Bill Nye, everyone’s favorite Science Guy, appeared on Meet The Press on Sunday to discuss climate change. He continued his whirlwind tour of debating science-deniers by taking on six-term congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). Blackburn traded “facts” with a slightly groggy Nye, who appeared via satellite from California.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zFruNyiUHQ#t=511
There’s no debating the fact that the weather has been Nic Cage-levels of crazy lately, and Blackburn wisely avoided engaging Nye in any meaningful discussion of the topic. She instead chose to spend her time casting doubt on Nye’s credentials, on whether the scientific community has reached a consensus on climate change, and on what constitutes a lot of carbon dioxide in the air. As I mentioned, Nye seemed a bit groggy, and didn’t respond to Blackburn’s “actor” comment with his usual vigor. The fact is that the man has a whopping 14 credits on the “Actor” section of his IMDB page, and in half of them he portrays a host, a narrator, or himself.
At 8:28, a tired Nye incorrectly identifies a picture of the Arctic ice cap as the Antarctic, a flub that a more astute opponent would have jumped all over. Sadly, most of his recent opponents seem to favor stubbornness to savvy. It seems a bit odd for a man of science to choose to debate people whose denial is so deeply ingrained, but it shows how strongly he believes that science is right, and we need to work quickly to limit the damage of climate change:
[T]here is no debate in the scientific community. And I can encourage the congresswoman to really look at the facts. You are a leader. We need you to change things, not deny what’s happening.
Only a member of the House of Representatives could try argue to that a 97% majority is not a consensus. When was the last time that 97% of Congress agreed on anything other than a pay raise?
Via Geekosystem