Rumours started flying that Bill Nye was going to debate Sara Palin on the topic of climate change. For example Breitbart ran the story …
Sarah Palin is set to participate in a panel discussion in Washington, D.C. in May following the nationwide screening of the fact-based climate change documentary Climate Hustle.
…
Palin will reportedly appear at a panel discussion in Washington following the screening of the film, alongside Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, as well as Media Research Center founder Brent Bozell and Bill Nye the Science Guy.
Actually no, this is not real, (as is the headline claim that the movie is “fact-based”), Bill Nye will not be appearing on any such panel, and never agreed to do so. He was not even invited.
So what really happened?
As explained by the Friendly Atheist on his blog …
The alleged debate is said to be taking place after the debut screening of Climate Hustle, a documentary by Marc Morano, a climate change denier who notably has his hands in several conservative think tank groups that receive funding from the Koch Brothers, Exxon, and others who stand to lose over carbon regulation.
According to CFACT, a climate denying think tank that holds Morano as Director of Communications, the movie will be followed by a panel discussion:
Cinema audiences will learn more about the topic through a panel discussion with welcoming remarks by Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX), Chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, headlined by Governor Sarah Palin, 2008 Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and 9th Governor of Alaska, moderated by Brent Bozell, Founder and President of the Media Research Center and will also include other notable experts including renowned climatologist Dr. David Legates and a special appearance by Emmy Award-winning educator Bill Nye the Science Guy. This riveting discussion will focus on climate change and issues brought up during the event.
This “special appearance” by Bill Nye will be not-so-special since it’s actually just a reel of film, recorded from a conversation Nye and Morano had face to face on a park bench in late March. The discussion happened between the two over the topic of Morano’s film, which Nye was shown clips of during the encounter.
In other words, their claim that Bill Nye will be on the panel is fraudulent, and they are simply hijacking his name in a vain attempt to bestow some illusion of legitimacy to their anti-science lunacy.
Bill Nye Now has a few words regarding all this
Bill Nye has posted a video on to his Facebook page explaining that the claim is a complete lie …
“Marc Morano did not invite me to his movie but he said I refused to come after he did invite me — he was making that up, It’s disingenuous, at best”
The only thing that Mr Morano actually has is a carefully edited video of himself and Bill Nye on a park bench from last March. Here are a few observations Bill Nye makes regarding that …
… “He had to concede a few points, let me say that — he had to concede a few points. You probably heard. I said, ‘I’ll bet you that 2016 will be among the top 10 hottest years ever.’ And he said, ‘Of course it will be.’ And then I said, ‘I’ll bet you that the decade — 2010 to 2020 — will be the hottest decade on record.’ And he wouldn’t take that bet. I would’ve given him $10,000 on each of those two bets. But he didn’t take it. Because he knows the world’s getting warmer.”
… and here is that park bench discussion between Marc Morano and Bill Nye …
It tells us a great deal
When you deploy deliberate deception and attempt to manipulate and craft an illusion of scientific legitimacy where there is in fact none at all, then that alone will vaporise the credibility of anything that Mr Morano might have to say about anything at all.
Meanwhile Sarah Palin is doing a Sarah Palin
“Bill Nye is as much as scientist as I am,” Palin said at an event in Washington, D.C., according to The Hill. “He’s a kids’ show actor; he’s not a scientist.”
Palin specifically targeted Nye for his statements on global warming, saying he and others who tout the science that says humans are contributing to changes in the Earth’s climate are fueling “alarmism.”
… er yes, so basically her stance on climate science is of course firmly rooted in her residency within Narnia. Meanwhile I think I’ll be going with Mr Nye on this and not Ms Palin, not just because he is a nice guy but because he has solid facts to backup his stance.