Dealing with climate change requires 'real leadership': Romney takes Obama to task over failed green policies

Mitt Romney may not have officially announced his intention to run for president in 2016, but that doesn't mean the former Massachusetts governor and two time presidential hopeful isn't already hard on the campaign trail.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - During a recent event in Salt Lake City, Utah, Romney spoke about several issues of interest to Republicans, including one which might raise some eyebrows.

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Romney took the opportunity to describe himself as a Republican who believes in global warming that is caused by human action. This may put him at odds with many senior members of the Republican Party, which traditionally does not believe in global warming, or at least denies that human actions have any impact on it.

During the event he said that global warming needed to be solves with "real leadership," especially in regards to coal-fired power plants which give off a great deal of carbon dioxide emissions, but also provide Americans with numerous job as well as cost effective energy

Even earlier Romney sought to distance himself from the mainline Republican stance. In Iowa he told a gathered crowd that global warming is "real and a problem."

"It's not enough for Americans to keep their won carbon emissions in check when much of the rise in greenhouse gases globally is coming from countries such as China and India," he said.

During his 2012 run for president, Romney did not discuss global warming. Instead most of the 2012 election focused on much larger issues like the economy, immigration and social issues like healthcare.

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This may also be an attempt to court favor with moderate Republicans and independents, most of whom believe global warming is a major issue, not just for the U.S., as well as to distance himself from hard-right leaning Jeb Bush.

Bush, the former Florida governor, has often been attacked by the left and many within the Republican camp for being a "climate denier," often making radical statements that hold no fact or basis within the scientific community.

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