The GOP nominee for governor of Colorado appeared to dismiss the threat of climate change by appealing to God in a Tuesday debate with his rival.

Republican candidate Bob Beauprez said he supported efforts to protect the environment, but added that humans were not significantly influencing the climate because Earth was controlled by a higher power.

“There’s people who want to believe that we’re the problem,” he remarked. “I think people are the solution. We’ve cleaned up the air, we’ve cleaned up the water. We are reducing carbon emissions, and we should continue to due so.”

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“Long-term climate change?” Beauprez added. “The Earth always changes. Can we reduce our impact? Yes. But are we going to end or alter the path that Earth’s evolution is going to take? I don’t think so. I think the Earth’s already figured that out and powers bigger than us have figured that out.”

His rival, Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper, said humans were contributing significantly to climate change.

Think Progress noted that Beauprez had compared those who believe humans are responsible for climate change to religious zealots.

“The hysteria surrounding the question of global warming has been something to behold,” he wrote in a book, published in 2009. “Mankind is certainly prone to following false prophets and jumping on the bandwagon du jour. It is not at all unfair to liken the global warming fervor to a religious revival or a spiritual experience, with the word being spread by the true believers with similar evangelical enthusiasm.”

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Watch the full debate here.