"It's a global issue, and it's hard to say what changes we could make that would make that much of a difference," said Doug Domenech, the Republican governor's secretary of natural resources.
He added, "Humans might be part of the cause, but too often in the debate it's missed that the Earth has been warmer in the past and it has been a lot cooler in the past. ... So I would say the science is mixed on a lot of those things."
Still, climate-related issues such as rising sea levels are a concern, Domenech said.
He spoke during a news briefing at the Patrick Henry Building in Capitol Square.
"This is total denial," said Tyla Matteson, political chairwoman for the Sierra Club's Virginia chapter. She accused Domenech of spreading "the same old myths."
A panel appointed by then-Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, a Democrat, found in 2008 that a warming climate could spread disease in Virginia, threaten coastal areas with rising seas and imperil native animals such as crabs. Read the full report here.
Source: by Rex Springston, Richmond Times Dispatch.
