Jon Huntsman now less certain of science on climate change

By Shira Schoenberg

December 7, 2011

3 minutes to read

Jon Huntsman, who has mocked his Republican rivals in the presidential race for denying the science of climate change, now appears to be stepping back from his own position.

In a speech to the Heritage Foundation yesterday, Huntsman said there is “probably more of the debate to play out’’ in the scientific community on the issue of climate change.

“Because there are questions about the validity of the science, evidenced by one university over in Scotland recently, I think the onus is on the scientific community to provide more in the way of information, to help clarify the situation,’’ Huntsman said, according to a videotape of the event.

Huntsman’s campaign did not respond to a request for clarification about what university he was referring to.

In the past, Huntsman has said he believes the earth is getting warmer and climate change is caused by human activity. When the Globe asked him about climate change in a Nov. 27 interview, he said, “You can’t win an election without appealing to independent voters, and you can’t accomplish that while running from mainstream science.’’

Huntsman famously tweeted in August, “To be clear. I believe in evolution and trust scientists on global warming. Call me crazy.’’

He has used the issue on the campaign trail to draw a distinction between himself and his Republican rivals. But as he has failed to gain traction in the national polls, Huntsman may be trying to shed his reputation as a moderate by appealing to the more conservative Republican base.

At the Heritage event, when asked whether he believes human activity is a primary cause of the earth’s warming, Huntsman said, “The scientific community owes us more in term of a better description or explanation about what might lie beneath all of this.’’

Huntsman said he continues to believe that the issue is a scientific one, but he questioned whether there is consensus among scientists. “If there’s some disruption or disconnect in terms of what other scientists have to say, let the debate play out within the scientific community,’’ Huntsman said.

As he has in the past, Huntsman said he would not implement policies that “unilaterally disarm’’ the United States and could hinder job creation, because climate change is a global issue and addressing it needs consensus from other pollution emitters.

Huntsman campaign spokesman Tim Miller said Huntsman is not changing his position. “Governor Huntsman’s comments yesterday were consistent with his view that he trusts the body of science on global warming, but there’s not global consensus and we can’t disarm or hurt our job creators since this is a global problem,’’ Miller said.

Non-partisan scientists have overwhelmingly agreed that that human activity is causing climate change. A 2011 report by an expert committee selected by the National Academy of Sciences found, “Climate change is occurring, is very likely caused primarily by the emission of greenhouse gases from human activities, and poses significant risks for a range of human and natural systems.’’

Huntsman already changed his position on cap and trade as a way of reducing greenhouse gases. As Utah governor in 2007, Huntsman signed into law an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through a cap and trade program. “You have to value carbon if you’re going to take climate issues seriously,’’ Huntsman told the Salt Lake Tribune in November 2008.

Last May, Huntsman said he changed his mind as economic circumstances changed. He said it is no longer possible to consider something like cap and trade that could hamper economic growth, and any policy on emissions must be done internationally.