PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- Jon Huntsman got a boost in New Hampshire today with an endorsement from The Boston Globe. Global warming was a factor in the newspaper's decision.
"He has stood up far more forcefully than Romney against those in his party who reject evolution and the science behind global warming," the endorsement read.
I've been tracking Huntsman's comments on global warming on my blog New Hampshire Primary 2012: Green since he first jumped into the race last June. While I agree with the Boston Globe's assessment of Huntsman's overall performance on global warming, it's fair to say that he's been inconsistent in his defense of climate science on the campaign trail.
Huntsman deserves praise for challenging his fellow Republican presidential candidates "not to run for the science" at a September 2011 debate.
"Listen, when you make comments that fly in the face of what 98 out of 100 climate scientists have said, when you call into question the science of evolution, all I'm saying is that, in order for the Republican Party to win, we can't run from science," he said at the time.
But Huntsman appeared to run from science himself at a December meeting with conservative bloggers at the Heritage Foundation.
"I don't know. I'm not scientist, nor am I a physicist, but I would defer to science on that discussion. And I would say that the scientific community owes us more in terms of a better description or explanation about what might lie beneath all of this," he said.
Huntsman quickly flipped back, telling reporters, "When you have 99 out of 100 climate scientists, there's enough there for us to say we have an established body of science."
It's also safe to say that Huntsman's belief in climate science has yet to translate into a coherent plan to solve global warming.
"But there is not enough information right now to be able to formulate policies in terms of addressing it overall, primarily because it's a global issue," he proclaimed at the aforementioned Heritage Foundation event.
Indeed, Huntsman's climate protection playbook so far consists of a single page dedicated to converting the nation to natural gas.
"And I can't think of a more important step than moving this economy more towards natural gas use," he told New Hampshire Public Radio while discussing climate change in November.
Unfortunately, Huntsman has yet to come to terms with the impacts of fracking on human health and the environment.
"Hyperbolic fracking has been used on more than one million wells using a technology refined over 60 years, and the industry must continue to demonstrate to the American people it is a safe and sustainable practice," he has proclaimed. "As president, I will break down barriers to the continued, safe use of fracking, which could increase America's production of natural gas by 25 percent - an outcome the American people deserve."
If Jon Huntsman is the GOP's "green" presidential candidate, he is a pale shade of green at best.
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