When the US Senate finally agreed that global warming is real, I thought we’re finally going to get some progress. The leaders of the US were finally starting to acknowledge the environmental damage we’re causing and maybe even start taking measures against it… it was too good to be true. While the senate agreed that climate change is happening (because hey, that’s not even a debate), many senators are now claiming that humans aren’t causing it. James Inhofe, the veteran climate denier in the Senate and incoming chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee went as far as to say that only God can cause climate change.

Republican and US senator James Inhofe: ‘Man can’t change climate’. Photograph: Susan Walsh/AP

Several Republicans have repeatedly stated that climate change is a hoax, but when they actually had to vote for that, they agreed that it was very much real. But when they had to vote whether or not humans are causing it, the page turned. The bad thing is that unless senators are actually prepared to accept the scientific consensus and take responsibility, it’s gonna be extremely hard to make any progress against climate change.

In case you’re wondering, here are just a few of the studies we covered related to humans causing global warming:

• IPCC 95% sure climate change is caused by humans
• Study confirms IPCC’s 95% certainty on man made climate change
• Almost unanimous: climate change 95% caused by man, according to U.N.
• Study concludes there is a 99.999% chance of global warming being caused by humans
• Man responsible for three quarters of climate change
• The top 7 countries responsible for global warming
• Just 90 companies are responsible for 60% of all man made global warming emissions – Exxon, Chevron and BP lead the way

Of course, there are many more studies documenting how humans are causing climate change – these are just some of the ones we wrote about. Unfortunately, US senators choose to follow their own interests, and/or simply ignore the scientific truth and cling on to the idea that it’s not our fault.

“Climate is changing and climate has always changed and always will,” Inhofe told the Senate. “The hoax is that there are some people who are so arrogant to think they are so powerful they can change climate. Man can’t change climate.”

What makes this even more saddening is the fact that Inhofe is the incoming chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. He will get to decide how a huge sum of money will be spent on environment and public works – what can possibly go wrong?

“We are worse off than 2005,” said Robert Brulle, a sociologist at Drexel University who writes about the climate denial movement. “The resolution saying that anthropogenic climate change is real and we need to act passed in 2005, and failed in 2015,” he said in an email. “A similar resolution failed today. 10 years, more certain science, less political will.”

If you want to call and ask Senator Inhofe about this, you actually can. His office’s publically listed number is (202) 224-4721. Don’t be mean, make a civil comment and recommend that he quits from the U.S. Environment & Public Works Committee if he is unable to accept scientific consensus on the topic.