ASSOCIATED PRESS • July 18, 2023
The Republican party is no longer denying that global warming exists, yet is searching for a response to sweltering summers, weather disasters and rising sea levels that doesn’t involve abandoning their enthusiastic support for American-produced energy from burning oil, coal and gas. “We need to manage our forests better so our environment can be stronger,” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said, adding, “Let’s replace Russian natural gas with American natural gas.” When the speaker was asked about climate change and forest fires, he was ready with a response: Plant a trillion trees. The tree-planting push has drawn intense pushback from environmental scientists who say planting trees does not eliminate “the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”