Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is promoting a new climate change-denying film and will take part in a panel discussion at a Washington, D.C. screening, Variety reported on Monday.
The film, called "Climate Hustle," is produced by a conservative organization called Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow and its affiliated ClimateDepot.com. It will be shown on May 2 at 400 theaters nationwide, Variety reported.
At the Washington screening this week, Variety reported, Palin and others will gather to discuss the issue, including educator Bill Nye, whom ClimateDepot.com refers to as a "warmist."
U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, the Texas Republican who chairs the House Science, Space and Technology Committee and who has been battling the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration over what he claims is the "science fiction" of climate change, will also speak at the D.C. event.
Palin told Variety she is "passionate" about debunking climate change theories, and that the film supports her position. "We've been told by fearmongers that global warming is due to man's activities and this presents strong arguments against that in a very relatable way," she told Variety.
Her current position appears to be at odds with the stance she took in her first year as governor. In 2007, she used an administrative order to create an Alaska Climate Change Sub-Cabinet. Her administrative order cites the rapid warming of Alaska and other northern latitude areas and identifies it as a wide-ranging problem for the state.
"Climate change is not just an environmental issue," the order reads. "It is also a social, cultural, and economic issue important to all Alaskans. As a result of this warming, coastal erosion, thawing permafrost, retreating sea ice, record forest fires, and other changes are affecting, and will continue to affect, the lifestyles and livelihoods of Alaskans," the executive order says.
The executive order specifically identifies greenhouse gas emissions as the cause of climate change; it touts Alaska natural gas as a "low carbon fuel to help the nation reduce its overall greenhouse gas emissions," and it directs the group to investigate carbon-trading opportunities for Alaska.