WASHINGTON: One of the most influential US energy politicians said she will reject the Pope’s plea to tackle climate change.

Republican Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn, the second-highest ranking member on the House energy committee, said the jury is out on global warming, BBC reported.

Pope Francis told a White House audience recently that further action was needed as the problem could “no longer be left to a future generation.”

Speaking as part of a forthcoming Radio 4 documentary series “Climate Change — Are we Feeling Lucky?,” she asserted that the earth had cooled in the last 13 years by 1F. And she said no evidence would persuade her of man-made warming.

She also rejected the theory of evolution. Scientists say her views are “complete nonsense.”

“The jury is still out saying man is the cause for global warming, after the earth started to cool 13 years ago,” she said.

When challenged that the earth’s surface temperature had not risen substantially in 13 years — but had definitely not cooled, she said — “I think we’ve cooled almost 1 degree (F).”

The earth’s scientific authorities — including the US space agency NASA — say the earth is still warming, with ice melting, sea level rising and oceans warming.