Bernie Sanders dubiously claims US heat wave caused by climate change - WPEC
Bernie Sanders dubiously claims US heat wave caused by climate change
WASHINGTON (TND) — Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on Tuesday suggested an ongoing U.S. heatwave is being caused by climate change.
The claim, shared via X, cited forecasted temperatures of 105F in Philadelphia, 104F in Washington D.C. and 102F in St. Louis. Attached to the post is a report indicating some schools are dismissing students early to avoid the heat.
“The climate crisis isn't coming -- it's already arrived,” Sen. Sanders wrote. “It's time to transform our energy systems away from fossil fuels.”
Former University of Alabama earth science professor Matthew Wielicki refuted the senator, saying the numbers had little to do with climate averages.
“Highlighting warm days to 'prove' climate change is like pointing to a cold snap to disprove it—short-term weather is not climate,” Wielicki wrote. “True understanding requires long-term trends and comprehensive data, not cherry-picking anomalies.”
The stance is reminiscent of remarks made by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who suggested in 2023 the Make America Great Again movement is to blame for rising global temperatures.
“Hot enough for you?” Clinton asked. “Thank a MAGA Republican. Or better yet, vote them out of office.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., made a similar comment in 2022 regarding Hurricane Ian, an extremely destructive tropical cyclone which struck the southwest coast of Florida.
"We just did something about climate change for the first time in decades. That's why we got to win this as that hurricane bears down on Florida. We've got to win in the midterms," Sen. Klobuchar said.
The comment stood in contrast toresearch by Dr. Dale Ward, an atmospheric physicist at the University of Arizona, who noted trying to attribute damage caused by recent storms to "a systematic increase in hurricane activity or intensity" is inaccurate.
"While the argument [that tropical cyclones are becoming more destructive due to climate change] seems plausible, it cannot be scientifically proven at this time based on observations of hurricanes over the time period of the warming," Ward found.
While Sen. Sanders is widely believed to be among the most liberal members of the Senate, he said this month former President Donald Trump’s popularity with Americans is understandable.
“He’s very disarming,” he said of Trump. “He gets up there and he says whatever the hell he wants.”
“He’s certainly unusual,” Sen. Sanders continued. “He gets up there and he does his thing and he’s not necessarily— I’m sure his advisors go crazy— but he’s not reading off [prepared notes].”
Follow Jackson Walker on X at @_jlwalker_ for the latest trending national news. Have a news tip? Send it to jacwalker@sbgtv.com.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate science
What began as a theory in the 1890s — that industrial emissions of carbon dioxide could increase global temperatures — had progressed to a scientific fact a century later. Scientists across a range of disciplines are studying the impact of the still-growing concentration of carbon dioxide and other so-called “greenhouse gases” in the atmosphere as they call for industrial and governmental policies to slow, then halt, the warming of the planet.