Mike Pompeo is a disaster for the planet. Why do Democrats back him? | Sarah Meyerhoff

Pompeo is extreme in his denial of climate change. We must pressure Democrats who have backed him to change course

“Ignorant, dangerous, and absolutely unbelievable.” This is how Mike Pompeo, then the nominee for CIA director, described the idea that climate change threatens our nation’s security in his 2017 Senate confirmation hearings. It’s also how our generation and many to come will remember any senator who votes to confirm Pompeo as our next secretary of state.

Donald Trump’s decision to nominate Pompeo to replace the former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson signals loud and clear that he wants fossil fuel barons to continue running our government and state department. Infamous as the “congressman from Koch”, Pompeo is the top all-time recipient of Koch Industries campaign contributions; he accepted nearly $1.5m from the fossil fuel companies between 2009 and 2017.

Related: Mike Pompeo: what will the US state department look like under his control?

Related: Rex Tillerson was disastrous for the US. Mike Pompeo may be worse | Michael H Fuchs