After enthusiastically promoting an upcoming White House climate change report on Tuesday, all three network morning shows on Wednesday happily touted interviews with President Obama on the subject and continued to hype the "dire" and "alarming" findings. Meanwhile, critics were dismissed as an anti-science minority. [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]
At the top of NBC's Today, co-host Matt Lauer proclaimed: "Millions coping with the first record-breaking heat wave of the season, while the White House issues a dire warning about the nation's climate change." In the report that followed, weatherman Al Roker dutifully parroted White House talking points: "This report has taken years to complete with input from hundreds of scientists and technical experts. The President saying the report's conclusion is clear: If we want to stop climate change, the time to act is now."
Meteorologist Ginger Zee recounted her interview with Obama: "It was an honor to get in there, ask some questions...because it's a crucial time for the President. Climate change is one of those issues that he promised to attack. To get something done now, it has to happen right now....And as the report says, it needs to happen, too, for the planet."
CBS This Morning co-host Charlie Rose declared: "A new government report says Americans are already seeing climate change in everything from worsening drought to heavier rain." Fellow co-host Norah O'Donnell added: "In parts of the northeast, southwest, and great plains, it is more than 1.5 degrees hotter than it was a century ago."
Meteorologist Megan Glaros began her report: "It concludes climate change is here. Humans are primarily to blame and it's costing us billions. Despite the politics of the climate change debate, President Obama told me he hopes these findings will convince people it's time to act."
The networks mentioned climate change skeptics, but only to reject such opposing viewpoints.
Roker asserted: "97% of scientific studies on climate change say global warming is caused by humans. And yet, a Gallup poll out last month found that one in four Americans skeptical of the effects of climate change and think the issue has been exaggerated. Some critics on Capitol Hill agree."
After a soundbite ran of Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Roker lobbed this softball to Obama: "Do you think when it comes to the American public, that in a sense when it comes to climate change, they might actually be ahead in their thinking, as opposed to their elected representatives?"
On This Morning, Glaros lamented: "But while there's little dispute among scientists about the threat of climate change, politicians and pundits still express skepticism." Brief soundbites were featured of Senator McConnell and CNN Crossfire co-host S.E. Cupp questioning the theory. Glaros pointed out that "a recent Gallup Poll found only one in four Americans said they worry great deal about climate change." Wrapping up the segment, she mentioned: "Republican critics and members of the fossil fuel industry claim the President is pushing a politically driven agenda meant to justify imposing new and costly recommendations."
On GMA, Zee briefly noted that "the report isn't being celebrated by all scientists." A soundbite followed of one such scientist that the ABC morning show didn't even bother to identify: "The administration prefers to address climate change by imposing regulations to try to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. I don't think it's gonna pay out at the end because you're not going to see the effects."
