Advertisement

The Climate Zombie Caucus Of The 112th Congress

One year ago, the right-wing media machine smeared climate scientists with the “Climategate” conspiracy theory, even as the climate itself continued to get hotter and more destructive. Although the National Academies of Science says “the U.S. should act now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop a national strategy to adapt to the inevitable impacts of climate change,” the Republican Party is now dominated by fossil-funded ideologues who repeat zombie myths about global warming. An exclusive survey by the Wonk Room, with research support by Daily Kos blogger RL Miller, has identified the members of Congress from nearly every state in the union that are on record challenging the scientific consensus:

Click the map to see the 112th Congress climate deniers in each state.

In January, 2011, the 112th Congress will open session, with a huge contingent of Republicans who have explicitly rejected the threat of manmade global warming pollution. These climate zombies express the classic variants of global warming denial: that the planet is not warming, that cold weather refutes concerns about global warming, that man’s influence is unclear, that climate scientists are engaged in a hoax, scam, or corrupt conspiracy, and that limiting greenhouse pollution would have no impact on global temperatures. Of special note are the conspiracy theorists who argue that hacked emails from climate scientists prove corruption, calling for kangaroo trials against practicing researchers.

Well over half (55 percent) of the incoming Republican caucus are climate zombies. Thirty-five of the 46 (76 percent) Republicans in the U.S. Senate next year publicly question the science of global warming. Of the 240 Republicans elected to the House of Representatives, 125 (52 percent) publicly question the science.

Advertisement

Of the freshmen Republicans — marked in boldface below — 36 of 85 in the House and 11 of 13 in the Senate have publicly questioned the science. There are no freshmen Republicans, in the House or Senate, who publicly accept the scientific consensus that greenhouse pollution is an immediate threat.

Nearly all the rest of the Republicans in the 112th Caucus either signed the “No Climate Tax” pledge from the climate-denier Koch Industries front group Americans For Prosperity, the “No Cap-And-Tax” Tea Party pledge, or co-sponsored a resolution to overturn the EPA’s scientific finding that greenhouse pollution threatens the American public’s health and welfare.

SENATE

Kelly Ayotte (R-NH)John Barrasso (R-WY)Roy Blunt (R-MO)John Boozman (R-AR)Scott Brown (R-MA)Dan Coats (R-IN)Tom Coburn (R-OK)Bob Corker (R-TN)John Cornyn (R-TX)Mike Crapo (R-ID)Jim DeMint (R-SC)John Ensign (R-NV)Mike Enzi (R-WY)Chuck Grassley (R-IA)Orrin Hatch (R-UT)John Hoeven (R-ND)Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)Jim Inhofe (R-OK)Johnny Isakson (R-GA)Mike Johanns (R-NE)Ron Johnson (R-WI)John McCain (R-AZ)Mitch McConnell (R-KY)Jerry Moran (R-KS)Rand Paul (R-KY)Rob Portman (R-OH)Jim Risch (R-ID)Pat Roberts (R-KS)Marco Rubio (R-FL)Jeff Sessions (R-AL)Richard Shelby (R-AL)John Thune (R-SD)Pat Toomey (R-PA)David Vitter (R-LA)Roger Wicker (R-MS)

HOUSE

Robert Aderholt (R-AL)Todd Akin (R-MO)Rodney Alexander (R-LA)Michele Bachmann (R-MN)Spencer Bachus (R-AL)Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD)Joe Barton (R-TX)Charlie Bass (R-NH)Judy Biggert (R-IL)Brian Bilbray (R-CA)Rob Bishop (R-UT)Diane Black (R-TN)Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)John Boehner (R-OH)Kevin Brady (R-TX)Mo Brooks (R-AL)Paul Broun (R-GA)Larry Bucshon (R-IN)Michael Burgess (R-TX)Dan Burton (R-IN)Ken Calvert (R-CA)Dave Camp (R-MI)John Campbell (R-CA)John Carter (R-TX)Steve Chabot (R-OH)Jason Chaffetz (R-UT)Tom Cole (R-OK)Mike Conaway (R-TX)Chip Cravaack (R-MN)John Culberson (R-TX)Jeff Denham (R-CA)Charlie Dent (R-PA)Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL)Robert Dold (R-IL)John Duncan (R-TN)Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO)Jeff Flake (R-AZ)Bill Flores (R-TX)Randy Forbes (R-VA)Trent Franks (R-AZ)Cory Gardner (R-CO)Scott Garrett (R-NJ)Jim Gerlach (R-PA)Bob Gibbs (R-OH)Phil Gingrey (R-GA)Louie Gohmert (R-TX)Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)Trey Gowdy (R-SC)Morgan Griffith (R-VA)Mike Grimm (R-NY)Ralph Hall (R-TX)Gregg Harper (R-MS)Vicky Hartzler (R-MO)Doc Hastings (R-WA)Nan Hayworth (R-NY)Wally Herger (R-CA)Tim Huelskamp (R-KS)Bill Huizenga (R-MI)Randy Hultgren (R-IL)Duncan Hunter (R-CA)Robert Hurt (R-VA)Darryl Issa (R-CA)Lynn Jenkins (R-KS)Steve King (R-IA)Jack Kingston (R-GA)Leonard Lance (R-NJ)James Lankford (R-OK)Jerry Lewis (R-CA)Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO)Dan Lungren (R-CA)Don Manzullo (R-IL)Mike McCaul (R-TX)Tom McClintock (R-CA)Thad McCotter (R-MI)Patrick McHenry (R-NC)David McKinley (R-WV)Candice Miller (R-MI)Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)Mick Mulvaney (R-SC)Randy Neugebauer (R-TX)Kristi Noem (R-SD)Devin Nunes (R-CA)Pete Olson (R-TX)Ron Paul (R-TX)Steve Pearce (R-NM)Mike Pence (R-IN)Ted Poe (R-TX)Bill Posey (R-FL)Tom Price (R-GA)Ben Quayle (R-AZ)Denny Rehberg (R-MT)Scott Rigell (R-VA)Cathy Rodgers (R-WA)Phil Roe (R-TN)Mike Rogers (R-MI)Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA)Todd Rokita (R-IN)Peter Roskam (R-IL)Paul Ryan (R-WI)Steve Scalise (R-LA)Bobby Schilling (R-IL)Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI)Pete Sessions (R-TX)John Shimkus (R-IL)Bill Shuster (R-PA)Lamar Smith (R-TX)Steve Southerland (R-FL)Cliff Stearns (R-FL)Steve Stivers (R-OH)John Sullivan (R-OK)Lee Terry (R-NE)Glenn Thompson (R-PA)Mac Thornberry (R-TX)Pat Tiberi (R-OH)Fred Upton (R-MI)Tim Walberg (R-MI)Greg Walden (R-OR)Joe Walsh (R-IL)Allen West (R-FL)Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA)Ed Whitfield (R-KY)Rob Wittman (R-VA)Rob Woodall (R-GA)Don Young (R-AK)Todd Young (R-IN)Read the full report: The Climate Zombie Caucus Of The 112th Congress.