A Republican congressman told his constituents that he believes God will “take care of” climate change if it proves to be a “real problem.”
Michigan Rep. Tim Walberg said during a town hall in Coldwater, Mich., on Friday that while he believes climate change is real, it is not something for humans to solve.
“I believe there’s climate change. I believe there’s been climate change since the beginning of time,” Walberg said. “Do I think man has some impact? Yeah, of course. Can man change the entire universe? No.”
He continued: “Why do I believe that? Well, as a Christian, I believe that there is a creator in God who is much bigger than us. And I’m confident that, if there’s a real problem, he can take care of it.”
As constituents grumbled, Walberg said: “I don’t expect you to agree with me on that.”
Most scientists in recent years have said that global warming is driven by human influence.
It was reported on Wednesday that President Donald Trump plans to pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement, the landmark 2015 deal in which nearly 200 countries promised to address climate change.
Under the deal, President Obama committed the U.S. to a 26-28% reduction in annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2025.
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Write to Mahita Gajanan at mahita.gajanan@time.com