Outgoing California Governor Jerry Brown compared climate change to the threats of Nazis during World War II in a conversation with Meet The Press Sunday, NBC News reported. The democratic governor spoke about President Donald Trump's long-term denial of environmental impact along with his views on the earth's warming temperatures.
"Instead of worrying about tariffs, I'd like to see the president and the Congress invest tens of billions in renewable energy, in more-efficient batteries, to get us off fossil fuel as quickly as we can," Brown started. "I would point to the fact that it took Roosevelt many, many years to get America willing to go into World War II and fight the Nazis. Well, we have an enemy, though different, but perhaps, very much devastating in a similar way. And we've got to fight climate change. And the president's got to lead on that."
Trump's views on climate change have long called the science a myth. The president even denied the findings of the White House's internal report, which was released in November. The report verified climate change is real and could cost the U.S. billions of dollars. Trump said he "did not believe it," in a conversation with reporters filmed by CNN.
Before his presidency, Trump tweeted about his views on the environmental issue. "The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive," he said.
Brown identified the trend in Trump's statements on the global issue. "He is very convinced of his position," he told Meet The Press. "And his position is that there's nothing abnormal about the fires in California or the rising sea level or all the other incidents of climate change."
The governor is not the first to criticize the president for his views, and in the conversation he was joined by Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City.
"It would be a lot more helpful, if we had a climate champion, rather than a climate denier, in the White House," Bloomberg added. "You know, I've always thought, Trump has a right to his opinions. But he doesn't have a right to his own facts. And the truth of the matter is this country and this world is in trouble."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Kelly started a career in journalism after completing her education at The New School in New York City. She currently ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
