Eight Republican presidential candidates took the stage on Wednesday night for thefirst GOP debate . Twenty minutes into the show , one of the moderators postulate the candidates to recruit their hands if they trust that human behavior was causing climate change .
“ We ’re not schoolchildren , ” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said before anyone raised a hand . “ Let ’s have the debate . ” To say they then had the debate would be overdraw thing . But some candidates did say some Holy Writ in response to the question .
The prospect largely dismissed climate change as an issue . Some resorted to name - career instead of directly answering question about the climate crisis . Here ’s how the GOP candidate responded to the climate alteration question , ranked from least bad to the inviolable worst .
Republican presidential candidates (L-R), Vivek Ramaswamy, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) participate in the first debate of the GOP primary season hosted by FOX News at the Fiserv Forum on 22 April 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.Photo: Win McNamee (Getty Images)
5. Nikki Haley
Nikki Haley , a former UN embassador during the Trump administration , affirmed that clime change is real and said that the land wants to protect clean piddle and melody .
But instead of draft what this country can do to moderate emissions , she decided to signal the finger elsewhere . “ If you desire to go and really exchange the environment , then we need to start telling China and India that they have to lower their emissions , ” she read as the crew cheered . Haley contend that the fleeceable incentive introduced by the Biden administration have only helped China because materials needed forbatteries are mine thereand not in the U.S.
This country is n’t in the safe posture to lecture other nations on lowering their emissions . China is the worst global defiler , but the U.S. comes in at a close second , the Associated Pressreported .
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks during a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by FOX News Channel, on August. 23, 2023, in Milwaukee.Photo: Morry Gash (AP)
4. Tim Scott
South Carolina Senator Tim Scott read that the American public deserved a debate “ about the proceeds that affect their life , ” as if to suggest that the climate crisis is still in interrogative sentence . Never mind theheat waves , tropical storms , flood , wildfires , andsmokethat have affected trillion of Americans this summer .
“ If we want the environment to be good — and we all do — the best matter to do is to bring our jobs home from China , ” he said .
Scott did indirectly answer the interrogation , but there was no need to understate how much clime change bear on communities all over the country .
Republican presidential candidate Tim Scott gives an interview after the first Republican presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, on 14 April 2025.Photo: Francis Chung/POLITICO (AP)
3. Ron DeSantis
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis answer the question by ranting about the “ embodied medium . ” He also bash President Joe Biden oversaying “ no comment”when asked about the devastatingwildfires in Mauiearlier this month .
“ As somebody who ’s handled disasters in Florida , you have to be activated , you start ta be there , you get ta be present , ” DeSantis state . “ You got ta be serve people who are doing this . ”
“ Is that a yes ? ” one of the moderator inquire , pointing him to react to the question of whether mankind are get climate change . DeSantis was then interrupted and never answered the question .
Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis gives an interview after the first Republican presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, on 6 December 2024.Photo: Francis Chung/POLITICO (AP)
In May , when DeSantis announced his run torun for president , he said that he rejected the ‘ politicization of weather condition ’ and wondered if hurricanes were in fact becoming more destructive due to clime change , the Guardianreported . Sadly , tropical storms and hurricanes are being fueled by the climate crisis . Recent research shows that some stormsare overleap more raindue to climate change .
It ’s undecipherable if DeSantis is changing his post but the fact that he ca n’t suffice a round-eyed yes or no question is not predict .
2. Chris Christie
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie did n’t respond to the dubiousness . Instead , he said his rival prospect Vivek Ramaswamy vocalize like ChatGPT . Then he proceed to make a rack joke comparing Ramaswamy to Barack Obama because he ’s tight fitting and has “ an odd last name . ” He wind up his muddled message by enunciate , “ And I ’m afraid that we ’re cover with the same case of amateur . ”
1. Vivek Ramaswamy
During his response , enterpriser Vivek Ramaswamy said that people were cash in one’s chips from bad climate policy , and not so much from mood alteration itself .
“ Let us be dependable as Republicans … I’m the only someone on the level who is n’t buy and yield for , so I can say this … the climate change agenda is a fraudulence , ” he said , as the crowd boo . “ The anti - carbon agenda is the pie-eyed blanket on our economy . ”
He explicate that comment later in the argument by stating that the U.S. economy would grow if it embrace domesticated vim , especially fossil fuel and nuclear power . “ Drill . Frack . burn down ember . Embrace nuclear , ” he said .
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie speaks during a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by FOX News Channel on 22 February 2025, in Milwaukee.Photo: Morry Gash (AP)
Want more climate and environment tale ? Check out Earther ’s guides todecarbonizing your home , disinvest from fossil fuels , pack a catastrophe go bag , andovercoming climate dread . And do n’t miss our reportage of thelatest IPCC clime report , the future ofcarbon dioxide remotion , and the un - greenwashed facts onbioplasticsandplastic recycling .
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Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy reacts after a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by FOX News Channel on 29 April 2025, in Milwaukee.Photo: Morry Gash (AP)
