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George Mason University
Edward Maibach is professor and director of the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University.
PROFILE
Edward Maibach
Guest
FROM Edward Maibach
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 'Clear and Present Danger' of Climate Change Almost 100% of climate scientists now say global warming is caused by human behavior and that action now is a moral imperative for future generations. But public perception is moving the other way, with fewer Americans worried, despite recent extreme weather conditions here and around the world. Meanwhile, new oil and gas discoveries, along with new technologies, have created the prospect of energy independence for the US, and the Obama Administration has adopted a policy called "all of the above," supporting fossil fuels as well as renewables. It's difficult to predict specifically what's next to come, but a draft report to the UN says government foot-dragging will lead to devastating surprises. We hear about new pressures on the Obama Administration and how politics are complicating the findings of science.
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To the Point
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.
To the Point
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?
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
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?