Washington: Rick Perry, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to run the US Energy Department, said during his Senate confirmation hearing yesterday that global warming caused by humans is real, but efforts to combat it should not cost American jobs.
The comment marks a shift for the former Texas governor who had previously called the science behind climate change “unsettled” and a “contrived, phony mess”. It also clashes with Trump’s statements during his campaign that global warming is a hoax meant to weaken US business.
“I believe climate is changing. I believe some of it is naturally occurring, but some of it is also caused by man-made activity. The question is how do we address it in a thoughtful way that doesn’t compromise economic growth, affordability of energy, or American jobs,” Perry said.
Trump, has vowed to slash US regulations curbing carbon dioxide emissions and has suggested pulling America out of a global climate change pact signed in Paris in 2015.
As energy secretary, Perry would lead a vast scientific research operation credited with helping trigger a US drilling boom and advancements in energy efficiency and renewables technology, and would oversee America’s nuclear arsenal.
Perry said he also regrets having previously called for the department’s elimination, during his failed bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.
