Former President Barack Obama returned to his gospel of climate change alarmism, preaching to Italians in Milan about the impending doom facing the planet.
“When it comes to climate change, the hour is almost upon us,” he warned, urging the world to “set aside our parochial differences” to create a better planet for the world’s children.
The former president spoke at the “Seeds and Chips” global innovation summit on food, but Obama used the occasion to focus on his climate change agenda and his signature Obamacare legislation.
“If we seize the future, there is nothing that we cannot do … I do not believe that this planet is condemned to ever-rising temperatures,” Obama said. “I believe these are problems that were caused by man and can be solved by man.”
The former president warned that climate refugees would be fleeing to Europe, causing population disruptions and global challenges.
“Some of the refugee flow into Europe originate not only from conflict, but also from places where there are food shortages that will get far worse as climate change continues,” he said.
Obama boasted about his record as president, cutting global emissions and making investments in clean energy. But he admitted that the Trump administration was ratcheting back his fuel standards and climate change progress.
He also complained that Americans were wasting too much food, while becoming more obese, during a discussion about food with his former chef Sam Kass.
The amount of cows, he explained, were contributing to global pollution, and urged the world to consume less meat.
“People aren’t as familiar with the impact of cows and methane,” he said, adding that “as people want to increase more meat consumption, that in turn is spiking the growth of greenhouse emissions coming out of the agricultural sectors.”
More advanced countries, Obama said, would have to teach people to “have a smaller steak” and how to reduce their meat consumption.
“What it does mean is that we’re also going to have to find ways to produce protein in a more efficient way,” he said.
At one point, Obama argued with Kass about how many steaks he had cooked him.
Kass said that he probably cooked “thousands of steaks” for the president, but Obama interrupted.
“I don’t think, thousands,” he protested.
“Well hundreds maybe,” Kass backtracked.