Bill Nye’s Climate Change Video Won't Spark Our Current Politicians Into Action
He knows we aren't 12 anymore, and he's calling us out on it.
Recently, our favorite scientist Bill Nye appeared on John Oliver's "Last Week Tonight." In the segment discussing the proposed Green New Deal, Bill Nye appears, drops a few 'F-bombs," and literally sets the world on fire. His blunt, explicit point was that climate change is a serious topic, and politicians need to stop making financial excuses.
Growing up, Bill Nye was the guy on the huge, dinosaur TVs that teachers wheeled into class. We got to watch TV, and teachers got to teach us something. This video not only gave me a good laugh, but it made me realize that Bill Nye was always talking about things that mattered. A few years later, his frustration over the inadequate response of the American government was relatable and raw.
However, it was only relatable for someone like me: a kid born in the year 2000, raised in the Obama administration, and looking at a possible future for my grandkids on Mars. This generation gap is seen in Congress, and specifically the Green New Deal mentioned on "Last Week Tonight." John Oliver details the efforts of freshman Congress-person Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in enacting the Green New Deal, which would create legislation for straightforward challenges to climate change. She criticized 2020 Presidential Candidate Joe Biden for his plans for a "middle ground approach" to climate change. She stated that a middle ground approach is a sign of continuous underestimation of climate change and that Democrats should not have to compromise with Republicans on this issue.
This bridge between younger and older, established Democrats is becoming more and more apparent in the discussion surrounding the future of our planet. Would Bill Nye's video change the mind of someone like Joe Biden? Perhaps. As a person of great reputation, Bill Nye's experience and warning could bring about a more adamant side in lenient Democrats.
But would this video change the minds that need to be desperately changed? People who have argued that the costs of the policies would be too detrimental to our economy? Quite frankly, I doubt it. No one's mind has ever been changed by being called names, or by being shamed by a well-known TV personality. The truly sad part is that a well-informed, detailed video by Bill Nye would not work either. It would just fly over people's heads.
If we, as a society, want real change, we have to change the people in office.
We have to consistently show up at every election, and make noise over who we want. Slowly but surely, this is being done. Ocasio-Cortez is the best example. Established politicians have vested interests and alliances with companies and other politicians. What we need are outsiders, not insiders who have gotten comfortable. Outsiders bring their discomfort with them and shock our government into facing reality.
Climate change is not going to be tackled by name-calling, nor will it be tackled by PSAs and informative documentaries. The information is already out there. Climate change is only going to be tackled if we demand people who will fight for it as if it's their last breath because that's what we're approaching if we don't do something soon.
