Rutgers University
Climate scientist, geobiologist and climate policy wonk, Robert Kopp is a professor in the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences at Rutgers University and co-author of Economic Risks of Climate Change: An American Prospectus.
PROFILE
Robert Kopp
Guest
FROM Robert Kopp
To the Point
Do we need to be 'scared straight' on climate change? It's been a month since President Trump said he'd withdraw America from the Paris climate accord. Now, a story in New York magazine has taken the debate about the dangers of global warming to an unlikely boiling point. The report paints a picture of un-breathable air and food shortages. More than two million people have read the doomsday warnings, which have been shared 640,000 times from the magazine's website. But some scientists call it dangerous alarmism. Others call it "not scary enough." We find out why.
To the Point
Do we need to be 'scared straight' on climate change? It's been a month since President Trump said he'd withdraw America from the Paris climate accord. Now, a story in New York magazine has taken the debate about the dangers of global warming to an unlikely boiling point. The report paints a picture of un-breathable air and food shortages. More than two million people have read the doomsday warnings, which have been shared 640,000 times from the magazine's website. But some scientists call it dangerous alarmism. Others call it "not scary enough." We find out why.
To the Point
The Climate Is Changing while Politics Stays the Same Climate change denial has been overtaken by observable facts — like the rapid melting of ice sheets that will increase ocean levels worldwide. It's happening, and the latest predictions of what's likely to come include disastrous flooding during the lifetimes of people living today. Polls show there's public concern -- but politicians can still ignore it — despite the scientific consensus that there's no time to lose. The cost of reducing greenhouse emissions may be a lot less than the cost of inaction.
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To the Point
Will the Senate write a healthcare bill in secret? While Democrats and Republicans argue White House relations with Russia, another question is being decided behind closed doors: who gets help buying health insurance and who doesn't? We hear how the pros and cons are being shrouded in secrecy.
To the Point
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.
To the Point
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
To the Point
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?