Palin says cause of global warming "doesn't matter"

In an interview with CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric that aired Tuesday, Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin said that it "kinda doesn't matter at this point" if human activity is responsible for climate change.

You can see a video of the interview here. The topic of global warming comes up about four and a half minutes in:

Couric: What's your position on global warming? Do you believe it's manmade or not?

Palin: Well, we're the only Arctic state, of course, Alaska. So we feel the impacts more than any other state, up there, with the changes in climates. And, and certainly it is apparent. We have erosion issues, and we have melting sea ice, of course. So, what I've done up there is form a sub-cabinet to focus solely on climate change. Understanding that it is real, and …

Couric: Is it man-made, though in your view?

Palin: You know there are – there are man's activities that can be contributed [sic] to the issues that we're dealing with now, with these impacts. I'm not going to solely blame all of man's activities on changes in climate. Because the world's weather patterns are cyclical. And over history we have seen changes there. But it kinda doesn't matter at this point, as we debate what caused it. The point is: it's real; we need to do something about it.

Gov. Palin's response is similar to the one she gave last month when ABC News's Charlie Gibson asked  her the same question. Mr. Gibson pressed the issue harder than Ms. Couric did. Here's how that exchange went:

Palin: I believe that man’s activities certainly can be contributing to the issue of global warming, climate change. Here in Alaska, the only Arctic state in our Union, of course, we see the effects of climate change more so than any other area, with ice pack melting. Regardless, though, of the reason for climate change – whether it’s entirely, wholly caused by man’s activities or is part of the cyclical nature of our planet, the warming and the cooling trends – regardless of that, John McCain and I agree that we got to do something about it, and we have to make sure that we’re doing all we can to cut down on pollution.

Gibson: But it’s a critical point, as to whether this is manmade. He says it is. You have said in the past it’s not.

Palin: The debate on that even really has evolved into, "OK, here’s where we are now: Scientists do show us that there are changes in climate. Things are getting warmer. Now, what do we do about it?" John McCain and I are going to be working on what we do.

Gibson:  Yes, but isn’t it critical as to whether or not it’s manmade? Because what you do about it depends on whether it’s manmade.

Palin: That’s why I’m attributing some of man’s activities to potentially causing some of the changes in the climate right now.

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