Regarding man-made climate change
Climate change hurtled to a newly prominent role in both domestic and foreign policy this week after President Obama reached a landmark carbon reduction agreement with China.
With the post-midterm national political focus now turned squarely toward the presidential election, the question emerges: Will the GOP have a climate plan in 2016?
In the midterms, the GOP line on climate change was repeated often enough to work its way into the zeitgeist by way of The Colbert Report.
The comedian tore apart Republican lawmakers who echoed some version of the refrain "I'm not a scientist, but..." followed by a statement of skepticism regarding man-made climate change.
Unlike Colbert, environmental activists actually saw the catchphrase as a step forward.
"The "I am not a scientist' is clearly kind of a defensive crouch that they've been pushed into because denying the science has turned out not to be an acceptable political position," said David Goldston, senior advisor at the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund.