On climate change, Donald Trump says 'I don't think science knows'

Donald Trump speaks to California Governor Gavin Newsom during a briefing on wildfires, on Monday. Pic/AFP

With the smell of California wildfires in the air, President Donald Trump on Monday ignored the scientific consensus that climate change is playing a central role in historic infernos and renewed his unfounded claim that failure to rake forest floors and clear dead timber is mostly to blame.

Trump travelled to Northern California to be briefed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, state and federal officials. At one point, state Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot urged the president to "recognise the changing climate and what it means to our forests." "If we ignore that science and sort of put our head in the sand and think it's all about vegetation management, we're not going to succeed together protecting Californians." Trump said, "It will start getting cooler, just you watch." Crowfoot politely pushed back that he wished the science agreed with him. Trump countered, "I don't think science knows, actually."

Trump's suggestion that the planet is going to start to cool is at odds with reality, experts say. "Maybe there is a parallel universe where a pot on the stove with the burner turned to high 'starts getting cooler.' But that is not our universe," said Stanford University climate scientist Chris Field.

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