MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript: Climate Change

Interview

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SCHULTZ: And finally tonight, on Wednesday U.S. Senate, they voted whether to approve a resolution stating, "Climate change is real and not a hoax."

The vote was 98 to 1 in favor all onboard. Ed Show wants to congratulate
the lone naysayer, Senator Roger Wicker, Republican from Mississippi. You
are officially the most significantly ignorant member of the United State
Senate.

You know, Senator Jim Inhofe not only voted yes but cosponsored amendment. Inhofe authored the book, "The Greatest Hoax: How the Global Warming Conspiracy Threatens Your Future". Sounds hopeful until Inhofe gave his reasoning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JIM INHOFE, (R) OKLAHOMA: And Mr. President, climate is changing and climate has always changed and always will. There is archaeological
evidence of that. There is biblical evidence of that. There is historical
evidence of that. It will always change.

The hope is that there are some people who are so arrogant to think that
they are so powerful they can change climate. A man can`t change climate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: The outcome of the vote does not mean the science deniers have
finally come around to logic. There`s deceitful politics in play here
folks. When asked to say whether they agreed human activity significantly
contributes to climate change, only five Republicans accepted that reality.
Meaning 91 percent of Republicans on the Senate are in denial.

A Republican filibuster killed that amendment but at least we got those
names on record.

Joining me tonight, Senator Bernie Sanders, Independent from Vermont.
Senator, good to have you with us.

You were quoted calling these votes, "a step forward for Republicans." How
so?

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I) VERMONT: Well, it`s the first time that we at
least have some Republicans, although just a handful acknowledging what the scientific community is telling us over and over again, that climate change is real, that it is cause by human activity and that is already causing
devastating problems.

But just a few moments ago and I authored an amendment which said those
things and said that based on what the scientists are telling us, we need
to transform our energy system away from fossil fuel and into energy
efficiency and sustainable energy as quickly as we can.

Do you know how many Republican votes I got for that one? Zero, not one.

So the issue here in the Senate is whether we listen to the scientists and
the people who know the most about the issue or whether you listen to the
powerful special interest and the campaign contributors who want to tell us
that science, that climate change is not real. We really don`t have to
worry about it. We can continue to burn fossil fuel.

SCHULTZ: So, Senator when we`re looking at this, the Keystone amendment
was just tabled as you just said and a vote was 56 to 42. So, this
wrangling that`s going on in the Senate over Keystone back and fourth all
week long on a number of different things. Doesn`t the Senate understand
that no matter how the vote goes this pipeline cannot be built, that there
are still legal issues in Nebraska that are going to play out probably
another two, two and a half years on imminent domain?

Isn`t the Senate just wasting their time on this?

SANDERS: Well, I think the answer to your question is yes. And then on
top of that, the President has said he`s going to veto it, and then don`t
have the votes to overwrite the veto.

But Ed, for these guys, the Keystone Pipeline has become a symbol and
that`s what they`re going to fight for. I mean they see this as a major
jobs program, a bill that will provide 35 permanent jobs and several
thousand construction jobs over a period of two years. That`s their idea
for real jobs bill, but they will reject the idea of rebuilding our
crumbling infrastructure and put millions of people to work, that`s a real
jobs program that they rejected.

So this tells us not only that they turned their back on science but they
are not serious in anyway for a real job creation in this country.

SCHULTZ: Yeah, what do you make of Senator Inhofe`s comments on the
climate?

SANDERS: I know Jim Inhofe pretty well and he is a very religious guys.
He`s a very honest guy. And what he was saying is look, yes climate change
is taking place but not because of human activity. It has taken place
historically. There are references to it in the bible but it is not being
created by...

SCHULTZ: OK.

SANDERS: ... carbon emission and human activity.

SCHULTZ: And one more point, Hillary Clinton was in Winnipeg, Manitoba,
she refused to take a position on Keystone. What`s your reaction to that?

SANDERS: I think that`s unfortunate. I think this is an enormously
important issue and it tells us whether or not we`re going to change cost
in terms of our energy policy and move away from fossil fuel or whether we
continue the same old very, very dangerous way and remain dependent in this case on some of the dirtiest oil in the planet.

SCHULTZ: Senator Bernie Sanders, good to have with us tonight sir. Thanks
so much.

And that is the Ed Show, I`m Ed Schultz.

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