30 Issues | The Changing Climate Change Debate

The Brian Lehrer Show | May 18, 2016

Andrew Revkin, New York Times writer for the Dot Earth blog and professor at Pace University, reviews the history of climate change policy in the U.S.

Revkin explains the difference between Hillary Clinton's stance – she wants to reduce carbon emissions by 30% by investing in massive solar panel conversion and other renewable energy sources - and Bernie Sanders, who wants to disincentivize carbon with a tax.

But ultimately, Revkin said, the president of the United States will hold little stake in the future of climate change. The problem is increasingly pinned to developing countries and the growth in emissions that trap heat, so American leadership won't necessarily change the scope of the problem.

→ Did you hear yesterday's audio history of climate change policy? It weaves through early warning signs in the 1950s, to Republican California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger demanding more from his party in 2007, to Donald Trump saying it’s all a hoax in recent rallies. Listen here.

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