Bill Nye shames GOP congresswoman, climate change deniers in TV debate

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- "We need you to change things, not deny what's happening," popular scientist Bill Nye told Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., on NBC's Meet the Press, Sunday, in a theatrical debate over climate change policy.

The overwhelming majority of scientists -- 97 percent according to NASA -- agree that the climate is warming and that humans, through green house gas emissions, deforestation and other behaviors, are encouraging climate change. But Blackburn contended that climate science remains "unproven."

“Neither [Bill Nye] nor I are a climate scientist," Blackburn said. "He is an engineer and actor, I am a member of Congress. And what we have to do is look at the information that we get from climate scientists.”

“There is not agreement around the fact of exactly what is causing this,” Blackburn added, referring to the recent uptick in extreme weather events, such as Hurricane Sandy.

“We have overwhelming evidence that the climate is changing. That you cannot tie any one event to that is not the same as doubt about the whole thing,” Nye countered, insisting that there is no debate in the scientific community over climate change.

Earlier this month, Nye debated creationist Ken Ham over the scientific merits of the theory of evolution.

[NBC News]