Bill Nye Debates Another Science Denier

Bill Nye seems to be showing up at more debates than your average politician this year. On Sunday, Nye appeared on Meet the Press to explain that climate change is a real thing that is happening at this very moment. His opponent? Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn, who claimed that "There is not consensus there."

Before we go on, let's note that 97 percent of scientists agree that climate change is very real, and debating its veracity is just as pointless as debating the existence of evolution. "We have overwhelming evidence that climate is changing," Nye told Blackburn on Sunday. "That you cannot tie any one event to that is not the same as doubt about the whole thing."

But Blackburn wasn't having any of it. Hoping to establish her authority over the issue, she asserted, "Neither (Bill Nye) nor I are a climate scientist. He is an engineer and actor, I am a member of Congress." She further argued that even if she did believe in climate change, she would want to look at mitigating legislation from every angle (including "looking at the benefits of carbon") before passing it through.

Nye understandably disagreed. "It would be everybody's interests to just get going," he said. "The more we mess around with this denial, the less we're going to get done." As extreme weather continues around the world – storms have flooded the UK, record heat has registered in Australia, and unusual snowstorms continue to pummel much of North America – it is no doubt time for the congresswoman to start taking action against human-caused global warming. "You are our leader," he told Blackburn. "We need you to change things, not deny what’s happening."

Watch the whole conversation below.

Related on Bustle: How Global Warming Works

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