Trump’s environment chief says ‘global warming is not related to carbon dioxide’

The incoming head of America’s Environmental Protection Agency has said that he does not believe carbon dioxide is the cause of global warming.

Climate sceptic Scott Pruitt said, ‘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,’ in an interview with CNBC.

‘We need to continue the debate and continue the review and the analysis.’

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Pruitt’s stance puts him at odds with international scientific consensus – and he described the Paris Agreement, where 190 world leaders agreed to lower carbon dioxide emissions as a ‘bad deal’.

Pruitt said, ‘I happen to think the Paris accord, the Paris treaty, or the Paris Agreement, if you will, should have been treated as a treaty, should have gone through Senate confirmation. That’s a concern.’

Scientists criticised Pruitt’s stance, saying it ignores a large body of evidence showing that fossil fuel burning is the main factor in climate change.

‘We can’t afford to reject this clear and compelling scientific evidence when we make public policy. Embracing ignorance is not an option,’ said Ben Santer of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.