Obama Finally Questioned on Climate Change, by MTV DJ

Not mentioned in the presidential debates

Climate change is so much on a back burner in the 2012 election race that it's almost never mentioned.

So perhaps it's unsurprising that one of the few times Obama has been pressed on the issue was in an interview with Sway Calloway, an MTV DJ .

Sway asked, "given the urgency of the [climate change] threat, do you feel that we're moving quickly enough on this issue, number one? And number two, Samantha from New Jersey wants to know, what will you do to make it a priority?"

Obama answered at length, and Slate's Will Oremus has helpfully transcribed the response in full (abbreviated version below). The short version of Obama's answer? No, we're not moving quickly enough. But it's not much of a priority, either.

Well the answer is, number one, we're not moving as fast as we need to. And this is an issue that future generations, MTV viewers, are going to have to be dealing with even more than the older generation is...

Governor Romney says he believes in climate change. That's different than a lot of the members of his own party who just deny it completely. But he says he's not sure that man-made causes are the reason. I believe scientists, who say that we're putting too much carbon emissions into the atmosphere...and it's going to have a severe effect.

So there are a couple things that we have already done over the last four years. Number one, we doubled fuel-efficiency standards...And as a consequence we'll be taking huge amounts of carbon out of the atmosphere, even as we're also saving folks money at the pump and reducing our dependence on foreign oil. We've doubled clean-energy production: wind, solar, biofuels...The next step is to deal with buildings and really ramp up our efficiency...

Via Will Oremus at Slate.

Would you like to see climate change addressed more often by Obama and Romney?

[bsking]

then we have a story about 2 weeks ago that proved global warming actually stopped 20 years ago? of course it's MTV another irrelevant venue .

[Polusalo]

@bsking
Really? Is that true? I didn't read that. A buddy of mine and me were just talking about that last week.

[bsking]

@Polusalo a report came out last week or 2 weeks ago that claimed the global warming statistically stopped in 1979.

[Polusalo]

@bsking

That's actually the exact same thing I was telling him. It's good to have a scientific report that proves I'm always right :P

[BigPoppaPhat]

Funny the summers are no hotter than they were 20 years ago.

[dances-weebles]

@bsking really? where is it?

[Thunderchicken]

Yeah, he's going for the low information vote.

[bsking]

yeah the low information voter who is high

[Tralee]

Nah, he passed the low information voter weeks ago, he's going straight for the lowest of the low, the absolute morons now.

[BigPoppaPhat]

Even the low information voters know what's going on. MTV caters to the completely clueless crowd.

[DARSB]

We probably should avoid discussion of climate change until the GOP catches up with the science - which will, by late evidence, take quite a while. A party that misunderstands vaginas, despite personal experience with them, will have a tough time managing the math involved in climatology.

[Tralee]

What is this obsession the Democrats have with only certain body parts of women? Jeeze, there is a whole lot more to us than a walking womb/playpen but we sure wouldn't know it from the rhetoric being tossed around by the left. It's all about pills to prevent pregnancy, an abortion when that fails and apparently the only thing democrats think a woman is good for, mindless responsibility-free sex. Now that is definitely a turn OFF.

[bsking]

yes the math. the simple math is the hundreds of millions of dollars Al Gore screwed people out of over this ridiculous subject.

[bsking]

@bsking in retrospect al probably needed some of that money to bribe Latino Chamber maids to whom he exposed himself.

[DARSB]

@bsking I rest my case. ;)

[DARSB]

@Tralee Repeating a trope started by such Republican luminaries as Richard Mourdock, Joe Walsh and Todd Akin is hardly the same as the "left" cranking up an "obsession." But thanks for your response: it nicely supports my point about conservatives being unprepared to discuss climate change.

[Tralee]

LOL - we have Benghazi Gate and MTV gets hard hitting on climate change. Yep, this is why Obama only does these kiddie orientated shows, they little guys (18 - 22) are the only ones who will buy this stuff.

[bsking]

absolutely the bullshitter in chief spending time with a bunch of adoring fans.

[TheLoneRanger]

Next Obama goes on Sesame Street to be interviewed by Big Bird! I hope he brings his teleprompter for those though pre-approved questions.

[ctc]

Romney might just have a winning coalition.....the a**holes that want to screw up the environment and the other folks that will just blame it on God. Very nice!!

[Dan_Tien]

We will never change anything by continuing to use the same technologies. We continue to use fossil fuels in supposedly "green cars" with massive lead-acid batteries that are also sources of pollution. Burning hydrogen creates water, not carbon monoxide. Cars could be irrigation machines instead of sources of greenhouse gases, but it would not be cost effective to switch. Profits are more important than the future of the world. Also, blame is generally placed on the heads of civilian consumers. No efforts toward minimizing pollution by consumers will be effective as long as industry and military forces around the world continue to pollute at the rate that they do..

[BigPoppaPhat]

Id like to see "climate change" be exposed as the hoax it is and focus our attention on things that really matter.

[BigD1391]

it's not a hoax. You ever been to California? seen the smog and the carbon dioxide in the air? you can see it! I moved to Oklahoma and the skies aren't the same, much clearer. Whether or not you believe in climate change, you should still want cleaner air..

[jeremyinjax]

So i guess breathing in clean air and fixing the changes of drastic weather that ruins our crops and livestock dont matter? The bible gave a clear warning about changes of the weather and constant wars, nobody cares toto pay attention to prophecies.

[artjeb]

@BigD1391 YES Iv'e seen the smog.
27 yrs of it in the san babriel valley whivh is ringed by thesan gabriel & san bernadino mouintians whic hold the smog in.
Atmospheric lawers WONT lift to let it escape.
As for smog in san francisco, thats ocean fog.

[BigPoppaPhat]

@BigD1391 smog and climate change are two completely different things. Yes I do want clean air, but buying Al Gores "carbon credits", not running my AC in the summer and buying crappy CFL bulbs that break and leak mercury into the environment is not going to turn the planet into an unhabitable place is not going to happen.

[BigPoppaPhat]

@jeremyinjax For the record I do recycle and do my part to be clean and eco friendly. If we all did these things it would make a world of difference. Global Warming is nothing but a hoax to convince people to pay higher taxes and give up freedoms on a false premis that the planet will burn because I drive an SUV.

[seedtick]

Wow, I guess the DJ just wanted some insider info about his Carbon Credits. What a farce.

[Jeff_Woehrle]

"Global Warming" is a joke. It deserves to be addressed with the same seriousness as 'who's your favorite singer.'

Rubbish.

[bsking]

it just dawned on me that pictures of the Oval Office I believe. that means that a MTV DJ has visited the Oval Office more than our allies have.

[Jack-Black]

FINALLY. I have been waiting with bated breath for some moron to ask Barry his opinion on the hoax known as man made global warming. Now I can finally sleep.

[idlbeokay_bob]

Global warming is real and anybody that denies is stupid. I hear from people who have basically amounted to nothing in life discounting scientists, it makes me want to punch them. Yes I'm glad the president is addressing it, and don't give a s@¡t if that POS Romney gets has anything to say about anyway he'd just deny it like all the other republicans do.

[BigPoppaPhat]

Well every time you exhale your contributing to so called Global Warming, I suggest if you believe in it you should hold your breath as long as possible.

[Jeff_Woehrle]

@BigPoppaPhat True. So many liberals could really help the planet if it was that important. :-)

[idlbeokay_bob]

@BigPoppaPhat I see you are one of the people I mentioned on my last post. If you would just study what has been discovered in the "science" of global warming you just might see. I'll finish by saying you are entitled to your opinion.

[BigPoppaPhat]

@idlbeokay_bob more scientists debunked it than ones who support it. I'd rather go on my instincts and research I've done on the subject over a socialist politician who thinks he deserves the power to tell me how to live.

[idlbeokay_bob]

@BigPoppaPhat From what I've read the opposite is true, you will have to give me names of these scientists that have "debunked" global warming. Until then I will go with my instincts and research I have done over the denial from the right wing. The debate goes on!

[Denizen_Kate]

MTV still has DJs? Do they still play music videos? I thought they'd gone reality TV 12/7.

Yes, climate change should be a topic for discussion. It is not a hoax (what would be the motive?), and the science to back it up is solid, IMO.

[Denizen_Kate]

I meant to type "24/7" -- typing too fast again.

[bsking]

there's more danger in energy drinks then there is a climate change

[DARSB]

In a way, you're right. Energy drinks will only kill you; climate change will only kill your grandchildren.

[bsking]

@DARSB the climb it is not changing. what is changing is the way the political class is finding new ways to subjugate the populace.

[DARSB]

@bsking We will fundamentally disagree here. Your comments seem to indicate an assumption that climate change is a political issue. It is not.

As a scientific matter it must be addressed as such, and that requires an alternative hypothesis that meets the basic conditions of an hypothesis: 1) it must account for observed data, 2) it must enable testable predictions based on those data, 3) it must be fasifiable, that is, it must contain the means of disproving itself. Merely slandering Al Gore falls well short of common courtesy, let alone approaching a credible criticism of a well-established scientific theory.

[bsking]

@DARSB okay well thanks for explaining the process. next you can show the proof.

[DARSB]

@bsking "Show the proof?" Me? You, sir, are the party challenging the established science. The burden of proof is yours.

[DennyinFLA]

Climate change is happening but it is not caused by man. The left believes that by controlling and limiting mans emission of CO2 that climate change can be controlled. This notion is absurd and needs to be exposed for the HOAX that it is. The climate has been changing since the moment the planet was formed. It will continue to change and human CO2 emissions will not affect that change.

[OwlChic]

Yes! It's as important an issue as the economy and defense. This is our planet and it's the only one that's been found that can sustain life. If we screw it up because of our carelessness, we've doomed everyone.

[Kellso]

It better be on of the FIRST things that they address. However, It maybe too late to do ANYTHING tohelp. I'm afraid it si goign to be 'the famon' of end times.

[Zoe2012]

MTV, his interviews are becoming so difficult. Tough challenge!

I'm Zoe and I endorse this message.

[Chomsky0]

The two things that can wipe out the human race, climate change and nuclear weapons. Both these two jokers that we have for president don't want to even talk about either. Good game for the human race.

[MarkColwell]

Yes, if you cherry pick data you can see whatever you want. The fact remains that every decade since the 80's has been hotter than the one before it and we continue to have record setting heat waves almost every other year... climate scientists acknowledge the a plateau exists and temperatures might not be rising as fast as they expected, however the reasons for that plateau are clear. If you start the measurement during an El Nino and finish it when there is no El Nino, your going to obscure any real warming that is taking place.