Mitch Perry
Marco Rubio wasn’t always a skeptic about global warming, but he certainly has been during his time in the U.S. Senate.
“I do not believe that human activity is causing these dramatic changes to our climate the way these scientists are portraying it,” the Florida Republican told ABC News in May 2014.
As he prepares to announce his candidacy Monday, the environmental activist group NextGen Climate is calling Rubio out on his stance, telling him to start showing some leadership in acknowledging the issues of climate change.
“Rubio’s home state stands on the front line of climate change risk,” NextGen Climate said in a press release. “Millions of Floridians are already threatened by sea level rise — including a disproportionate number of Latinos — and are experiencing the negative impact of climate change first-hand. Florida’s rising sea levels jeopardize the state’s communities, homes and drinking water — and threaten $3.5 trillion of assets in Rubio’s hometown of Miami alone. Even the Freedom Tower, the site of Rubio’s campaign launch, could be underwater by 2060.”
Rubio didn’t always take such a public stance.
When speaker in the Florida House in 2007, Rubio said, “Global warming, dependence on foreign sources of fuel, and capitalism have come together to create opportunities for us that were unimaginable just a few short years ago.”
Officials with NextGen Climate said last week that they will be targeting conservative presidential contenders who deny the existence of man-made global warming.
The organization, funded by San Francisco environmentalist Tom Steyer, spent more than $70 million in the 2014 midterm elections cycle toward defeating Republican candidates, including Gov. Rick Scott.
