Gary Johnson Wants to Ignore Climate Change Because the Sun Will Destroy the Earth One Day

[Eugene]

Source: Mother Jones

Gary Johnson Wants to Ignore Climate Change Because the Sun Will Destroy the Earth One Day

JEREMY SCHULMAN SEP. 22, 2016 6:00 AM

Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate for president, takes what he calls the "long-term view" of climate change. "In billions of years," he said in 2011, "the sun is going to actually grow and encompass the Earth, right? So global warming is in our future."

The former New Mexico governor did acknowledge that humans are making the world warmer in the near term, too—but he doesn't think the government should do much about it. In the same speech, he denounced "cap-and-trade taxation," said we "should be building new coal-fired plants," and argued that the "trillions" of dollars it would cost to combat climate change would be better spent on other priorities.

All of that makes Johnson's popularity among younger voters pretty surprising. Surveys have consistently found that millennials care deeply about climate change. A November 2015 ABC News/Washington Post poll, for example, found that 76 percent of 18- to-29-year-olds see global warming as a serious problem, and 64 percent want the federal government to do more to combat it. Nevertheless, a recent Quinnipiac poll found that Johnson is now running second among 18- to-34-year-old voters, just 2 percentage points behind Hillary Clinton.

Johnson's 2011 comments weren't an aberration. Over the past few years, he has spoken out repeatedly against environmental regulation. In a 2011 NPR interview, he instead called for a "free-market approach" to reducing carbon emissions, arguing that consumer demand for cleaner energy, coupled with cheap natural gas, was causing a shift away from coal. He made the same argument during a Libertarian presidential candidate debate in May 2012. "If government gets involved" in fighting climate change, he said, "we are going to be spending trillions of dollars and have no effect whatsoever on the desired outcome."

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Read more: http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/09/gary-johnson-climate-change

[niyad]

1. and he doesn't know about aleppo, and didn't think anyone was hurt in the three incidents

last weekend. man is a total fool.

[JI7]

10. he didn't know who harriet tubman was either

[niyad]

12. I missed that one. sigh. . .

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. It's all about legalizing dope. The rest of that

Nonsense nobody ever hears about or pays attention to.

[saltpoint]

3. Hell yeah, everybody.

I mean, fuck everything -- we're all just cosmic toast anyway!

[aidbo]

4. Why bother to stop the bleeding from a gushing wound?

I mean we will all die eventually right?

[JSup]

5. Thinking long term...

...is a good idea most of the time but I think extending that into geological time frames may be taking that a bit too far.

[MoonRiver]

6. Could he actually be a bigger ignoramus than Rump?

[Hortensis]

7. What, the sooner the better?

Libertarians are free to go fling themselves into volcanoes, or whatever, as far as I'm concerned.

Thank goodness there are very few of the real thing, not that they're at all fooled into thinking Johnson's one of them. Hope they're at least enjoying the increased media coverage their failing party's Republican candidates are getting them this time around.

[Blue_Tires]

8. Libertarians sure can pick 'em

[alcibiades_mystery]

9. Gary Johnson won't get more than 2.75% anywhere

Any poll showing him with 8%, 9%, or 10% of the vote (in any state or nationally) is a joke.

Jill Stein will be lucky to get .5% anywhere.

[womanofthehills]

16. I think Republicans who aren't bigots will probably vote for him

All these independents, who say less government, want to tell women what to do with their bodies - including Gary - no third term abortions for him.

[NoGoodNamesLeft]

11. I'll say it again...

Poster child against legalized marijuana.

[Caliman73]

13. High or Stupid, or both.

He has to be on one or just plain dumb.

"he denounced "cap-and-trade taxation," said we "should be building new coal-fired plants," and argued that the "trillions" of dollars it would cost to combat climate change would be better spent on other priorities."

Oh we will be spending trillions of dollars on other priorities if we don't move away from carbon burning for fuel soon. Those trillions will be spent on protecting the coasts from the intrusion of the oceans, or on relocating hundreds of millions of climate refugees, or on war to battle for dwindling natural resources.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

14. Yeah but legal weed man

Johnson's for legal weed

[tavernier]

15. Today on morning joe

there was a video of him talking with his tongue sticking out to a female reporter. Both she and Mika were completely upended. They showed it over and over. Strangest thing. He acted drunk or just looney.