Climate scientists don't typically make the rounds on late-night talk shows. But thanks to President Donald Trump, they do now.
Ben Santer, a prominent atmospheric scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Wednesday night -- a rare step for someone employed by a government-run lab.
"These are strange and unusual times, and it seems kind of important to talk about the science that we do," Santer told Meyers, explaining he was there as a private citizen.
Trump previously claimed that human-caused climate change is "a hoax." More recently, he's said he is "open-minded" on climate science but that "nobody really knows" what's happening to the planet.
Many of his top cabinet officials -- including EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt -- share Trump's skepticism toward the mainstream scientific consensus that global temperatures are rising, and that human activity is largely to blame.
Santer is among the thousands of scientists who have made it their life's work to study and explain the changes to the planet. He's also a preferred target of trolls, who have falsely accused him of making stuff up.
Given the current U.S. political climate, Santer said scientists have a choice: "You can either retreat to your office, close the door and be silent. Or you can choose to push back against the ignorance."
Click here for Santer's full interview.
Topics Donald Trump
