EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said that climate change is not primarily driven by carbon dioxide emitted by humans, which is out of step with scientific consensus. | AP Photo Critics pound EPA chief after he disputes human role in climate change

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said Thursday that carbon dioxide emitted by human activity is not the primary driver of climate change, a conclusion out of step with mainstream climate science that drew immediate condemnation from Democrats and environmentalists.

“I think that measuring with precision human activity on the climate is something very challenging to do , and there's tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact,” Pruitt said on CNBC. “So , no, I would not agree that it's a primary contributor to the global warming that we see.” He also called for continued study of the issue.


That is a stronger position than Pruitt took during his confirmation hearing, when he said that the degree of human contribution to climate change is "subject to more debate."

Democrats rushed to condemn Pruitt's remarks.

"This is just nuts: EPA chief Scott Pruitt just claimed carbon not causing climate change," Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) tweeted a few minutes after the interview aired. "We Senate D's will be a check on his crazy views."

Most scientists agree that greenhouse gases emitted by human activity like burning fossil fuels is the primary driver of climate change. That includes Pruitt’s own agency, which says that human-emitted CO2 “is the primary greenhouse gas that is contributing to recent climate change.”

One prominent environmentalist suggested Pruitt should be impeached.

"Pruitt misled Congress about his willingness to do a core part of his job," Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune wrote on Twitter. "Contradicting science + law should mean removal from office now."

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Pruitt also acknowledged on his CNBC appearance that the Supreme Court has ruled on the matter and that the Obama administration issued an “endangerment finding” concluding greenhouse gases are a threatening pollutant.

But, he added, “nowhere in the continuum, nowhere in the equation, has Congress spoken. The legislative branch has not addressed this issue at all.”

Pruitt was slated to speak at the CERAWeek oil industry conference in Houston later Thursday. He said on CNBC that he would bring a “pro-growth, pro-jobs and pro-environment” message to the conference.

