Bill Nye the Science Guy is going head-to-head with CNN, over global warming and man-made climate change. The popular science expert took part in a debate on climate change, against Nicolas Loris of the Heritage Foundation. The face-off took place on 6 May and was broadcast on CNN.
When conservative panelist S.E. Cupp went to ask her first question, which accused the Obama Administration of using "scare tactics' in the debate, she was interrupted by Nye. The panelist confronted the scientist with poll numbers showing only 36 percent of Americans believe global warming to be a serious problem.
"[W]e haven't seen these extreme event trends. The observed data doesn't prove that," Loris said, coming out against Nye.
The debate ended with Cupp accusing "science guys" of bullying people who disagree with the idea of man-made climate change.
"Let's just start with, we don't agree on the facts. This third report came out, saying it's very serious. You say, 'No.' Right? There's the essence of the problem," Nye told Loris and Cupp during the heated exchange.
The White House Released the Third U.S. National Climate Assessment on 6 May, which details climate change around the nation in unprecedented detail.
"The report, a key deliverable of President Obama's Climate Action Plan, confirms that climate change is not a distant threat - it's affecting us now," officials wrote on the White House Web site.
Bill Nye began his career as a mechanical engineer for Boeing, and is currently best-known as host of Bill Nye: The Science Guy, broadcast on PBS. He got his start in filmmaking in Seattle, where he hosted a six-minute science segment on local television. It was here that he first began using the moniker "the Science Guy."
In addition to hosting the current series, Nye is a nationally-known commentator on scientific issues. He is a frequent guest on talk shows and news programs, discussing scientific issues from biology to unidentified flying objects. He remains a skeptic that aliens have visited Earth.
Nye often welcomes debate on contentious issues, such as the debate between creationism and evolution. He recently debated that subject with Ken Ham, the president of Answers in Genesis, a group of people in Australia that believe in the idea of a "young Earth."
As global temperatures continue to rise, the effects on wildlife and storms systems could be dramatic, according to many climatologists.
Highlights of the debate are available on the CNN Web site.
