Just before the second round of questioning at Rick Perry’s Secretary of Energy confirmation hearing today, the moderator announced that Bernie Sanders had arrived with one more quick Q. Observe the amusing look of apprehension on Perry’s face in that moment.
Bernie Sanders opened his questions with one of Rick Perry’s own quotes, citing a statement from 2011 in which Perry said he “does not believe in global warming science” and suggested that the concept of climate change is rooted in scientists seeking financial gain, calling it a “scientific theory that has not been proven.”
Senator Sanders demanded, “Do you still hold the views you expressed in 2011? Do you agree we should transform our energy away from fossil fuels?”
Perry began to state once again that he isn’t willing to say how much of the planet’s warming is man made, but Sanders cut him off, explaining that the majority of scientists agree global warming is caused by the use of fossil fuels and that we must immediately begin using renewable resources to survive. He asked again if Perry will commit to making these changes. Perry called the conversation an academic discussion and an “interesting exercise.”
