CBS ‘Early Show’ Hypes ‘Urgent News’ on Global Warming

At the top of Thursday’s CBS "Early Show," co-host Harry Smith excitedly teased the upcoming segment: "From Bali, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in an exclusive interview as he's set to address scientists from around the world, gathering to stem global warming for generations to come." Later, co-host Julie Chen further hyped the story: "Well, ahead this half hour, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg with urgent news from the global warming conference going on right now in Bali."

In addtion, co-host Russ Mitchell did a news brief about the conference prior to the interview:

The European Union issued a warning today to the U.S. at a climate conference in Indonesia. It vowed to boycott U.S.-sponsored talks next month if the U.S. does not reach an agreement now on emissions cuts. Former Vice President Al Gore is addressing the conference right now. He says action is urgent.

During the interview with Bloomberg, Smith avoided making claims that "Manhattan will be underwater by 2050," as he did when he last interviewed the New York Mayor on November 5.

However, Smith did work to maintain his usual alarmist tone: "This morning, a warning at the United Nations climate conference in Bali. The U.N. Secretary General reportedly says the world 'risks oblivion' if something isn't done soon."

Smith proceeded to ask Bloomberg the following series of questions:

Mayor Bloomberg from here it looks like the U.S. is dragging its feet. Does it look like that to you?...Al Gore at his Nobel Laureate ceremony said there's no time to waste here. It's possible all these delegates could walk away from this conference with no real road map to the future. Can the world afford to wait?...Are you not frustrated though, to be there and be even de facto, a representative of the United States, and have this conference go by and have not the United States say, you know what? We're actually going to take the lead on this thing.

Bloomberg responded to Smith’s alarmism:

Well, the science is clear that we are damaging the globe and that global warming is a fact...Harry, I'm a -- always been proud of America and I think we should take the lead of it and I think it's incumbent on you and me and your viewers to convince our elected officials in both Congress and the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue that this is something that we're all behind...And if we do that, then we've got credibility with these other countries and they can say, well, if America can do it, we can do it, too.

With climate experts like Al Gore, Michael Bloomberg, and Harry Smith, why even hold scientific conferences?

Here is the full transcript of the segment:

7:00AM TEASER:

HARRY SMITH: From Bali, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in an exclusive interview as he's set to address scientists from around the world, gathering to stem global warming for generations to come.

7:07AM NEWS BRIEF:

RUSS MITCHELL: The European Union issued a warning today to the U.S. at a climate conference in Indonesia. It vowed to boycott U.S.-sponsored talks next month if the U.S. does not reach an agreement now on emissions cuts. Former Vice President Al Gore is addressing the conference right now. He says action is urgent.

AL GORE: We the human species face a planetary emergency. That phrase still sounds shrill to some ears.

MITCHELL: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will address the delegates tomorrow. Later this half hour we're going to get an exclusive preview from Bloomberg himself.

7:15AM TEASER:

JULIE CHEN: Well, ahead this half hour, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg with urgent news from the global warming conference going on right now in Bali.

7:19AM SEGMENT:

HARRY SMITH: This morning, a warning at the United Nations climate conference in Bali. The U.N. Secretary General reportedly says the world 'risks oblivion' if something isn't done soon. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is in Bali, preparing to speak tomorrow. Mayor Bloomberg joins us this morning. Mayor Bloomberg from here it looks like the U.S. is dragging its feet. Does it look like that to you?

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG: Well, I don't know that that's fair to the U.S. government. The U.S. government has some differences with other countries, and I think they are really trying to get a framework so that people can sit down at a technical level and find some ways to work together. What I'm here to do is to say cities are part of this and New York City's doing its bit and other cities in the United States are doing the same thing. And we have to attack this at a national level, we have to attack at a local level, and you have to attack it at a corporate level. Corporations around the world have to also do their part. And I just came from an event where a bunch of them talked about what they were doing.

SMITH: Al Gore at his Nobel Laureate ceremony said there's no time to waste here. It's possible all these delegates could walk away from this conference with no real road map to the future. Can the world afford to wait?

BLOOMBERG: Well, the science is clear that we are damaging the globe and that global warming is a fact. There is disagreement among scientists as to how fast it is happening, and there's clearly disagreement between countries and among others as to what we should do about it, who should pay, when we should do it. Some countries -- the developing world says, look, we've got to feed our people, that's our highest priority. The developed world says, well, our people are always -- already eating, but we've got to make sure we don't damage the environment. And the great challenge is to find something where both sides can go part ways. And I think the grand compromise, which is not going to be done at a conference like this, but will be done at a technical level over time, is the developed world will help the developing world with some technology and the developing world will try to work so that they stop things like deforestation, which is an enormous problem, traffic, which is an enormous problem. All of the greenhouse warming that is coming from carbon fuels like coal-fired plants where we just keep polluting the air. And so it's pollutants but it's also greenhouse gases. The pollutants hurt us and what we breathe now, the greenhouse gases are damaging the -- the environment.

SMITH: Are you not frustrated though, to be there and be even de facto, a representative of the United States, and have this conference go by and have not the United States say, you know what? We're actually going to take the lead on this thing.

BLOOMBERG: Harry, I'm a -- always been proud of America and I think we should take the lead of it and I think it's incumbent on you and me and your viewers to convince our elected officials in both Congress and the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue that this is something that we're all behind. We're willing to make the sacrifices, and they should take the lead. The first thing America should do should be to pull together. We're America. We know how to do things. We can marshal the resources, the technology, the people, the workers, and we can make our part better. And if we do that, then we've got credibility with these other countries and they can say, well, if America can do it, we can do it, too.

SMITH: Alright, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, from Bali this morning. Thank you so much for your time. Do appreciate it, sir.

BLOOMBERG: You're welcome.

SMITH: Alright.

BLOOMBERG: All the best.

SMITH: Thank you.