David Letterman's Global Warming Rant: "We Are Dead Meat" (VIDEO)

"We are dead meat," said David Letterman last night in the midst of a lengthy rant on global warming. He blamed a lack of leadership over the last several decades. He also said he didn't think that little steps like reusing party toothpicks or turning lawn clippings into mulch could possibly help.

WATCH the clip:

Related: Grist's David Roberts complains that Thomas Friedman, the guest on the show, failed to be interesting at all.

Who did a better job -- Friedman or Letterman?

Comments

[fumes]

global warming sounds good for greenland if you were to read this from wiki/greenland: ''However, a recent study suggests a much warmer planet in relatively recent geological times:
Scientists who probed two kilometers (1.2 miles) through a Greenland glacier to recover the oldest plant DNA on record said the planet was far warmer hundreds of thousands of years ago than is generally believed. DNA of trees, plants and insects including butterflies and spiders from beneath the southern Greenland glacier was estimated to date to 450,000 to 900,000 years ago, according to the remnants retrieved from this long-vanished boreal forest. That view contrasts sharply with the prevailing one that a lush forest of this kind could only have existed in Greenland as recently as 2.4 million years ago. The existence of those DNA samples suggest the temperature probably reached 10 degrees C (50 degrees Fahrenheit) in the summer and -17 °C (1 °F) in the winter. They also indicated that during the last interglacial period, 116,000–130,000 years ago, when temperatures were on average 5 °C (9 °F) higher than now, the glaciers on Greenland did not completely melt away.[17]'­' but was nyc under water then?

[mamacat]

The trouble with global warming, besides the associated pollution, is the speed with which it is happening. Other than for things like asteroid impacts, nature usually changes the climate much more slowly than the rate at which it is changing today. Rapid change is difficult to cope with. Formerly good croplands are going dry. The West and Southeast are also getting drier and hotter. If the changes were more gradual, they would be easier to adapt to.

Of course, if we do nothing to stop population growth, then we may, in another one or two hundred years, pollute and warm up the ecoshere enough to cause a massive human die-off.

Contrary to what some may say, it is not the MSM who are driving the global warming debate, it is the 99.9% of the scientific community for whom the debate is already over.

[NewArtz]

Of course we're dead meat, and, thanks to global warming, we'll be "well done" dead meat. Republicans have proven that they are not a consequence conscious bunch. They're not going to own up to any mistakes they make. The rest of us have no choice in the matter. We ALL will be held accountable for their leadership, whether we chose it or not. Democracy is shared with irresponsible liars and stupid apologists who believe if they voted for someone, then, that someone can do no wrong.

The right wing's fear of working together to solve our problems, (they call this socialism) and their love of unrestrained greed and self interest, (they consider this to be God's annointed capitalism) has consequences we all have to face. Their irresponsible attitudes and arrogant love of naked power combined with their fear of progressing toward co-operation produces consequences. Their stupidity allows them to ignore these consequences.

Perhaps they're hoping in Jesus, but since Christ said "no one can be my disciple who doesn't give up all his own possessions", they haven't got a Savior. They're just lost demon possessed hypocrites taking the rest of the human rest with them to hell.

Satan has a special reward for these Christian hypocrites who destroy this earth. I guess when Jesus told them to give up all their possessions they should have obeyed Him; then they wouldn't be destroying us all with their toys.

[klandish]

Maybe Sarah Palin can get her church congregation to pray with her over Global warming. Once she admits it's real!

[MaverickTN]

LoL...it's not real

[Michael Sheridan]

Hey Mav, yes, it IS real. You can argue if you want about whether it's manmade, but you've apparently lost track of your own side's talking points. Even most conservative media nutjobs now admit it's real--they just say we're not to blame and can't fix it. I live in California and have hiked in the mountains for decades. I've personally seen the glaciers in the process of vanishing. That is to say, I've seen them go from glaciers to a few lonely remnants. Most of them are gone now, along with the yearround snowpack we used to have in the high Sierra. I've hiked over Forester Pass, highest pass in the continental 48 (13,200') and seen a few isolated patches of snow that didn't require the Alpine hiking gear that used to be de rigeur even in high summer. The cold-weather plants and wildlife are migrating to higher elevations because it's getting too hot down below. "LoL," we're screwed no matter what we do and honestly my only hope in the matter is that plenty of people who think like you are are young enough to have to suffer along with the rest of us in 20 years or so.

[rowzeer]

I just completed a science course at the local university and it IS real. The earth does go through cycles of heating and cooling, but we humans have accelerated the heating during this cycle that the earth and humans won't have enough time to adapt.

Global warming is a natural occurring phenom, but so is my death and I'll sure as heck do what ever I can to postpone that inevitable situation.

[Dumbocrat]

Drill baby drill! Wait, let me qualify the statement. Drill until its no longer economically or politically feasible to do so.

I agree with Letterman, if humanity is to blame for the march towards the deep fryer we are screwed, so in 60 years lets revisit the subject and see if the global warming theorist's predictions are right, until then it all hot air.

[mrpinky]

You're right. We need oil.

Global warming is a theory, not a law (fact). This means, that it could still be proved wrong. But a theory is a very strong word in the science world, so sufficient testing has obviously been done around the world to call global warming a theory. Alot of people mistake that term "warming" to represent ONLY heat and warmer temperatures. That is not the case. It is a general term to represent what will happen. It's not just cars and factories making CO2, its a combination of different things. - look it up!

I think a better term would be "Global Pollution".

[anons]

Letterman is crass and by far the most hilarious late night talk show host alive

[hobbesian]

The "rapture" gang is pretty much hell bent on cranking up the thermostat and "coming" to Jesus in squadrons of Hummers. Chanting "Drill, baby, drill", they're at the the helm of the Titanic going full throttle. "Icebergs, Schmicebergs, we'll slice those babies in half". What can we do when paranoid libertarians think that freedom is their right to screw up our planet? Maybe we should take a page out of Southern electoral history and reinstitute testing for voting. Like an SAT, you wouldn't get to vote unless you proved you could actually comprehend the issues. Just imagine: some basic world history, philosophy, geology, biology, cosmology, chemistry, a bit of physics thrown in for good measure. Maybe then, the voting body would be able to focus more on the issues than the "lipstick". When the two largest corporations in the country are belly up and the media spends all it's attention on a "pig in a poke" you know you are being shafted. It's the classic pickpocket maneuvre, distract the mark while you pilfer the purse. We are being had big time.. Wake up..

[aflyinyoursoup]

Thank you Mr. Letterman. The sad aspect of that clip was that the audience "laughed" through the entire thing! This is so reminiscent of the theme of the 70s movie "Network". The masses are no different than sheep that can be led to thier demise, all the while made to think it's humorous!
He is right.....­We Are Screwed!

[Diogenis]

I'm concerned about the hot air cause and effect of the McCain Campaign ! It's toxic.

[notastinkinlib]

When you fall for this global warming hoax and adopt the democrats' philosophy you are trading your personal freedom for their political power, and sliding towards socialism. Count me out.

[WoodyCPM]

The silver lining in the demise of human civilization brought on by our pigheaded stupidity will be that along with all the smart people, the really dumb people such as you will be toast as well.

[grawk]

You are counted out. Now please get off the planet so the rest of us who believe in science can get on with it.

[JackLewis]

There is no need to believe in science, you just have to know and understand.
Idiots who think that there are no ecological effects caused by human industry need better schooling. There is no point in discussing with them, they lack the basic requirements, a functional brain and the relevant facts.

[Merckx]

To what advantage would thousands of the best scientists in the world perpetrate this hoax?
Why? Don't say money. There are plenty of other things to research than global climate change.

[Zubeck]

You say that like you can count.

[rowzeer]

global warming isn't a hoax, it's fact what's under debate is how much humans are contributing to it...take a college course once in awhile...T­he Repubs will rape and pillage everything from the treasury to the earth's resources.­...take, take, take and never give. As a Christian I think they are the most blasphemous, hypocritical group in all of history. They are not true Christians, Christ would be appalled at what they stand for!

[Diogenis]

We are...so screwed!

[ErnestineBass]

What's sadder than a high school nerd?

Thomas Friedman.

He's not even bright enough to attain nerdhood.

[JTaverner]

No more seafood in 50 years

[BobsNotWorking]

Could easily happen much faster.

[notastinkinlib]

Really? Based on what science?

[ErnestineBass]

Why are you asking? Your kind doesn't believe in science anyway.

[JTaverner]

Ask, notastinkinlib, and ye shall receive:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6108414.stm

[rowzeer]

There was a group of 60 (maybe more scientists) that signed an open letter to the WH asking them to stop manipulating data on global warming. The Repubs will lie to your face and steal behind your back...som­etimes even in front of your face. This government belongs to the people not the corporatio­ns...it's time we take it back!!!

Even my boss was dumb enough to claim that if I voted Obama my taxes would go up....whic­h is ridiculous he knows he doesn't pay me no where near $250,000 a year. What a J*ckas*

[notastinkinlib]

I repeat, based on what science?

[DemoGoddes]

I think Letterman is deadly serious. I think he's realized how dire the climate situation is. The Polar Ice Cap is melting far sooner than any models predicted. The North Pole will be ice free in summer in just a few years.

I voted for Al Gore in 2000 because I knew he was committed to the environment, but too many people got caught up the the negative post-convention news coverage to vote for him. Remember how "wooden" people said he was, like that actually mattered?

[JoeBlough]

But Sister Sarah says it's not true. Who are you going to believe? Palin or your lying eyes.

[ErnestineBass]

Ummmm...I'­m gonna have to go with my own lying eyes, Joe. 8-b

[notastinkinlib]

Letterman has lost his mind. His show is supposed to be entertainment, but he's throwing away a large potential audience with his ranting about his political preferences and the global warming hoax. Frank Zappa was 100% correct when he said that the most abundant element in the universe is stupidity. One only has to read this blog for 2 minutes to prove him right. What a bunch of sheep you people are.

[Casbah]

Hoax, shmoax! It's real. Of course, your own political biases prevent you from seeing what the majority of people on this planet know to be true -- Earth is getting hotter, faster and faster. Guess you weren't paying attention to Letterman's rant, but he accused both Democrats and Republicans of failed leadership in this area. So pal, get with it! Or do you want to be a dinosaur, just waiting for the metaphorical meteor to hit? Or maybe, like you don't believe in global warming, you don't believe in dinosaurs, either! Geez!

[larryburns94]

Letterman's show is now in third place behind Nightline. Late night wars? Forget it. Leno now gets twice as many veiwers as Letterman. Ever since Dave became a cranky, outspoken liberal, his ratings have plummeted.

Too bad, I used to be a huge fan.

[klandish]

Got too real for you. So you retreated to the king of endless one liners. Sad.

[Merckx]

And Fox is #1 in cable news. That only proves that you don't have to tell the truth to be #1.

[looking4thelight]

More trees, forests and parks, less parking lots. Let's build underground and give more of the surface to plants and animals. It would be a beautiful world. Trees are incredibly lovely beings. They will save us if we let them.

[Zubeck]

I just fell in love with you.

[Zubeck]

If God didn't want us to eat animals, he wouldn't have made them out of meat.

[erevjim]

Who's to say David isn't right. Do we really believe our species can't become extinct? I wonder what the Romans thought at the end of their empire. Or any other invincible people who saw their place in human history vanish. Sadly, USA is still in the evolutionary 'teen years.' As such we think we are 'bulletproof and ten feet tall.' We feel it's SEP (Someone Else's Problem) and have a hissy when disaster happens. We elect unqualified people to govern us and then get upset when their policies cost us our money and our health. We are to blame and each of us over thirty owe our children and grandchildren an apology for the horrors that will be their future. Science will not be able to bail us out of this one. In the end our leaders will try to save the rich and powerful by trying to colonize Mars. But In fighting, hate and greed will have it's way. Thus will be the end of the species Homo Sapien Sapien.

[cavegal]

Interestingly enough, I just finished reading Gibbon's "Rise & Fall of the Roman Empire" for the second time. The resemblance between ancient Rome and our current American Empire is chilling. It is unfortunate that our arrogance will most likely be the determining cause of our extinction. It is so amusing that people just do not realize that we are part of a collection of species on the planet that are susceptible to the same fates as the DoDo birds.