This Election Day, Bill Nye has one message for young people: “Vote with climate in mind.”
Since September, America’s beloved science man has been pumping up social media platforms with scathing and bizarre videos aimed at educating voters to choose candidates who champion climate and clean energy. Working alongside Climate Power’s Too Hot Not To Vote campaign, Nye urged voters to cast their ballots for Vice President Kamala Harris — who provided the tie-breaking vote to pass the inflation cap bill and called the climate crisis an “existential threat.” “, versus former President Donald Trump, who falsely claimed that climate change is a “hoax.”
In the latest and final video in the series, Nye talks to Rolling Stone about the political power of the nation’s youth, why he supports the Harris-Wales ticket, and how the next US president will shape the future of our planet.
I wanted to talk about climate risks in this presidential election. In terms of environmental policies, what kinds of futures do Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump offer America?
Donald Trump has openly said that he will continue to drill for oil and gas in the continental United States and anywhere he can to eliminate regulations against what might be against drilling on public lands, parks, national monuments, etc. Basically, he and his team say they don’t accept the reality of climate change, and don’t plan to do anything about it. While Harris and Wall have plans to pursue things similar to the Inflation Control Act, also known as the Clean Power Plan, I would rather pursue the Clean Power Plan than “drill, drill little.”
What is the main motivation behind Trump and his allies’ intent to kill the Clean Power Plan and roll back environmental protections?
I think there are two things: It’s heavily influenced by the fossil fuel industry, especially the oil and gas sectors of the fossil fuel industry. And I think they, by influence, accepted large donations from them, and they certainly made a promise to roll back the regulations for what he said was a billion dollars. So this is not in anyone’s interest, and the contrarian view has taken hold among conservatives, because it’s not progressive – the science of climate change has been rejected, along with a bunch of other things they want to reject. Editor’s Picks
Young people don’t have time for that. Young people, in my experience, are very worried about the future, very worried about the climate and the world in which they will live. [climate] The videos target young people and young voters. And I would remind people that when you entered high school in the Motown era, you had to be 21 to vote, but by the time you graduated high school, you had to be 18, and that was because of the depth of concern that the public expressed about The Vietnam War, where you could draft people like me and kill us in the war, but we had no voice. And so the world changed with that. So I just want to stress to the guys. I traveled the country, went to a few places, and made videos to encourage young people to vote, because young people have the power to change the date of the cycle.
When you talk to young people, especially Millennials and Generation Z, what is the biggest difference you see between generations when it comes to their perspective on climate change?
They grew up with it. I grew up with Earth Day, and when Earth Day was created, everyone’s concern was pollution. That humanity was making the environment dirty and toxic chemicals. You’ve probably heard the phrase “plastic is forever,” which has been a major concern. But since then, climate change has been discovered, and so climate change has been in the background of Millennials and Generation Z all their lives. It was not something that was discovered in their lifetime, but rather before they were born. So, I think they understand it better than people, for example, people who are running for president, or vice president, on the other side. and [young people] Want to do something about it. Related content
There is widespread misrepresentation of solutions to the climate crisis among Republicans, such as the cost of alternatives to wind and solar power. How did the party get to this point?
The other side has worked hard to make skepticism about climate change an idea, and they’ve also worked hard to make the idea that doing anything about climate change is “extreme.” That’s a big word there: “climate extremists.” But when you think about the scale of the problem, a law like the Anti-Inflation Act is not extreme, but rather a good first step.
They go to great lengths to reject science altogether, introducing the idea that scientific uncertainty is the same as overwhelming doubt. This is not true. This is wrong.
When you talk to young people across the country, what is their number one concern when it comes to the environment?
We have reached the turning point. Word throwing people [around] It is “doom” – that we are doomed. But I will claim that I will hit the editorial office with my fist! – The latest research indicates that there is no turning point. You haven’t reached the point of no return. It’s just that things get worse. So, the sooner you do something about it, the better.
Those videos that I made about the Constitution, about climate change, about the distorted view of the world – the ones that I made before Hurricane Helen, before Hurricane Milton, weeks ago. You can call it a coincidence or you can call it “What did you expect?” …There is a real cost here: the financial costs of rebuilding. And it’s not crazy or great to suggest that people will choose to live somewhere else after they can’t get insurance, can’t rebuild their homes, can’t insure their cars against corrosion, because the salt water comes from above and from under the limestone. They will move. Where will they go and what will they do when they get there? These are real costs that we will all bear. So, young people: understand this. Let’s go. Let’s do something about it.
Do you also stress the importance of downvoting when speaking to young people?
Yes, because – and this is a great question – we don’t want to get to a situation where the White House takes the lead on climate change, and then one of the legislative branches in the US Congress becomes obstructive on climate policy. You don’t want climate deniers anywhere in municipal elections, school board elections, and various proposals that relate to people’s quality of life and climate change. You don’t want climate deniers in any of these situations. So, yeah, all the way down the ballot.
Many people say the climate crisis needs to be dealt with in a comprehensive, multi-solution way, rather than relying on one perfect solution.
Thank you. You know, the title of my second-to-last book was Everything at Once, which someone took as a movie. You can’t copyright a title, but my point in the book is that we have to do everything at the same time. There is no magic cure – there is no one thing you can do to solve this problem, you have to do everything.
The big idea in tackling climate change is to do two things: reduce the amount of electricity or energy we need and, at the same time, produce more electricity. So work on the problem from both sides. We have the technologies to do it, and we also have the technologies not only to produce it, but now to store it. These unusual new battery designs are much bulkier, heavier and less power-dense than the ones in your phone. The future is exciting.
I always say: You have to be optimistic. If you are not optimistic, you will not accomplish anything. Don’t go into the game thinking you’re going to lose. You go into it thinking you’re going to win.
Many climate activists and scientists have said the United States needs to take the lead on climate action. Why is this so important to the United States?
Because the United States is the most influential culture in the world. You can go anywhere in the world and people know Hollywood. They know who the American president is. They know the word “okay.” This is one of my favorites. Anywhere you go – China, New Zealand, India, Vietnam, Japan – “well” is a word everyone knows. This is an American word for Old Kinderhook.
American culture is everywhere, and the United States must lead it. And you may have heard me complain and complain about those who complain and complain about what is happening in other countries regarding their contribution to global climate change. Let’s drive. Just cut it and shoot. Then we can have a meeting about who contributes what and with what.
Positioning the United States at the forefront of climate action, innovative energy policies, and technology innovation. We can do this. Let’s go. Trending stories
Another thing, my parents were World War II veterans. My father was captured from Wake Island on Christmas Eve 1941, and spent nearly four years as a prisoner of war. My mother was recruited by the Navy to be a code breaker. People of all ages, everyone was doing one thing: We will win this war. And they did. So, if we, the United States, get the lead on this, we will address this problem and make the world better than it has ever been.
Portions of this interview have been edited for length and clarity.
