newt gingrich climate change denial

Peter Dykstra: Climate renouncers

As surely as day follows night, many GOP leaders renounced previous concerns they had about climate change. Will this odd rite of passage end any time soon?

In the 1970's, Newt Gingrich was a history professor at West Georgia College, rocking some lamb chop sideburns and rad black-framed glasses.


He also advised the campus Sierra Club chapter and played a key role in defeating a dam proposal for the Flint River in middle Georgia. After an unsuccessful congressional run in1978, he rode into Washington two years later as a sort of pro-Reagan, pro-green hybrid.

In his first term, Gingrich even outscored young Congressman Al Gore on the League of Conservation Voters scorecard. But once he caught a whiff of the anti-regulatory zeal drifting in with the Reagan Revolution, Newt was a changed man. As principal author of the 1994 "Contract with America," Speaker of the House Gingrich led an assault on environmental regulation.

But at least a few of Gingrich's treehugger roots survived. In 2008, he taped an ad with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Seated on a couch improbably set in front of the Capitol, the two Speakers tell us they agree on the need to act on climate change.

In the midst of an unsuccessful presidential run in 2011, Gingrich renounced the ad, calling it "the dumbest thing" he'd done in politics.

Gingrich's Olympian backpedaling has been matched by some of his party's biggest stars.

The climate sub-cabinet that never was

Mccain palin climate change

John McCain and Sarah Palin. (Credit: Jeff Geerling/flickr)

The late Senator John McCain co-sponsored some of the first climate change legislation in 2004. Faced with a tough Senate reelection bid in 2010, McCain retreated to a climate denial standard, declaring climate science "uncertain."

In 2007, Alaska's new governor was so taken by climate change threats that she signed an Executive Order creating a "Climate Change Sub-Cabinet." It read, in part:

"Scientific evidence shows many areas of Alaska are experiencing a warming trend. Many experts predict that Alaska, along with our northern latitude neighbors, will continue to warm at a faster pace than any other state, and the warming will continue for decades. Climate change is not just an environmental issue. It is also a social, cultural, and economic issue important to all Alaskans."

But a year later, Governor Sarah Palin came down with a whopping case of administrative amnesia as she ran for vice president. There's no record of the Climate Change Sub-Cabinet ever meeting. But Palin's social media feed remains a den of denial, with a 2013 Facebook post, "Global warming my gluteous maximus," being a personal favorite of mine.

Romney's climate change plan 

In 2004, Mitt Romney was a Republican governor in the Democratic stronghold of Massachusetts. Not only did he usher in a forward-looking state healthcare plan, but he presented a climate action plan that, 17 years later, hasn't been matched by most states.

By 2012, in his acceptance speech as the Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney mocked President Obama's concern about climate change. "President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans," he said, then paused for the audience to laugh at the absurdity, "and to heal the planet. My promise ... is to help you and your family."

"White House Effect" 

George W. Bush acknowledged climate change in the 1990's but not while in office. But his dad may be the alpha dog for changing his tune. In his successful 1988 campaign, George H.W. promised us that the "greenhouse effect" would be trumped by his "White House Effect."

His 1992 re-election campaign pulled a U-turn, deriding vice presidential challenger Al Gore as "Ozone Man."

Bush, and that tactical change, lost that election. But the tactic -- ignorant, deceitful, an unbelievably damaging – not only lingers on the environment, but on the stunning and lethal rejection of vaccine science that's crippling us today.

Peter Dykstra is our weekend editor and columnist and can be reached at pdykstra@ehn.org or @pdykstra.

His views do not necessarily represent those of Environmental Health News, The Daily Climate, or publisher, Environmental Health Sciences.

Banner photo: Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich speaking at the Western Republican Leadership Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2011. (Credit: Gage Skidmore/flickr)

Tom's Restaurant sign on a corner diner on Broadway in New York City.

NASA shutters iconic New York climate lab as Trump slashes Earth science budget

A once-vital NASA climate lab perched above Manhattan’s Tom’s Restaurant will shut down at the end of May, displacing scientists and reflecting the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle federal climate research.

Oliver Milman reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
A vehicle exhaust pipe with smoke emitting from it.

Senate GOP maneuvers to block California’s plan to ban gas cars by 2035

Republicans in the Senate used a controversial procedural tactic to advance legislation that would block California from enforcing its planned ban on new gasoline-powered vehicle sales by 2035, challenging both state environmental authority and longstanding Senate rules.

Carl Hulse reports for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
Purple flowers with the U.S. senate building in the background.

EPA chief clashes with Senate Democrats over Trump-era cuts to pollution and health programs

A bitter Senate hearing erupted into shouting as U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin defended sweeping grant cuts and environmental rollbacks under President Trump, sparring with Democrats over transparency and health impacts.

Rachel Frazin reports for The Hill.

Keep reading...Show less
View of the coast of American Samoa with lush, tree-covered coastal hills and the ocean below.
Credit: Pixabay

U.S. backs plan to explore deep-sea mining near American Samoa amid legal and environmental concerns

A California company’s bid to mine the seafloor near American Samoa gained momentum after the U.S. Interior Department agreed to review its proposal following a Trump administration order to fast-track seabed mining.

Max Bearak reports for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
A downed tree in the middle of a city street.

Tornadoes tear through Black neighborhoods in St. Louis as FEMA delays and warning systems fail

A deadly tornado system ravaged Black neighborhoods in St. Louis, exposing long-standing failures in emergency alert infrastructure and the federal government’s disaster response.

Adam Mahoney reports for Capital B News.

Keep reading...Show less
silhouette of people standing on tower crane during night time.

New climate plans could spur economic growth, says UN climate chief

Strong climate action, not delay, is the key to stabilizing a global economy rocked by droughts, hunger, and rising prices, the UN’s top climate official said this week.

Fiona Harvey reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
blue lake with glacier in the middle of the mountains.

As glaciers vanish, salmon gain new habitat and mining companies race for gold

Salmon are moving into lakes and streams newly formed by melting glaciers in Alaska and British Columbia, even as mining firms rush to exploit mineral-rich lands newly exposed by retreating ice.

Max Graham reports for Grist.

Keep reading...Show less
From our Newsroom
Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.