Gov. Tim Pawlenty has been known for his break with the Republican Party on the issue of global warming. He’s said that the burning of fossil fuels is behind the increases in global temperature and has advocated various strategies to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and to use “cap and trade” strategies to reduce emissions.

But as a surrogate for Sen. John McCain, Pawlenty these days is crooning lullabies to the party’s base of (mostly religious) global warming doubters.

On the Glenn Beck radio show Tuesday, Pawlenty reversed himself. After three years of advocacy to mitigate global warming, Pawlenty the surrogate disagrees with Pawlenty the governor.

But, you know, in my view is this: you can argue that the world, the globe is warming as it always has for natural reasons. But I think the weight of the science indicates that at least some of it — you could argue it’s half a percent or something more substantial — is caused by human behavior . . . But, in the wake of this energy crisis, where people are struggling to pay the bills, that debate on cap and trade has fallen to the background for understandable reasons.

To repeat: Pawlenty the governor has advocated for cap and trade. From Minnesota Public Radio, November 2007:

“Gov. Pawlenty said the cap-and-trade market is a good way to reduce pollution. ‘If you unleash the requirements and incentives and attractive features of a market, people will respond to it,’ he said. ‘Some will respond by reducing pollution directly. Others will respond by buying credits or offsets in the marketplace, with the ultimate same net effect.’”

And at a National Governors Association meeting in 2008, he said global warming was real:

“We should have listened to President Carter… We should not spend time on voices that say [climate change] is not real.”

And in a press release from the Office of the Governor in 2007, it’s people that cause the problem:

“[O]ur global climate is warming, at least in part due to the energy sources we use. We cannot solve it by ourselves, but we need to lead and do our part. We also need to push for an effective national and international effort.”