'Potentially causing some of the changes'

Palin parries with Charles Gibson on climate change 15

Sarha Palin. Photo: Tricia Ward via Flickr
"Show me where I have ever said that there's absolute proof that nothing that man has ever conducted or engaged in has had any effect, or no effect, on climate change."
Photo: Trica Ward

In her first substantial interview with a news journalist since being picked as John McCain's vice presidential candidate two weeks ago, Sarah Palin muted her skepticism about the causes of global warming, grudgingly "attributing some of man's activities to potentially causing some of the changes in the climate right now." While this is a step back from her position two weeks ago (she told Newsmax, "I'm not one, though, who would attribute [climate change] to being man-made"), it still falls short of John McCain's position and the position of the scientific community, that human emissions are very likely the primary cause of recent warming.

Despite her doubts about anthropogenic climate change, Palin assured ABC's Charles Gibson, she and McCain agree "we gotta do something about it and we have to make sure that we're doing all we can to cut down on pollution." There were no further details on climate policy.

Palin also expressed confidence that she could win McCain over to her position in favor of drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: "We'll agree to disagree but I'm gonna keep pushing that and I think eventually we're all gonna come together on that one."

The relevant parts are about 3:40 in:

Transcript of the excerpts here:

GIBSON: Let me talk a little bit about environmental policy, because this interfaces with energy policy and you have some significant differences with John McCain. Do you still believe that global warming is not man-made?

PALIN: I believe that man's activities certainly can be contributing to the issue of global warming, climate change. Here in Alaska, the only arctic state in our union, of course, we see the effects of climate change more so than any other area with ice pack melting. Regardless, though, of the reason for climate change, whether it's entirely, wholly caused by man's activities or is part of the cyclical nature of our planet -- the warming and the cooling trends -- regardless of that, John McCain and I agree that we gotta do something about it and we have to make sure that we're doing all we can to cut down on pollution.

GIBSON: But it's a critical point as to whether or not this is man-made. He says it is. You have said in the past it's not.

PALIN: The debate on that even, really has evolved into, OK, here's where we are now: scientists do show us that there are changes in climate. Things are getting warmer. Now what do we do about it. And John McCain and I are gonna be working on what we do about it.

GIBSON: Yes, but isn't it critical as to whether or not it's man-made, because what you do about it depends on whether its man-made.

PALIN: That is why I'm attributing some of man's activities to potentially causing some of the changes in the climate right now.

GIBSON: But I, color me a cynic, but I hear a little bit of change in your policy there. When you say, yes, now you're beginning to say it is man-made. It sounds to me like you're adapting your position to Sen. McCain's.

PALIN: I think you are a cynic because show me where I have ever said that there's absolute proof that nothing that man has ever conducted or engaged in has had any effect, or no effect, on climate change.

Sarah Palin on Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: GIBSON: ANWR. You favor drilling in the Arctic National Refuge. He does not.

PALIN: I sure do.

GIBSON: You changed him on that? He changing you?

PALIN: I'm going to keep working on that one with him. ANWR, of course, is a 2,000-acre swath of land in the middle of about a 20 million-acre swath of land. Two-thousand acres that we're asking the feds to unlock so that there can be exploration and development.

GIBSON: So, you'll agree to disagree on ANWR?

PALIN: That's exactly right. We'll agree to disagree, but I'm gonna keep pushing that, and I think, eventually, we're all gonna come together on that one.

David Roberts is staff writer for Grist. You can follow his Twitter feed at twitter.com/drgrist.

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  1. risingstarz Posted 12:30 am
    12 Sep 2008

    What do we expect?Seriously! Do we really expect any seriousness from this candidate?  She's such a cynical choice because she is only a personality cult.  Any attack on her just contributes to the personality cult.  You can't attack her on the issues because no one pretends that she knows something about the issues.  If you attack her personally, that is considered rude.  But can we expect any more from someone who gets her baby names from the Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator?

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  2. studied AGW Denier Posted 3:05 am
    12 Sep 2008

    Right onSarah is right on. Of course man is causing some of the changes, and of course we should try to be cleaner in our planet.

    The place that she is missing, is that she is not up to date on the latest in climate change study and that we are headed not for catastrophic warming, but the next ice age. Google solar cycle 24 and the Dalton and Maunder minimums. Even the 'experts' at the IPCC know about/quietly acknowledge this.

    I don't understand the issue with her acknowledging that man can and does change the climate to some degree and that we need to be cleaner in our environment. Isn't that what we want?

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  3. Delay And Deny's avatar

    Delay And Deny Posted 3:20 am
    12 Sep 2008

    Classic Environmentalism

    I like that..."pollution".
    When did everything stop being about pollution and start being about Carbon Dioxide.   Co2 is the New Coke of environmentalism.
    We have to return to the basics of pollution -- what about CO (monoxide)...still making plenty of that...and debris and so on.  

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  4. Paleocon Posted 4:11 am
    12 Sep 2008

    Water Vapor will be nextOnce CO2 is controlled, H2O...water vapor...will become the evil byproduct of evil human activity.
    You heard it here first.
    The answer will be Marxism and Marijuana.
    Just like today. Just like yesterday.

    "...a 90 percent chance that the US has contributed .2 degrees F of temperature increase in the last 50 years..." The IPCC Consensus in perspective

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  5. Bob Wallace Posted 5:39 am
    12 Sep 2008

    At what point...Does a site become so troll-infected that it becomes worthless?

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  6. Biodiversivist's avatar

    Biodiversivist Posted 6:38 am
    12 Sep 2008

    PoliticsDrop into any of the politically oriented websites and look at the vitriol. I suspect the Gristmill is drawing hatas because of the amount of political coverage done here in the past month.
    A VP pick confusing the liberal global warming myth with your everyday generic liberal air pollution myth somehow does not surprise me anymore.

    In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

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  7. snowyowl Posted 6:43 am
    12 Sep 2008

    Hey, trolls R Us baby...As was stated -- between the minute I read the comments and now: because Grist has been "in the news"... there will be trolls.

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  8. earthwolf Posted 10:19 am
    12 Sep 2008

    It's a national wildlife refuge, not an ANWRNever once does Palin call the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by its rightful name, always saying ANWR.  She's says: "ANWR, of course, is a 2,000-acre swath of land in the middle of about a 20 million-acre swath of land."  That's nonsense, of course, because she has reduced the entire refuge to the land that oil companies want.  If the refuge were 2000 acres, it would pretty worthless to very much wildlife.  The 2000 acres at issue, of course, is entirely essential to the survival of the Porcupine Caribou herd of hundreds of thousands of migratory animals.  It's like saying that you can have your entire house except for the kitchen and all its functions.  Without a kitchen, even a bedroom is ultimately useless.  That 2000 acres is where conditions (including winds to prevent complete disruption of breeding by parasitic insects like bot flies, warble flies, and mosquitoes) permit calving.  That is the most sensitive place in the entire range of that herd. Palin did everything she could to avoid giving straight answers, and she certainly isn't going up to acknowledge the true impacts of what drilling in the arctic would do.  And it does absolutely nothing to wean us of oil dependence.  This is a very scary woman.

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  9. infp Posted 10:35 am
    12 Sep 2008

    Troll utilityThe trolls serve a purpose; they demonstrate why someone like Palin can have broad support in this country. Their incessant chatter remind us how many people are still ignorant about climate change and why a site like Grist is necessary.  

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  10. Pathos Posted 3:51 pm
    12 Sep 2008

    This has nothing to do with anything...But am I the only one who's noticed that ever since she showed up, Palin has spent more time in the spotlight than Obama, McCain and Biden combined? What the #$%!! is up with that?
    Is it because she's a woman, and the "Obama is black" thing has already gotten old?
    Is because she's better looking than those other three (and let's face it, while some might argue that in favor of Obama, she is)?
    Is it because she's the one with the (pardon the irony, if not the lewdness) balls to make smart-assed comments about herself on national TV?
    Anyone have any enlightening thoughts here? And more importantly, is there anything we can do about it, so McCain doesn't get elected based on a lame media fascination with his bizarrely charismatic running mate?

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  11. Paleocon Posted 4:35 pm
    12 Sep 2008

    Ignorance, Arrogance, and CondescensionHallmarks of liberal intellectual discourse.
    Diverse points of view? No...Trolls!
    Troll is the "N word" the left loves best.
    That and "Denier".
    Why can none of you geniuses come up with a set of data that would disprove your hypothesis regarding AGW? It isn't complicated. Obviously you don't see that data today. But if you can't establish what would disprove your assertions, you admit that this is about religion and politics. Not science.
    Just like Feminism just admitted that it is about liberalism and not women.

    "...a 90 percent chance that the US has contributed .2 degrees F of temperature increase in the last 50 years..." The IPCC Consensus in perspective

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  12. Russ Posted 5:08 pm
    12 Sep 2008

    MSMpathos-

    This is simply how the MSM works. There always has to be something fresh and sparkly for the news cycle, while substance is a peripheral concern.
    So the media's already bored with Obamamania (which it triumphed last winter in the 1st place because it was bored with the Hillary pre-anointment). And while they have inexhaustible affection for Mccain personally, he's still just a senile lump.
    So it's no surprise that they salivate over the energetic, mediagenic yee-haw redneck, so productive of stories - younger and aggressive (so unlike the fossil at the head of the ticket); moose-hunting slice-of-life (plays in Peoria); trailer-trash tabloidism; they can resurrect the female-candidate storyline they used to have with Hillary, got bored with back then, but are happy to use again now; most of all this lets them be a crier for all the Mccain lies without actually having to focus on mccain - that these are "mavericks", ready to take on Washington pork, knowledgeable and concerned about energy and foreign policy, that they care about anyone other than the rich and special interests.

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  13. Wolfy's avatar

    Wolfy Posted 11:04 am
    13 Sep 2008

    Quite Potentially a Porn Star?Palin just might concede that she used to be a porn star.  The sheeple in this country that are going ga-ga over her right now would love her even more by saying that she's just a hard workin' gal trying to make a living with her God given talents.
    She's just an image cult, like all the rest.  A plastic personality and a pretty face.  This country is heading for a fall and the last thing we need is just another pretty face with an empty head behind it.  We are our own worst enemy and people worship like this will be our undoing. Pray I'm wrong!



    Most times for evil to win it doesn't take a large, horrible event; it just takes a lot of people each doing just a little bad.

    AOOOOOOooooooooo.........

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  14. GlobalWarmingInc Posted 8:23 am
    16 Sep 2008

    IPCC and "experts"It's funny how many times I see the IPCC being referenced as THE EXPERTS on climate change, when they have been disproven and their "science" debunked.
    Young scientists have to play a game to stay relevant and employed. Thus, using Global Warming as a buzz-word in pretty much any scientific study, instantly grants them funding. It's all a game. It's all BS.
    There is no global warming -at least not man-made global warming. Any warming/cooling trends are part of cyclic trends that have been going on for millions of years.
    I, for one, don't believe any of it.

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  15. rharris50 Posted 5:24 am
    18 Sep 2008

    Palin distorting the truth againI hate to keep piling on, since this isn't even one of the lies (like the repeated fib about not supporting the "Bridge to Nowhere"), but isn't it interesting that she actually challenged Gibson when he reminded her that she has changed her position on the human influence on global warming.  She twisted his statement, pointing out that she had never said "there's absolute proof that nothing that man has ever conducted or engaged in has had any effect...on global warming."  Nice try, but obviously, that's not what Gibson said.  Where did the "absolute proof" nonsense come from?  It was a disingenuous way to perpetuate an untruth about her clear earlier denial of human involvement in global warming. How ridiculous, and nobody has called her on it.  I guess she gets a free pass again, in spite of the right-wing claim that she is being persecuted when she is asked about her positions.

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