Liberal actor Robert Redford slammed global warming skeptics as simply “afraid of change” and hit Barack Obama from the left, Tuesday, in an interview with Larry King. King set up the movie star by wondering, “Why are there still deniers?...Look at the weather.”
Redford derided, “If you belong to a certain group of people that are afraid of change, which I think some people are. And so, I think they’re going to deny change when it happens.” Psychoanalyzing those he disagrees with, the actor suggested, “But they don't want to admit it because it means they're going to have to accept change or they're going to have to give up something. I don't know what the deal is.”
He also hit Obama from the left. Speaking of the President’s plant to allow very limited drilling in the arctic, Redford very delicately criticized:
ROBERT REDFORD: Well, I like his plan. I think, look, it’s puzzling, because he’s doing so many great things, things I really do support. Then, it comes to the arctic drilling and I can’t put that one together. I just can’t put that one together. Because once you start that, you know, once you drill in the arctic, you’re looking at the end game, I think. So, that’s puzzling to me, because he’s doing so many good things, which I totally support. And then something like that comes along and you say, “what’s going on?” It’s kinda hard to figure out.
On Tuesday, director James Cameron assailed climate “denialists” “on the right” who won’t face the world’s “biggest crisis.”
A transcript of the Larry King Now exchange is below:
9:15
LARRY KING: You addressed the UN recently. Yeah, what are you shocked? You did. You were there.
ROBERT REDFORD: What were you talking about?
REDFORD: Climate change. And it was about the fact that we have been talking about climate change for 20 years and it’s time to stop talking about it and start doing something about it. So, urgently was a theme in speaking.
KING: Why are there still deniers?
REDFORD: Well, you can answer that as well as I can.
KING: Look at the weather. I mean, how could you deny it?
REDFORD: If you belong to a certain group of people that are afraid of change, which I think some people are. And so, I think they’re going to deny change when it happens.
KING: So, they just it? But isn’t it obvious that we’re going through —
REDFORD: Well, it is to you and to me, but — and it probably is to them. But they don’t want to admit it, because it means they’re going to have to accept change or they’re going to have to give up something. I don’t know what the deal is.
...
KING: What do you think of Obama’s clean power plan?
REDFORD: Well, I like his plan. I think, look, it’s puzzling, because he’s doing so many great things, things I really do support. Then, it comes to the arctic drilling and I can’t put that one together. I just can’t put that one together. Because once you start that, you know, once you drill in the arctic, you’re looking at the end game, I think. So, that’s puzzling to me, because he’s doing so many good things, which I totally support. And then something like that comes along and you say, “what’s going on?” It’s kinda hard to figure out.
