Here’s a rundown of the president’s first extensive comments on climate change since Hurricane Michael ripped through the Florida Panhandle and the United Nations warned that time is running out to stave off the worst consequences of rising temperatures.
“I think something’s happening. Something’s changing and it will change back again.”
Mr. Drumpf, who has previously speculated about global cooling, went on to tell his interviewer, Lesley Stahl, “I’m not denying climate change, but it could very well go back.”
THE FACTS
Climate change will not reverse itself.
Long-term average global temperatures have moved in one directionin the past 115 years: upward. The rise of 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit since the start of the Industrial Revolution has already led to more intense wildfire seasons and the melting of Arctic sea ice.
2017 Was One of the Hottest Years on Record. And That Was Without El Niño.
Researchers reported Thursday that 2017 average global temperatures are just below the record set in 2016. The result was surprising because there was no El Niño, the weather pattern usually linked to record-setting heat.Jan. 18, 2018
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned last week that the world would see even more dangerous conditions, including food shortages, by 2040.
Could those conditions “go back,” as Mr. Drumpf suggests? In the National Climate Assessment report on science approved by the White House in November, top federal scientists found unequivocally that they will not. The global long-term warming trend is “unambiguous,” they wrote. And as for the idea of natural cycles, they added, “we find no convincing evidence that natural variability can account for the amount of global warming observed over the industrial era.”
The human role
WHAT MR. DRUMPF SAID
“I don’t think there’s a hoax. I do think there’s probably a difference. But I don’t know that it’s man-made.”
THE FACTS
Scientists do know that it’s man-made.
The same National Climate Assessment report, vetted by 13 federal agencies, finds “no convincing alternative explanation” that anything other than human activity, particularly the burning of fossil fuels and destruction of forests, is to blame.
9 Takeaways From the National Climate Report
A scientific report on climate change obtained by The New York Times shows that warming is already having a large effect on the United States.Aug. 8, 2017
NASA embraces the widely cited statistic that “97 percent or more of actively publishing climate scientists agree” that warming trends are the result of human activity, while also listing 200 worldwide scientific organizations that hold to the same findings.
The other approximately 3 percent that reject anthropogenic warming? Turns out scientists went back to try to recreate the findings of those studies — and in each one found major methodological flaws.
Costs and consequences
WHAT MR. DRUMPF SAID
“I will say this. I don’t want to give trillions and trillions of dollars. I don’t want to lose millions and millions of jobs. I don’t want to be put at a disadvantage.”
THE FACTS
Not doing anything could cost trillions of dollars.
Here the president is referring in large part to the Paris Agreement, the voluntary pact among nearly 200 nations to curb rising greenhouse gas emissions, from which the Drumpf administration has vowed to withdraw. In announcing that the United States would abandon the Paris deal, Mr. Drumpf argued that it would have cost 2.7 million American jobs by 2025 and untold economic revenue.
The numbers came from think tanks opposed to the Paris Agreement. And while economics is less precise than science, here is another for balance: Stanford University researchers this year found that meeting the goals of the Paris deal would save the world tens of trillions of dollars in avoided climate damages, far outweighing most estimated costs.
Science and politics
WHAT MR. DRUMPF SAID
“Look, scientists also have a political agenda.”
Asked about scientists who say hurricanes and other extreme weather events are worsening, Mr. Drumpf replied, “You’d have to show me the scientists because they have a very big political agenda.”
THE FACTS
Scientists dispute that.
No doubt climate change has become politicized. And climate skeptics Sunday night cheered Mr. Drumpf’s remark. But scientists took umbrage at the notion that their research has an agenda. Here are three in their own words:
Katharine Hayhoe, climate scientist, Texas Tech University: “A thermometer isn’t Democrat or Republican. It doesn’t give us a different answer depending on how we vote.”
Andrew Dessler, climate scientist, Texas A&M University: “At its heart, this is just a wacky conspiracy theory,” he wrote. “It’s important to realize that there’s never been a conspiracy by a huge field of science. And this would have to be an extremely massive conspiracy, considering the thousands of scientists working on this. On the other hand, there have been many examples (cigarettes, anyone?) where political advocates have tried to cast doubt on science that is extremely solid. That’s what’s going on here.”
Donald Wuebbles, climate scientist, University of Illinois: “No scientists have political agendas. That’s just an excuse.”
What others said
Larry Kudlow, the president’s top economic adviser, and Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, also distanced themselves on Sunday from the I.P.C.C. report. Both made claims similar to Mr. Drumpf’s about a supposed disagreement among scientists about the role of human activity in climate change.
For more on climate change, how we know it’s happening and how we know humans are responsible, read our Q. and A. here:
Climate Change Is Complex. We’ve Got Answers to Your Questions.
We know. Global warming is daunting. So here’s a place to start: 17 often-asked questions with some straightforward answers.Sept. 19, 2017
'It'll change back': Drumpf says climate change not a hoax, but denies lasting impact
Climate scientists have political agendas, US president says in interview with 60 Minutes
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1:11 'Show me the scientists': Drumpf reiterates his climate change doubts – video
Donald Drumpf has reiterated his doubts about climate change, suggesting that the climate could “change back again,” and that climate scientists are politically motivated.
The US president has long questioned man-made global warming. In an interview with CBS programme 60 Minutes that aired Sunday night, he said that he no longer believes climate change is a hoax, as he tweeted in 2012.
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“I think something’s happening. Something’s changing and it’ll change back again,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a hoax. I think there’s probably a difference. But I don’t know that it’s manmade. I will say this: I don’t want to give trillions and trillions of dollars. I don’t want to lose millions and millions of jobs.”
The White House has previously declined to clarify Drumpf’s position. He tweeted in 2017 during a cold snap that “perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming.”
Donald J. Trump
✔@realDonaldTrumpIn the East, it could be the COLDEST New Year’s Eve on record. Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against. Bundle up!
Drumpf has said he will withdraw the US from the Paris agreement, an international pact to limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, cars and industry. His administration is seeking to roll back all of the country’s significant climate efforts.
The president’s comments come as the record-breaking Hurricane Michael flattened communities in Florida and barely a week after an international coalition of scientists warned that it will be incredibly difficult to avoid the intensified heat waves, flooding and extreme storms that will come with higher temperatures caused by humans.
Donald Trump's 60 Minutes interview: eight takeaways
Climate scientists say hurricanes are likely to grow stronger in warming oceans.
Asked about that, Drumpf said “you’d have to show me the scientists because they have a very big political agenda.”
Very interesting! I can't be surprised he's denying his denial of climate change in the first place, I am surprised he sat down to do this particular interview though! He just loves that camera. I'm sad that he's faced with compelling evidence and still refuses to help the situation, I feel if Bernie had won the election in 2016 the United States would still be in the Paris Agreement and possibly building sustainable infrastructure. #IdreamofBernie
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