>>> WELCOME BACK. I’M STEPHANIE RUHLE.
A BRAND NEW POLL OUT THIS
MORNING SHOWS ROUGHLY THREE OUT
OF FOUR AMERICANS BELIEVE
CLIMATE CHANGE IS HAPPENING AND
A LARGE MAJORITY THINK HUMANS
ARE AT LEAST PARTLY TO BLAME.
"TIME’S" ISSUE IS DEDICATED TO
CLIMATE CHANGE AND ONLY THE
FIFTH ISSUE WHERE EVERY SINGLE
PAGE IS DEDICATED TO A SINGLE
TOPIC.
TOPIC. "TIME" ASSEMBLED A NUMBER OF
CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVISTS TO
CONTRIBUTE TO THE PUBLICATION
INCLUDING FORMER VICE PRESIDENT
AL GORE, ACTRESS ANGELINA JOLIE
AND DR. JANE GOODELL.
IT’S NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT
"TIME" HAS COMMITTED AN ISSUE TO
CLIMATE CHANGE.
CLIMATE CHANGE. THEY REPLACED THE PERSON OF THE
YEAR ISSUE WITH PLANET OF THE
YEAR ISSUE.
YEAR ISSUE. EDITOR IN CHIEF AND CEO EDWARD
JOINS ME NOW.
WHY ARE YOU DEDICATING AN ISSUE
TO THIS?
TO THIS? >> YOU KNOW --
>> NOTHING ELSE TO TALK ABOUT?
>> WE HAVE LOTS TO TALK ABOUT ON
THE WEBSITE AND EVERY OTHER
ISSUE.
ISSUE. THIS ISSUE AS YOU SAID, ONLY THE
FIFTH TIME IN OUR 96 YEARS THAT
WE HAVE DEVOTED FRONT TO BACK
EVERY PAGE TO A SINGLE TOPIC AND
THAT’S REALLY BECAUSE OF THE
URGENCY OF THE PROBLEM.
YOU KNOW, AS YOU MENTIONED, MY
PREDECESSORS AT "TIME" HAD THES
WHICH WISDOM 30 YEARS AGO TO BE
THE SOUNDING OF THE ALARM
BECAUSE WE HAD AN IMPENDING
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM. WE HAVE ACTED, AL GORE AND
OTHERS POINT OUT WE HAVE MADE
PROGRESS.
PROGRESS. THE PROBLEM BECOMES URGENT AND
HARDER TO SOLVE THE LONGER WE
WAIT.
WAIT. >> BUT FROM 1989 UNTIL NOW WE’VE
DONE SOME STUFF BUT HAVE WE DONE
MORE TO HURT?
WORSE OFF THAN IN ’89?
>> THE ISSUE IS, WE HAVE MADE
PROGRESS.
PROGRESS. AWARENESS HAS GONE UP IMMENSELY.
ONE OF THE REALLY INTERESTING --
WE HAVE REPORTING FROM EVERY
CONTINENT IN THIS ISSUE.
IN THE UNITED STATES, OUR
REPORTING IS FROM IOWA WHERE YOU
CAN SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME
REALLY CLIMATE IS A MAJOR TOPIC
IN IOWA, IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, SOUTH
CAROLINA, WITH ALL THE COASTAL
FLOODING.
FLOODING. AS GORE SAYS IN THE ISSUE,
MOTHER NATURE IS DECIDING TO
JOIN THE CONVERSATION AND YOU
SEE THE VOTERS IN FLORIDA
PRESSING THE DEMOCRATIC
CANDIDATES ON CLIMATE FOR THE
FIRST TIME.
FIRST TIME. WE HAVE PROGRESS AND CHANGE.
THE ISSUE IS THAT THE PHENOMENON
OF WARMING IS OUTPACING THE
CHANGE.
CHANGE. >> EDWARD, YOU HAVE EVERY
CONTINENT REPRESENTED BUT YOU
DON’T HAVE ANY SKEPTICS HERE.
THERE ARE STILL A LOT OF
SKEPTICS POSSIBLY OUR PRESIDENT
IS ONE.
IS ONE. >> YOU KNOW, WE CAN AND SHOULD
DEBATE WHAT IS THE BEST ROUTE TO
MITIGATE CLIMATE CHANGE AND
GLOBAL WARMING.
GLOBAL WARMING. THE SCIENCE, THE FACT THAT IT’S
HAPPENING, IS SETTLED.
THERE IS NO --
>> OKAY.
>> OKAY. >> OTHER SIDE TO THE SCIENCE.
>> THERE IS NO DEBATE AS TO
WHETHER OR NOT THIS EXISTS, IT
EXISTS SO THERE’S NO REASON TO
GIVE VOICE TO THE OTHER?
>> IT’S RIGHT IN FRONT OF US,
THE PHENOMENON.
THE PHENOMENON. WE CAN DEBATE THE METHODS AND
POLICIES AND WE DO IN THIS ISSUE
AND ALL OF OUR COVERAGE DEBATE
HOW WE COME AT THIS, BUT THE
FACT THAT IT’S HAPPENING IS
SETTLED.
SETTLED. >> IT’S STUNNING THERE ARE STILL
PEOPLE WHO ARE SKEPTICAL.
I WANT TO SHARE WHAT AL GORE
WRITES, HE SAYS HUMANITY IS NOW
SPEWING MORE THAN 110 MILLION
TONS OF GLOBAL WARMING POLLUTION
EVERY DAY INTO THE ATMOSPHERE
ADDING IT IS EQUAL TO WHAT WOULD
BE RELEASED BY 500,000
HIROSHIMA-CLASS ATOMIC BOMBS
EXPLODING ON EARTH EVERY SINGLE
DAY.
DAY. THAT BEING THE CASE, HOW IS IT
THAT THIS ISN’T BEING TREATED
LIKE MORE OF AN EMERGENCY?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, HUMAN NATURE
IS DEADLINE ORIENTED.
I THINK --
>> HUMAN NATURE IS DEADLINE
ORIENTED.
ORIENTED. >> GREAT WAY TO PUT IT.
>> WE’RE PROCRASTINATORS AND I
THINK THE REASON WE’RE BEGINNING
TO SEE MORE ACTION AND THE POLL
NUMBERS CHANGE IS BECAUSE IF
YOU’RE IN FLORIDA IT’S HARDER TO
GET FLOOD INSURANCE, IF YOU’RE
IN PARADISE, CALIFORNIA, THE
TRAGEDY THAT UNFOLDED THERE LAST
YEAR WITH THOSE MASSIVE
WILDFIRES.
WILDFIRES. IT IS VISIBLE AND THAT IS WHAT
IS ULTIMATELY GOING TO GET
PEOPLE TO CHANGE.
YOU SHOWED THE COVER OF OUR
ISSUE WHICH I THINK HAS A
POWERFUL MESSAGE.
POWERFUL MESSAGE. IT’S BY A JAPANESE SAND
SCULPTURE.
SCULPTURE. HE CREATES -- OUR COVER IS
CREATED OF THE EARTH AND IT
TOOK -- I THINK THE MESSAGE IS,
THIS IS GOING TO REQUIRE
COLLECTIVE ACTION.
COLLECTIVE ACTION. THAT COVER WAS THE WORK OVER 14
DAYS OF SEVEN PEOPLE AND TO ME
THAT IS A SYMBOLIC OF HOW WE
HAVE TO COME TOGETHER, WORK
TOGETHER, THIS IS A GLOBAL
PROBLEM THAT’S GOING TO REQUIRE