CBS Gives Bill Nye Platform to Denounce Those Who ‘Deny’ Climate Change
On Tuesday morning, Bill Nye “The Science Guy” appeared on CBS This Morning to promote his new book, and used his platform as an opportunity to trash individuals who question the existence of manmade climate change.
Speaking about his book “Undeniable: Evolution and the science of creation” Nye argued that “it's not a coincidence that the creationists also deny climate change. It's a really important thing.”
After discussing Nye’s recent debate with creationist Ken Ham, co-host Norah O’Donnell hyped how “the Pope recently addressed this issue, and he said 'God is not a magician. Evolution in nature does not conflict with the notion of creation because evolution presupposes the creation of beings who evolve. Helpful?'”
Rather than simply acknowledge that the Pope’s comments are in line with Catholic views, Nye used it as an opportunity to trash manmade climate change skeptics:
It is helpful. Because there's so many people comforted, get so much out being in the community of Catholics, that to have their head guy say we're going to join the mainstream of scientific thinking is good. But I was going to say it's not a coincidence that the creationists also deny climate change. It's a really important thing.
Just look at this morning's stories. We have the snowstorm in the Midwest. And then we have the military building this extraordinary robot for fighting a war that maybe we're not going to fight again. You know? We don't have people – that’s not how wars are being conducted right now. So future generations are going to wonder what we're up to. That’s all I’m saying.
Unsurprisingly, Bill Nye has a history of mocking individuals who don’t accept his climate change agenda. On February 17 of this year, Nye teamed up with former Meet the Press moderator David Gregory to condemn skepticism on climate change. In February of 2010, Nye said that denying climate change was “unpatriotic” and “inappropriate.”
See relevant transcript below.
CBS This Morning
November 11, 2014
NORAH O’DONNELL: Bill Nye, the science guy, taught kids on his popular TV show in the 1990s. Now he’s hoping to reach a bigger crowd with his new book "Undeniable: Evolution and the science of creation.” It was inspired by Nye’s own controversial debate earlier this year with creationist Ken Ham. Bill Nye joins us good morning.
BILL NYE: Good morning.
CHARLIE ROSE: Good morning to you.
O’DONNELL: So what about that debate, some people said that it was a controversial debate?
NYE: Well, striking that it’s controversial. But there's always the downside when a scientist or somebody like me, science educator, debates a creationist because it raises, energizes their base.
GAYLE KING: But you said you debated on whether you were going to do it at all.
NYE: Well we went around, around on the language. They may have accidentally crossed a line there. Everybody because on their job applications, they’re standing by this, you have to be have a testimony as to your religious beliefs and you can’t be homosexual. You can’t be gay to work there on their job application. Which is okay I guess but you can't take tax dollars and do that. We have laws and stuff.
KING: But what’s that have to do with the debate that you guys had?
NYE: Well, the debate was calling attention to this extraordinary world view. And as I say, by extraordinary I mean obviously wrong. You can’t worry about the grown-ups. They've come and gone. My concern is for the young people in that area. And all around the world.
If we raise a generation of people, of science students, who don't understand the fundamental idea in all of life science, then they are not going to be productive members of society. They're not going to be critically thinking voters, and they won't -- they won't contribute as much as they could. And it's not a coincidence.
O’DONNELL: What did you think when the Pope recently addressed this issue, and he said “God is not a magician. Evolution in nature does not conflict with the notion of creation because evolution presupposes the creation of beings who evolve.” Helpful?
NYE: It is helpful. Because there's so many people comforted, get so much out being in the community of Catholics, that to have their head guy say we're going to join the mainstream of scientific thinking is good. But I was going to say it's not a coincidence that the creationists also deny climate change. It's a really important thing.
Just look at this morning's stories. We have the snowstorm in the Midwest. And then we have the military building this extraordinary robot for fighting a war that maybe we're not going to fight again. You know? We don't have people – that’s not how wars are being conducted right now. So future generations are going to wonder what we're up to. That’s all I’m saying.
ROSE: You also talk about cloning here and worry about cloning.
NYE: Well cloning, if you understand the science of it, is straightforward. This is to say, you don't want to clone yourself, because then you don't have a new mix of genes going into the future. That's the whole idea of sex. Sex, sex, sex.
Apparently sex gives you enough of an advantage as a living thing that's it's worth bothering. You know this expression the lilies of the field do not toil. They work pretty hard to make flowers. You look at a dandelion, it's working as hard as it can to make a flower. It’s important to them.
KING: You write too that sometimes you have to pick up other people’s trash to make the world a better place. I love that line.
NYE: That’s the name of the game. Two things from my dad.
KING: What trash? Two things from your dad. Every now and then.
NYE: Every person is responsible for his or her own actions. Leave the world better than you found it.
ROSE: Those are two good things. What trash are you picking up?
NYE: I pick up trash on the street.
ROSE: You're quoted as saying you have to make the word better by picking up trash.
NYE: Well, trash is an overall expression, meaning just because somebody else pumped all this carbon dioxide into the atmosphere doesn't mean you shouldn’t take steps to—
ROSE: Shouldn’t do what you can do to make it better.
NYE: Well not only that but do all you can.
ROSE: Back to creationist and all of that, do you know any scientists that will argue with you, any serious scientists will argue either about religion or creationism?
NYE: Well, now everybody -- religion has to be, for me, completely separate from science. I mean, we all believe in something that we can't prove, I should hope. So if you get the feeling and you have this community, that's great. But whatever you feel, the Earth is not 6,000 years old and there was not a flood with every tree on Earth underwater 4,000 years ago.
KING: There weren't animals two by two?
NYE: No, you can’t do it. Mount [sic] is snow-covered you can't hop from there to Australia and get over.
KING: Bill, all morning we've been teasing your scientific fact that you were going to share with us. What is it?
NYE: My favorite scientific fact is that we are made of the stuff of exploded stars. We are made of stardust. And so therefore, we are at least one of the ways that the universe knows itself.
ROSE: Neil deGrasse Tyson talks about the same thing.
NYE: So did my old professor Carl Sagan who I was first exposed to.\
KING: Alright, Bill Nye, we thank you.
NYE: Thank you.
KING: “Undeniable” is on sale.
O’DONNELL: Stardust.
KING: Stardust. I like that. It's on sale right now wherever you like to buy your books.
— Jeffrey Meyer is a News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Jeffrey Meyer on Twitter.
