South Bend, Indiana mayor and Democratic 2020 hopeful Pete Buttigieg appeared on Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show” Thursday and speculated that God might punish humans for creating climate change.
“To me, environmental stewardship isn’t just about taking care of the planet, it’s taking care of our neighbor–we’re supposed to love our neighbor as ourselves,” Buttigieg said.
“And the biggest problem with climate change isn’t just going that it’s going to hurt the planet, I mean, in some way, shape, or form, the planet’s still gonna be here–it’s that we are hurting people.”
He continued, “People who are alive right now, and people who will be born in the future. The way I see it, I don’t imagine God’s going to let us off the hook for abusing future generations, anymore than you would be off the hook for harming someone right next to you. With climate change, we’re doing both.” (RELATED: Pete Buttigieg Says America Was Never That Great)
The 37-year-old has been a sensation among many in the media since he announced his candidacy. Buttigieg is openly gay and proclaims himself a devout Christian.
Climate change has been one of his key issues. During CNN’s seven hour-long town hall event Wednesday, Buttigieg claimed that fighting climate change may actually be more difficult than winning World War II.
In another appearance on CNN on Thursday, he declared that people who eat hamburgers and use plastic straws are “part of the problem” when it comes to climate change.
“Right now we’re in a mode I think we’re thinking about it mostly through the perspective of guilt. Using a straw, eating a burger am I part of the problem? Yes, but we could all be part of the solution,” he said.