Tester: I Can Say Climate Change Is Happening ‘from Real Life,’ ‘I Don’t Know about Statistically’

On Monday’s broadcast of CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) responded to a question on whether he can provide numbers showing that carbon emissions are increasing the frequency or severity of droughts or floods by saying, “I don’t know about statistically, but from real life, I can tell you that it’s happening.”

Co-host Joe Kernen asked, “In terms of disaster[s], just in terms of, statistically, the droughts, the floods that you’re seeing, you’re absolutely convinced that the amount of carbon that we’ve put in the atmosphere — carbon dioxide over the past hundred years, you’re seeing a stark difference in the frequency or severity of these events, you have — statistically, you can show me things that would prove that, that it’s already happening?”

Tester answered, “I don’t know about statistically, but from real life, I can tell you that it’s happening. I mean, the fact is that we got rain ten days ago. It’s the first time that we got a good rain in nearly 18 months.”

Kernen countered that we shouldn’t make global energy policy on “a specific part of Montana not having some rain for 18 months.”

Tester responded that “everything west of the Mississippi has been in a drought.”

Kernen cut in to say that there have always been severe weather events, asked for statistical proof, and said, “I don’t know how we’re going to singlehandedly do it when the rest of the world is continuing to do what they’re going to do.”

Tester cut in to say, “I’m not for shutting the spigot off right now because I don’t think we’re to that point, but I’m for working for transition, and with every challenge, there’s an opportunity. And this is an incredible opportunity to unleash the minds in this country for things like carbon sequestration and new energy technologies, and I think we should do that and we can lead the world in that and continue to lead the world in that and actually create jobs and create economy in the process and make energy more affordable.”

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