}“Climate change is real,” Gaetz wrote on Twitter less than two hours after Trump’s post, adding that “humans contribute.”
Climate change is real. Humans contribute.
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) March 12, 2019
His post appears to be a direct response to Trump, who has frequently questioned the science behind climate change and the impact humans have on it.
Patrick Moore, co-founder of Greenpeace: “The whole climate crisis is not only Fake News, it’s Fake Science. There is no climate crisis, there’s weather and climate all around the world, and in fact carbon dioxide is the main building block of all life.” @foxandfriends Wow!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 12, 2019
Trump has previously suggested climate change is a hoax invented by the Chinese and has pointed to winter storms and weather patterns to push back on the idea of global warming.
Gaetz represents a district in Florida that encompasses the northern portion of the state’s western coastline and is a member of the Climate Solutions Caucus in Congress.
Gaetz was also a co-chairman on new Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) transition team.
DeSantis has made environmental issues in the state a key cause early in his tenure, dedicating increased funding to restoration for the Everglades National Park and establishing a task force to combat algae blooms in the state.
Scientists have found that climate change is a contributing factor for the emergence of larger groups of algae blooms near Florida due to warming waters.
