From the Daily Caller
Nick Pope
Contributor
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz clashed with a group of climate activists who interrupted his remarks at an event Thursday night.
As Cruz spoke at an event hosted by a conservative group in Washington, D.C., on Thursday night, protesters sat on the podium next to Cruz and began chanting, ostensibly to draw attention to climate change and protest. Cruz's stance on energy.
“Wait, wait, which country is the biggest climate polluter on the planet?” Cruz asked the protesters. “You don't know. You're a protester and you have no idea what you're protesting against. What's the answer? (Related: Eco-activist who vandalized Stonehenge recounts being bullied by fellow Americans who chanted “oil”)
watch
“Okay, so you didn't,” Cruz said seconds later. “He's actually protesting about climate, but he can't tell you who the biggest polluter on the planet is. And he won't.
an activist snarls at Cruz, whose response is barely audible in the film.
“What is the biggest polluter on the planet today?” Cruz said, after a protester said it was the U.S.
“Okay, so this young lady didn't know, she said 'United States of America,'” Cruz said. “She is protesting, but she has no idea. By the way, the answer is Communist China. Which country leads the world in reducing carbon emissions? Do you know the answer? Let me give you a hint, the answer you gave before is wrong: It's the United States of America.
The crowd then began applauding Cruz. (Related: 'I'm talking': Kamala Harris laughs as climate protesters yell at her about Hawaii)
“You know why?” Cruz continued. “The reason is because of what you're protesting: fossil fuels. No, no, no, you're so ignorant, you don't know. So if you're going to protest, you have to face some facts.
China is by far the world's largest carbon polluter, according to Carbon Briefing; it will allow an average of two new coal-fired power plants per week through 2022, according to the Center for Energy and Clean Air Research.
Meanwhile, the United States reduced carbon dioxide emissions by about 17.5% between 2005 and 2022, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Many energy industry experts point to the natural gas boom of the late 2000s as a major driver of this reduction, as a boom in affordable, clean natural gas allowed the country to reduce its reliance on coal.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. natural gas energy production roughly doubled between 2005 and 2022, while coal use decreased, and U.S. natural gas consumption increased by about 46% during the same period.
A spokesman for Cruz told the Daily Caller News Foundation that Cruz “will not be intimidated by climate protesters who ignore basic realities.”
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