Portrait of Rick Scott
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Rick Scott on Climate Change

Acknowledges change, resists policy (strong)

TL;DR

Rick Scott acknowledges the climate is clearly changing, yet resists policies he views as economically destructive.

Key Points

  • In 2014, while Governor, he told scientists meeting with him that he would not state whether he believed in man-made climate change, saying, "I'm not a scientist."

  • He voted against both the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, which included investments in renewable energy and emission reduction projects.

  • After Hurricane Helene in late 2024, he acknowledged the climate is "clearly changing" and that massive storms necessitate figuring out a reaction.

Summary

Rick Scott, U.S. Senator for Florida, has expressed a position on Climate Change that acknowledges environmental shifts, particularly following severe weather events, while simultaneously rejecting proposed policy solutions he deems harmful to the economy. In 2024, following Hurricane Helene, he stated the climate is "clearly changing" and that "massive storms" and "massive storm surge" necessitate figuring out how to react. This stance marks a departure from his prior tendency to equivocate on the issue, often stating he is "not a scientist" when pressed on anthropogenic causes during his governorship.

Historically, his administration as governor was accused of instructing state officials to avoid using terms like "climate change" or "global warming" in official communications, a claim he has denied. The Senator continues to frame solutions in terms of economic impact, explicitly opposing initiatives like the Green New Deal as a "Green Job Killer" and stressing that environmental protection must occur alongside a booming economy. His approach emphasizes that enacting policies that harm the economy is itself a negative outcome, suggesting action must be pursued carefully without adopting what he calls "nutty policies."

Key Quotes

“Clearly our environment changes all the time, and whether that's cycles we're going through or whether that's man-made, I wouldn't be able to tell you which one it is.”

“Who knows what the reason is, but something is changing. Massive storms. Massive storm surge. So we've got to figure this out.”

“Climate change is real and requires real solutions. But the Democrat party has accepted this economy-destroying New Deal as a new commandment, to go alongside single-payer healthcare and higher taxes on job creators.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Rick Scott currently states that the climate is clearly changing, citing massive storms and increased storm surge as evidence. However, he maintains opposition to federal policy solutions, such as the Green New Deal, which he argues would harm the economy.

Yes, his public stance appears to have evolved, particularly following major weather events. While he previously avoided confirming human causation and allegedly restricted the use of the term "climate change" as Governor, he more recently acknowledged that the climate is changing.

Accusations arose that his administration instructed Florida Department of Environmental Protection officials to avoid using terms like "climate change" or "global warming" in official communications. Scott has denied that there was an official policy banning the language.