Climate scientist tells Joe Rogan he refuses to debate dissenters on climate change
During the interview, Rogan asked his guest if he had ever "debated anyone" over climate change. Dessler stated he did debate a climate skeptic, scientist Richard Lindzen over a decade ago, but it was "terrible" and he vowed he would never do it again.
"My feeling is that I won’t debate the science. So the science is set," he stated. "The temperature is warming, humans have caused it."
"I’m happy to debate policy, because I think policy needs to be debated," he added.
Rogan pushed back on his guest, asking why he was unwilling to debate a scientist who disagreed with him, when it would be "beneficial" to the public who doesn’t know who to trust on these issues. The podcast host referenced his guest the week prior, Steve Koonin, a physicist who worked in the Obama administration, who says that science on climate change is not settled, and the media exaggerates it.
But Dessler claimed it would be too burdensome and time-consuming to "fact-check" someone who disagreed with him, in real-time. After Rogan disagreed, saying that there could be clear parameters set for time effectiveness and clarity, Dessler wouldn’t budge, saying he would only debate what policy changes to make to fight against man-made climate change.
"I think you overestimate the ability to settle these issues in a debate," Dessler told Rogan.
So Dessler will not accept SCIENCE IS NEVER SETTLED
