JOHN DICKERSON: Let me ask you a question about climate change in the wake of Hurricane Michael. Congressman Carlos Curbelo, a Republican colleague of yours, believes that Republicans need to stop questioning the science behind climate change. He said that, that America was saddling young Americans with an environmental debt that was as bad as the fiscal debt. What’s your response to that?

RUBIO: Well, I respect Carlos tremendously, he’s been a leader on that topic. My view is climate, sea level rise, these are measurable things. You can measure that. So there, it’s not even a scientific debate at some point it’s just a reality debate. You can measure whether sea levels are higher than they used to be, warmer than used to be and the like. For, as a policymaker the fundamental question is, what can we do about it? And if if fact humans are contributing to that, what public policy can we pursue that you can actually pass, does not destroy your economy and can be effective.

DICKERSON: But what the congressman and others are saying is, is that if you believe the science about human contribution that there are mitigation efforts you can take with greenhouse gases and that that’s where there needs to be a little more focus from Republicans is on admitting that, that climate change is caused by human activity and taking actions whether it’s coal plants or emissions from cars or methane gas to actually get, get it where the problem is occurring.

RUBIO: The increases come from the developing world and in other places but we’re not a planet, we’re a country. And the question becomes I, I don’t think in my mind anyway the debate has been necessarily about, always about whether or not it’s human contribution. It’s about whether the public policies that are being advocated would be effective.–

DICKERSON: –So–

RUBIO: –In light of the fact that in other places carbon emissions continue to grow and by the way technology is moving us in the direction that those who support those measures want us to go anyways.

DICKERSON: –So your view then, Senator is that humans are the chief contributor to climate change, in this recent period? You- that’s–

RUBIO: –my view is that’s what–

DICKERSON: –settled for you?

RUBIO: My view is that- that’s what a lot of scientists say. I think there are others that dispute what percentage of that is humans and not. I’m a policymaker. There’s no way that I can ever debate with a scientist or people who spend their whole life on that–

DICKERSON: –But do you accept their finding?

RUBIO: What I can debate is public policy. I can- I can accept this and that is that we’re going to have a debate about human contribution because scientists are saying that and, you know, a few are saying not- something different. But if we’re going to have that debate about whether certain laws should be passed in order to alleviate what some scientists or a lot of scientists are saying is the cause of this, that has to be balanced with the public interest and other topics like the economy and the like.