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CO2 emissions are NOT the ‘primary control knob’ driving climate change claims Energy Secretary Rick Perry

Energy Secretary Rick Perry told CNBC Monday that he doubted carbon dioxide emissions were primarily responsible for global warming, as he praised climate change skeptics.

‘No, most likely the primary control knob is the ocean waters and this environment that we live in,’ Perry answered when asked by anchor Joe Kernen if CO2 is what’s primarily responsible for warming the planet.

Perry’s comments come after Environment Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt said essentially the same thing. 

Energy Secretary Rick Perry cast doubt on climate science, saying he didn't think CO2 admissions were the main factor to why earth is warming 

Energy Secretary Rick Perry cast doubt on climate science, saying he didn’t think CO2 admissions were the main factor to why earth is warming

Energy Secretary Rick Perry, seen Monday speaking at the SelectUSA Investment Summit, told CNBC that he thought climate change skepticism was healthy 

Energy Secretary Rick Perry, seen Monday speaking at the SelectUSA Investment Summit, told CNBC that he thought climate change skepticism was healthy

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, now Donald Trump's energy secretary, said he thought it was 'inappropriate' to consider people 'neanderthal[s]' for being skeptical of climate science 

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, now Donald Trump’s energy secretary, said he thought it was ‘inappropriate’ to consider people ‘neanderthal[s]’ for being skeptical of climate science

Pruitt said on Squawk Box in March that he didn’t believe CO2 was what caused climate change.

‘I think that measuring with precision human activity on the climate is something very challenging to do and there’s tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact, so no, I would not agree that it’s a primary contributor to the global warming that we see,’ Pruitt said at the time.

When speaking about climate change Monday, Perry didn’t outright dismiss the notion that it was happening.

He just argued that the discussion should be different.

‘The fact is this shouldn’t be a debate about, “Is the climate changing, is man having an effect on it?” Yeah, we are,’ Perry said. ‘The question should be just how much, and what are the policy changes that we need to make to effect that?’

Like many of his fellow Republicans, Perry cast doubt on the science driving those to action.

‘This science, this idea that science is just absolutely settled and if you don’t believe it’s settled then you’re somehow another neanderthal, that is so inappropriate from my perspective,’ Perry complained.

‘I think if you’re going to be a wise, intellectually-engaged person, being a skeptic about some of these issues is quite alright,’ the former Texas governor and GOP presidential candidate added.

Until recently, the EPA’s website had said: ‘Carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas that is contributing to recent climate change,’ CNBC noted.

That webpage was removed during the advent of the Trump administration.

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