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A Republican asked if we can alter the moon’s orbit to fight climate change and it’s sheer lunar-cy

John Plunkett. Updated June 10th, 2021

With climate change high on the agenda at the G7 summit, a Republican congressman has come up with an unusual solution to help save the planet.

Texas congressman Louie Gohmert asked a senior US government official if the moon’s orbit around the Earth – or the Earth’s orbit around the sun – could be altered to help reverse climate change.

And he went viral – wildly viral – just not for the reasons he would presumably have hoped.

Gohmert was speaking with Jennifer Eberlien, associate deputy chief of the National Forest Service, at a House natural resources committee hearing on Tuesday.

“I understand from what’s been testified to the Forest Service and the BLM [Bureau of Land Management], you want very much to work on the issue of climate change.

“We know there’s been significant solar flare activity, and so … is there anything that the National Forest Service or BLM can do to change the course of the moon’s orbit, or the Earth’s orbit around the sun? Obviously that would have profound effects on our climate.”

We’re not sure what’s more extraordinary – the question, or Eberlien managing to (just about) keep a straight face.

Here are our favourite 11 things people said about it.

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Source Twitter @Forbes Image Pixabay