On Tuesday, CBS Mornings co-host Tony Dokoupil once again took to the streets to lecture unsuspecting Americans on why they should care about a favorite left-wing agenda item – this time it was climate change. Going to Texas’s Dallas World Aquarium with radical climate activist Katherine Hayhoe, the anchor ambushed visitors and forced them into conversation about environmentalism.
“Climate change is a major global threat but not yet a major topic of kitchen table conversation,” Dokoupil complained as the segment began. He then warned: “And, in fact, that may be the biggest threat of all...” The frustrated host was perplexed as to why everyone wasn’t constantly talking about climate change after being scolded by liberal elites: “You might think all this extreme weather, fueled by runaway global warming, accompanied by endless warnings from scientists and activists, celebrities and world leaders, is also a big talker for people at home.”
The broadcast cut to footage of Dokoupil grilling one innocent couple: “How often do you talk about climate change?” The man turned to his wife/girlfriend and wondered: “Have we once talked about climate change? Maybe once or twice in our, you know, seven-year relationship.”
“On a recent day at the Dallas World Aquarium, we found most people just don’t usually get into it,” the journalist admitted, before asking two women: “Have you ever in your life started a conversation intentionally with someone else about the issue of climate changes?” They denied ever doing so.
Dokoupil narrated: “The question, of course, is why? If climate change threatens all of us, shouldn’t all of us be talking about it?” Hayhoe was shown arguing that “Most people are worried about this.” Dokoupil advised: “What you’re supposed to do, Hayhoe argues, the most important thing any of us can do, is the one thing so many of us have been avoiding – we have to talk about it.”
He hopefully asked his fellow activist: “You think regular people can start a revolution on this by having conversations in their community?” Hayhoe replied: “I think that’s the only way a revolution has ever started.”
“To see how she does it, without devolving into politics or argument, we started some conversations of our own,” Dokoupil touted. What followed was a montage of Hayhoe lecturing Aquarium-goers with climate fearmongering:
Did you know that 90 companies are responsible for two-thirds of the whole global warming problems since the beginning of the industrial era?... Do you know how many people die every year because of air pollution?...Almost 9 million....Here’s the thing, if we live in Texas, we’re getting hit hardest of any state. We get the hurricanes, the floods, the heat. Even the crazy winter storm that we had, it was worse because of the arctic warming so fast.
She even compared the left’s climate change agenda to the civil rights movement: “You know, 150 years ago, women couldn’t vote. And then, you know, like 70 years ago, there was civil rights. And all of that change, how did it change? It changed because people started talking about it....And they started saying this is not fair, this is not the way the world should be. The world has to be different.”
Following the taped report, Dokoupil gushed over Hayhoe: “...she travels the country and has given thousands of lectures and had thousands of conversations with people about climate change and wakes people up to the issue.”
Fellow co-host Gayle King noted: “But normally people’s eyes do glaze over, they do.” Dokoupil acknowledged: “Yeah, if you’ve got friends over for dinner and you bring it up, they’re like, ‘Oh, we’ve got a long drive, we better hit the road.’” Co-host Nate Burleson chimed in: “People do see it as a buzz kill....Until it sinks in that we’re killing the Earth.”
Dokoupil added: “But that’s a buzz kill! It’s hard to talk about this with the appropriate degree of measuredness but also urgency.” He then concluded that a complete “system change” was needed: “And by the way, the reason this matters is because the political solution, a system change, is the only way to do this. All of us recycling and putting solar panels on our roof, that doesn’t add up to enough.”
This is not the fist time Dokoupil has gone out and preached his left-wing views to the masses. In January of 2020, he used pies to try to indoctrinate mall-goers with socialism. In June of that year, he walked around a town in Connecticut and demanded passersby admit their racism.
Liberal media hosts like Dokoupil just can’t understand why the public don’t listen to every word they say like it’s gospel – especially when it comes to the religion of climate change.
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Here is a full transcript of October 5 segment:
8:16 AM ET
TONY DOKOUPIL: Here’s a mystery for you. Climate change is a major global threat but not yet a major topic of kitchen table conversation. And, in fact, that may be the biggest threat of all according to a new book. It’s called, Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing In A Divided World. It’s published by an imprint of Simon & Schuster, which is a division of ViacomCBS.
The scientist’s name is Katherine Hayhoe, she’s the author and she points out that more than half of U.S. adults are concerned about climate change but only a third of us ever talk about it. She says her goal is to change that.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Warming Up to Climate Talk; Expert Explains Why Discussing Issue Is Important First Step]
You might think all this extreme weather, fueled by runaway global warming, accompanied by endless warnings from scientists and activists...
GRETA THUNBERG: How dare you!
DOKOUPIL: ...celebrities and world leaders...ANTONIO GUTERRES [U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL]: We have reached the tipping point on the need for climate action.
DOKOUPIL: ...is also a big talker for people at home. But...
How often do you talk about climate change?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN A: Have we once talked about climate change? Maybe once or twice in our, you know, seven-year relationship.
DOKOUPIL: On a recent day at the Dallas World Aquarium, we found most people just don’t usually get into it. Have you ever in your life started a conversation intentionally with someone else about the issue of climate changes?
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN A: I’ll be honest, I probably haven’t.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN B: I haven’t either.
DOKOUPIL: The question, of course, is why? If climate change threatens all of us, shouldn’t all of us be talking about it?
KATHERINE HAYHOE: Most people are worried about this.
DOKOUPIL: Katherine Hayhoe is a prominent, you might even say famous, climatologist at Texas Tech University. Who studies not only the climate, but the conversation around it.
HAYHOE: If one more person tells you about a starving polar bear or a melting iceberg or rising sea levels, you’re just, “What am I supposed to do? I’m just one person. I’m not like the president or a CEO or anything.”
DOKOUPIL: What you’re supposed to do, Hayhoe argues, the most important thing any of us can do, is the one thing so many of us have been avoiding – we have to talk about it.
You think regular people can start a revolution on this by having conversations in their community?
HAYHOE: I think that’s the only way a revolution has ever started.
DOKOUPIL: To see how she does it, without devolving into politics or argument, we started some conversations of our own.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN C: For me, I feel like this world ain’t going to survive long.
DOKOUPIL: Alright, well, I’m going to bring in Katherine right now.
And then we asked Hayhoe to take over.
HAYHOE: Did you know that 90 companies are responsible for two-thirds of the whole global warming problems since the beginning of the industrial era?
MAN C: I did not know that.
DOKOUPIL: We noticed that while Hayhoe was often full of facts...
HAYHOE: Do you know how many people die every year because of air pollution?
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN B: No.
HAYHOE: Almost 9 million.
WOMAN B: Really?
DOKOUPIL: Her first move wasn’t to lecture but to listen.
MAN A: You see changes in weather patterns but they don’t happen as close to home.
DOKOUPIL: When she did jump in, it wasn’t with global data but local issues.
HAYHOE: Here’s the thing, if we live in Texas, we’re getting hit hardest of any state. We get the hurricanes, the floods, the heat. Even the crazy winter storm that we had, it was worse because of the arctic warming so fast.
We here in Irving, you know the Rangers, they had to build them a new stadium that they could close the roof on to air condition it because it was too hot for people to play in it.
DOKOUPIL: And in conversation after conversation, Hayhoe kept the focus on solutions.
HAYHOE: Texas is number one in wind energy. We’re number one.
DOKOUPIL: From reminding people that while the challenges may seem overwhelming...
WOMAN B: From my perspective, it doesn’t seem like much, you know, regular humans can really do about it.
DOKOUPIL: ...America does have a pretty good track record of getting it right eventually.
HAYHOE: You know, 150 years ago, women couldn’t vote. And then, you know, like 70 years ago, there was civil rights. And all of that change, how did it change? It changed because people started talking about it.
WOMAN B: That’s true.
HAYHOE: And they started saying this is not fair, this is not the way the world should be. The world has to be different.
DOKOUPIL: And speaking of different –
We started this conversation with you telling me that the world was essentially doomed.
MAN C: It pretty much is.
HAYHOE: But what’s the first step of getting together?
MAN C: Talking about it.
DOKOUPIL: Has this conversation changed you in any way?
WOMAN C: Yeah, I mean, I’d be more vocal to it and want to spread the awareness.
DOKOUPIL: You did it, Katherine! There’s one!
So Katherine has actually had a lot more than one. Like she travels the country and has given thousands of lectures and had thousands of conversations with people about climate change and wakes people up to the issue. And actually, what I love about the book is it’s kind of a user’s guide to help other people go and do the very same thing.
DOKOUPIL: Although I also have to say, in my experience, when I started talking about climate change at home, that’s when my wife’s like, “eh.” Or you know, that’s when the friends are over –
GAYLE KING: But normally people’s eyes do glaze over, they do.
DOKOUPIL: Yeah, if you’ve got friends over for dinner and you bring it up, they’re like, “Oh, we’ve got a long drive, we better hit the road.”
NATE BURLESON: People do see it as a buzz kill.
KING: Exactly.
BURLESON: Until it sinks in that we’re killing the Earth.
DOKOUPIL: But that’s a buzz kill! It’s hard to talk about this with the appropriate degree of measuredness but also urgency.
BURLESON: Yeah.
KING: But I like how she does it, though, Tony. I like how she puts it in very edible, concrete facts.
DOKOUPIL: Yeah.
KING: That we can all pay attention to. Nine million people die of air pollution, that’s a lot. That’s – we’ll never forget.
DOKOUPIL: And by the way, the reason this matters is because the political solution, a system change, is the only way to do this. All of us recycling and putting solar panels on our roof, that doesn’t add up to enough.
