GOP Rep. Barton Cites Biblical ‘Great Flood’ As Evidence That Climate Change Isn’t Necessarily Man-Made

Speaking before the House Subcommittee on Energy and Power this Wednesday, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) cited a biblical flood as an example of climate change that was not anthropogenic in nature.

During the committee’s hearing on a bill that would give Congress the authority to approve the petroleum-delivering Keystone XL Pipeline, Barton asserted his support for the project before noting that he does not deny climate change, but rather, that he disputes whether the phenomenon is man-made.

“I would point out that people like me who support hydrocarbon development don’t deny that climate is changing,” the Texan congressman said. “I think you can have an honest difference of opinion of what’s causing that change without automatically being either all in that’s all because of mankind or it’s all just natural. I think there’s a divergence of evidence.”

He then cited Genesis 6:9’s “Great Flood” narrative, in which God flooded the earth as divine retribution with the intention of remaking it using the animals aboard Noah’s ark, as an example of climate change that was not caused my mankind.

“I would point out that if you’re a believer in the Bible,” he said, “one would have to say the Great Flood is an example of climate change and that certainly wasn’t because mankind had overdeveloped hydrocarbon energy.”

Watch below, via BuzzFeed:

[h/t Andrew Kaczynski, BuzzFeed]

— —
>> Follow Andrew Kirell (@AndrewKirell) on Twitter

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!