International scientist and TV personality, Bill Nye will soon be performing a number of talks on climate change and the wider scientific debate across Australia.
Talking shortly before the arrival of delegates in Brisbane, Bill explained why addressing climate change at the G20 is so vital. “Climate change is the most serious problem facing humankind. The sooner we get to work on it the better. Let's all work together to change the world.”
While he does not expect a quick fix to the problem of climate change, Bill believes that if the issue is raised and discussed frequently enough, positive advances can be made. “If you've ever seen anyone quit smoking, he or she did not do that after hearing that they should quit smoking once, you have to hear it over and over again, for months and years, and then eventually, you quit. The same is absolutely true with climate change; you hear the message over and over again for years and eventually it gets through to you.”
His goal is to reach out to the youth, and try to help them to see climate change as a key issue. “I strongly feel that if we keep the pressure on, the next generation of voters, the people who are coming of age right now, will vote for measures to address climate change, and we'll change the world, but it looks like it's going to be a near run thing. I'm optimistic, I think once it starts to happen, it will happen fast.”
Bill’s predictions for the amount of progress that will be achieved from the G20 and the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris next year are not wholly optimistic. “I don't mean to be cynical but I don't think they will come to an agreement. The United States uses two-and-a-half times as much energy per person as everybody else and if the United States were leading, then other people would follow. In the meantime everybody hopes that the other 19 of the G20 will lead the way. I'm open-minded but I don't think it will happen.”
The important thing for Bill is that the dialogue is continued and that it is at the forefront of the consciousness of those in power. “I will argue that nothing gets done if people stop talking and people stop discussing things. So the more these people meet with each other, the better. The more people make their voices heard with respect to climate change, the better.”
In his upcoming tour Bill will be discussing the concepts and ideas that will lead to positive progress for the human race. “We need to raise the standard of living, which will slowly and controllably reduce the human population. When you raise the standard of living of women and girls, they have fewer, more wanted children with better educations, and the world ends up better. Having fewer humans will certainly help out the earth's climate and will certainly help out future humans.”Bill recently engaged in a widely broadcast debate with Ken Ham, president of Answers In Genesis, a creationist organisation that believes in a literal interpretation of the Old Testament. Some fans were concerned that even giving airtime to such an organisation could be detrimental. “Here's the problem; what has happened in the past, when scientists engage creationists, creationists introduce these specious arguments, these red herrings and these unresolvable assertions to introduce doubt into traditional scientific explanations. Scientists in the past have gotten flustered or frustrated, or have begun smacking their foreheads at the inanity of the other side's arguments. But I believe in my case. There have been so many millions of views of the debate that it has been quite successful. It may energise his base in the short term, but I believe in the next ten years or maybe in the next three or four, they will have a lot more trouble raising money.”
Bill responds to a recent statement from Ken Ham, in which Ham urged people to pray for those attending Bill’s upcoming ‘evolutionary indoctrination event down under’. “Save your energy for now. Use that time to come up with a better battery or a better energy source. Come up with a better wind turbine or a better solar panel. Do that, then if you need to pray you can do that afterwards. The Answers In Genesis claims are so wild, and so obviously wrong that I have often wondered if those guys actually believe what they are saying, but having spent time with them I believe they do. [Ken Ham] seems to believe what he is saying. I am not swayed by any of his arguments that the Earth is 6,000 years old, I'm certain he is wrong about that. Kangaroos did not hop from Mount Ararat to Australia across a land bridge that did not exist 4,000 years ago. It didn't happen.”
Written by Nicholas Atkins
Due to an unavoidable timing-clash with Bill Nye’s alternate professional obligations, which surfaced late last month, 'An Evening With Bill Nye' has been cancelled until further notice.
