>>> I HAVE A GUT AND MY GUT TELLS ME MORE SOMETIMES THAN
ANYBODY ELSE’S BRAIN CAN EVER
TELL ME.
TELL ME. THAT IS A QUOTE BY THE PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES.
PRESIDENT TRUMP GAVE THAT QUOTE
TO "THE WASHINGTON POST" TO
JUSTIFY IGNORING EXPERTS IN HIS
OWN ADMINISTRATION.
OWN ADMINISTRATION. THIS TIME, IT’S SCIENTISTS.
THE PRESIDENT SPENT MUCH OF THE
WORK REFUSING A REPORT OF HIS
OWN GOVERNMENT.
OWN GOVERNMENT. THE ADMINISTRATION IS DRAWING
CRITICISM AFTER THE FOURTH
NATION ALKALI MAT ASSESSMENT WAS
RELEASED OVER THANKSGIVING
WEEKEND INSTEAD OF EARLY
DECEMBER AS ORIGINALLY
SCHEDULED.
SCHEDULED. ISSUED BY 13 GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
AND MANDATED BY CONGRESS TO BE
RELEASED EVERY FOUR YEARS, THE
NEW REPORT PRESENTS THE STARKEST
WARNINGS YET OF THE CONSEQUENCES
OF CLIMATE CHANGE FOR THE UNITED
STATES.
STATES. AMONG THE FINDINGS, AND THIS IS
A
A PLACES LIKE MIAMI ARE HITTING
RECORD NUMBERS.
RECORD NUMBERS. THREATENING 1 TRILLION DOLLARS
WORTH OF COASTAL REAL ESTATE.
THAT OTHER COSTS BETWEEN NOW AND
209
209 2090 COULD REACH ABOVE $500
BILLION JUST IN CLIMATE CHANGE
RELATED DAMAGED.
RELATED DAMAGED. TEMPERATURES COULD INCREASE
ANYWHERE BETWEEN TWO AND A HALF
DEGREES TO MORE THAN EIGHT
DEGREES HIGHER THAN THEY ARE
TODAY.
TODAY. EIGHT DEGREES.
EIGHT DEGREES. THINK ABOUT THAT.
THAT DOESN’T JUST INCREASE THE
LIKELIHOOD OF HEAT WAVES BUT IT
HURTS CROPS AND LIVESTOCK THAT
AMERICA RELIES UPON TO SURVIVE.
EACH OF THOSE DOTS, TAKE A LOOK
AT IT.
AT IT. EACH OF THOSE DOTS REPRESENT A
DEFENSE ASSET VULNERABLE TO
CLIMATE CHANGE.
CLIMATE CHANGE. THE UNITED STATES MILITARY DOES
TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY UNLIKE THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
IN THE LAST REPORT, IN 2014, IT
WAS THE BASIS FOR NEW
REGULATIONS PUT INTO PLACE BY
THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION WHICH
TOOK THIS SERIOUSLY TO HELP
CURVE AND MITIGATE THE EFFECTS
OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
THE EXACT REGULATIONS PRESIDENT
TRUMP CAMPAIGNED AGAINST AND HAS
BEEN SYSTEMATICALLY ROLLING
BACK.
BACK. THE NEW REPORT WARNS IF
SOMETHING IS NOT DONE WE CAN
EXPECT MORE FREQUENT AND INTENSE
EXTREME WEATHER AND CLIMATE
RELATES EVENTS.
RELATES EVENTS. THE RESPONSE TO THESE WARNINGS
IS THIS.
IS THIS. >> HAVE YOU READ THE REPORT YET?
>> I’VE SEEN IT.
I’VE READ SOME OF IT AND IT’S
FINE.
FINE. >> ECONOMIC IMPACT WILL BE
DEVASTATING.
DEVASTATING. >> I DON’T BELIEVE IT.
>> YOU DON’T BELIEVE IT?
>> NO.
>> NO. NO.
NO. I DON’T BELIEVE B ITIT.
>> HE DOESN’T BELIEVE IT BECAUSE
HIS GUT IS BETTER THAN OTHER
PEOPLE’S BRAINS.
PEOPLE’S BRAINS. BRENDA IS A CLIMATE SSCIENTIST.
SHE WORKED ON THE NATIONAL
CLIMATE ASSESSMENT.
CLIMATE ASSESSMENT. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR
YOUR WORK.
YOUR WORK. I DON’T TRUST MY GUT MORE THAN
OTHER PEOPLE’S BRAINS.
IT’S LARGER THAN MOST PEOPLE’S
BRAINS BUT NOT BETTER.
THE PRESIDENT SAID SCIENTISTS
HAVE A POLITICAL AGENDA.
WHAT’S YOUR POLITICAL AGENDA IN
THIS?
THIS? >> THERE’S NO POLITICS.
THE SCIENCE -- THIS REPORT IS
NOT POLICY PRESCRIPTIVE.
IT’S MANDATED BY CONGRESS.
WHAT THE REPORT CLEARLY SHOWS IS
THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS NOT SOME
DISTANT FUTURE THREAT.
IT’S HAPPENING EVERYWHERE IN THE
UNITED STATES.
UNITED STATES. ALASKA, HAWAII, PUERTO RICO AND
U.S. RESIDENTS ARE BEING FORCED
TO COPE WITH DANGEROUS HEAT
WAVE, DEADLY WILDFIRES,
DEVASTATING HURRICANES, EXTREME
RAINFALL AND WE KNOW THAT THESE
COSTS.
COSTS. THESE EVENTS WILL ONLY GET WORSE
IF WE CONTINUE HAVING UNABATED
HEAT TRAPPING EMISSIONS.
>> SARAH SANDERS SAID THIS
REPORT QUOTE IS BASED ON THE
MOST EXTREME SCENARIO AND THAT
CLIMATE SCIENCE IS NEVER EXACT.
TELL ME A BIT ABOUT THAT.
DO YOU RECOGNIZE IT’S INEXACT
AND IS THIS THE MOST EXTREME
SCENARIO?
SCENARIO? >> JUST NORFOR THE RECORD, THE
SCENARIOS ARE ASSESSED IN PRIOR
ASSESSMENTS.
ASSESSMENTS. WE USE HIGH EMISSION SCENARIOS
AND LOW EMISSION SCENARIOS AND
EVEN LOWER THAN THAT.
WE SHOW WE COULD AVOID SOME OF
THE HIGH COSTS THAT ARE OUT
LINED IN THE REPORT IF WE CHOOSE
AND EMBARK UPON THE LOWER
EMISSIONS SCENARIO.
EMISSIONS SCENARIO. WE COULD CUT OUT THE COST OF
EXTREME HEAT MORTALITY IF WE GO
TO THE LOW EMISSION SCENARIO.
>> I SHOWED A CHART FROM A
SECTION OF YOUR REPORT EARLIER.
YOU HAVE BROKEN THIS OUT IN
PLACES OF WHERE THIS HURTS.
DRAW ME A LINE BETWEEN CLIMATE
CHANGE AND ECONOMIC DAMAGE.
>> I THINK A LOT OF U.S.
RESIDENTS WOULDN’T BE SURPRISED
AT THE ONE CIRCLE THAT’S BLUE
THE COST TO COASTAL PROPERTIES.
IT COULD BE 22% LOWER IF WE DID
AN EVEN LOWER SCENARIO.
IT REALLY MAKES A LOT OF SENSE
TO EMBARK UPON THE PARIS CLIMATE
AGREEMENT GOALS BECAUSE WE CAN
SHAVE THESE DAMAGE COST, AVOID