Republicans an 'outlier' on climate change – Obama

  • 19/12/2015
US President Barack Obama (Reuters)
US President Barack Obama (Reuters)

US President Barack Obama has scolded Republicans for denying climate change exists, unlike the majority of right-wing parties in the developed world who have admitted its importance, The Guardian reports.

"The American Republican party is the only major party that I can think of in the advanced world that effectively denies climate change," he said on Friday (local time). "It's an outlier."

He says many key developers of the climate deal, agreed by almost 200 countries in Paris, come from centre-right governments.

But Republican presidential contenders have criticised the focus on climate change instead of terrorism in Tuesday's debate, while Donald Trump, Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Texas Senator Ted Cruz all question the science behind it, according to The Guardian.

"My sense is that this is something that may be an advantage in terms of short-term politics in a Republican primary; it's not something that will be a winner for the Republicans in the long-term," Mr Obama says.

The Paris climate deal is not legally binding, but shows all countries involved have a shared goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions, with Mr Obama claiming his contribution a "a tribute to strong, principled American leadership".

The US has a target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28 percent by 2025, based on 2005 levels.

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