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Jimmy Kimmel's Climate Change Video For Deniers

by Alexi McCammond

Global warming has become a highly politicized issue. Despite scientific evidence, it seems that acknowledging global warming now depends on whether you're a liberal or a conservative. Former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin has been a longtime denier of climate change, like many of her Republican colleagues. So in an effort to shut down the rumors that this issue doesn't exist, Jimmy Kimmel argued climate change with Palin and it became clear that she can't deny what the experts say is true.

In his late-night show Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel became the ultimate climate change advocate by dedicating a segment entirely to crushing Palin's views on global warming. As if personally denying this global environmental issue wasn't enough, Palin promoted Climate Hustle , an anti-climate change film, ahead of its May 2 theater release. Palin even argued against Bill Nye the Science Guy on a panel following the screening of this film in Washington, D.C.

After sitting back and letting Palin spread her anti-climate change message, Kimmel had apparently had enough with her denials. That's why he brought on actual climate change experts (scientists!) to his show and made a short video to completely destroy Palin's unfounded arguments. Kimmel's message: "Scientists aren't f*cking with you."

In the clips Kimmel showed of Palin arguing against climate change, one of her main reasons for denying it came down to semantics. Scientists, Palin said, are feeding inconsistent data about "global warming, or climate change, whatever they're calling it today."

Palin then went on to discount the data that actually supports climate change, which has been agreed upon by 97 percent of scientists studying this issue. And with one sentence, Kimmel shut Palin down: "Who are you to question that?" Kimmel asked in his show.

By denying climate change, Palin has assumed that she knows more than 97 percent of scientists and Kimmel was not having it.

I think maybe Sarah Palin wants global warming. It’s cold in Alaska. It would be welcome up there. But, the idea that she knows more than 97 percent of scientists is offensive and dangerous. No matter what Sarah Palin and these geniuses she surrounds herself with try to tell you, climate change is not a liberal-versus-conservative thing.

It's easy for politicians on both sides of the aisle to debate this issue, but the science proves that there's not really a discussion to be had surrounding climate change since this evidence supports that it exists. In his argument against Palin, Kimmel referenced a lot of data from experts, including NASA. He also mentioned that we've had 15 of the hottest 16 years in history since 2001, proving that Palin can't deny the facts or twist this into a "left-wing conspiracy."

Kris Connor/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Probably the best part of Kimmel's video came near the end when he had six actual climate change experts speak about how real this issue is for our planet. These experts said that climate change is "definitely happening" and that "it's caused by human beings." Before they ended their argument and made their case for climate change, they made sure to tell Palin (and all other global warming deniers) that they are not messing around with this issue and that it is not a prank.

But really, understanding global warming is as simple as Kimmel said: “Either you believe in science or you don’t.”