this sunday the climate crisis. >> brace yourself for dangerous heat. >> the drought we're in is disastrous. everyone ought to be worried about it. >> rainfall amounts are staggering. >> about everything we own was destroyed. >> water rushing into the street. >> this is the eye wall hitting right now and the strongest wind. >> and average temperatures in the u.s. could increase anywhere from 2 to 11 degrees. >> two fast-moving firestorms within miles of each other. >> you can see how intense the flames are right now. >> the evidence is everywhere. >> that's my place so you can answer yourself. >> the science is settled. >> it wouldn't be better if the

administration in washington didn't deny science. >> but the politics is not. >> climate change is real, and it is urgent problem that we need to bear down on. >> it's from outside here and it's very, very cold out and very unseasonal. mr. president, catch this. >> this morning we'll report on the challenge of climate change. the science, the damage to our environment, the cost and the politics. welcome to sunday and this special edition of "meet the press". nbc news, the longest-running show in television history. this is a special edition of "meet the press" with chuck todd. good sunday morning and a happy new year's weekend to everyone. this morning we will do something that we don't often get to do. dive in on one topic. it's obviously extraordinarily to do this as the end of this year has proven in the era of trump, but we're going to take

an in-depth look regardless of that at a literally earth-changing subject that doesn't get talked about this early on television news, at least, climate change, but just as important as what we are going to do this hour is what we're not going to do. we're not going to debate climate change, the existence of it. the earth is getting hotter and human activity is a major cause. period. we're not going to give time to climate climate deniers and t. and the blizzard means that it doesn't unless the blizzard hits miami. we do have a panel of experts with us today to help us understand the science and consequences of climate change and, yes, ideas to break the political paralysis over it. kate marvel is a scientist at columbia university and nasa's goddard institute for space study and writes the hot planet column. craig fugate led emergency response for jeb bush of

governor before that. michelle floornoy served under president obama where she dealt with the national security threat climate change poses and she's the co-founder and managing partner of west exec advisers. ann thompson is our chief environmental correspondent here at nbc news and congressman carlos cabello represents florida which is particularly threatened by climate change and coming up i'll talk to michael bloomberg and jerry brown, both of whom have been dealing with climate change. we'll take a look at a crisis that's been ignored for too long. >> the economic impact. >> i don't believe it. >> you don't believe it? >> no. no, i don't believe it. >> in a news nbc news/wall street journal poll two-thirds of americans believe action is needed to address global climate change. 45% say the problem is serious enough for immediate action, a record high.

climate-related disasters from wildfires. >> we lost a lot. >> to more intense storms, extreme rain events and floods are getting worse. >> i just was in such denial. i didn't put anything up. i didn't grab anything. >> i saw the watermark in the basement and it was up to my nose. the drive down here was almost -- my place is gone. >> glaciers are disappearing and arctic ice melt is producing rising sea levels and re-writing global weather patterns. all five of the warmest years on record in the arctic have come since 2014 and these rising temperatures have already cost the u.s. economy. >> there's consequences. serious consequences. we're talking about not necessarily weather. you and i have something to eat tonight. we're talking about the survival of the human species over the

long term. >> this year a series of climate report including one by 13 issues issued dire warnings of economic and human catastrophe if there is not immediate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but the federal response to the climate crisis has been political paralysis and denial. >> we keep hearing that 2014 has been the warmest year on record. i ask the chair, you know what this? it's a snowball just from outside here so it's very, very cold out. very unseasonal. mr. president, catch this. >> while the federal government lags behind. cities and states are attempting to lead their own climate efforts. >> we have solar panels. >> georgetown, texas, mayor dale ross voted for donald trump. last year his city became the first in texas to convert to 100% renewable energy to power its grid. >> what can those knuckleheads

in d.c. do to regulate that that increases our cost? >> now a growing group of democrats in congress pushed by grassroots progressives who want aggressive climate policies are calling for a green new deal. >> this is going to be the great society, the moon shot, the civil rights movement of our generation. >> while some democrats are mindful of the yellow jacket protests in paris sparked by anger at a fuel tax, a majority of americans believe that failing to address climate change will be more economically costly than new regulations designed to prevent global warming and democrats eyeing the white house are highlighting an issue once considered a political liability. >> climate change is real and it is an urgent problem that we need to bear down on. >> every democrat running anywhere in america needs to make it a central message because the american people are with us. >> joining me now is the former mayor of new york city, michael

bloomberg. he's the u.n. secretary-general's special envoy for climate action and the co-author of "climate of hope." mayor bloomberg, welcome back. >> thank you very much. so let's start with, i just want your take on the yellow vest movement in paris. what went wrong and how france implemented what they did. what lessons are you taking away from what you've seen so far. >> what you have there is people that were asked to do something and didn't understand what they were going to get out of it. you can take jerry brown who stood up for a gasoline tax. some people didn't like it, but he got it through because people understood there was a problem. they didn't have the infrastructure they needed. they needed to raise the revenue and they went and took that and taxed themselves because there was a value to them, and i think the big problem that we have right now is we have climate change problem. the world is getting hotter and there are bigger storms than

ever before and there are droughts where we used to have floods and vice versa. the water is getting less and we've got to do something about it and so we have this great challenge and we have an opportunity. the challenge is what we do about it and the opportunity is the value of what we do and that gets back the same thing you were talking about in paris. >> i want to get you to react to something. we picked a state randomly out of a hat. what do we choose? iowa. this is a case, barbecue fanatics would know who he is. interesting challenge on climate change proposals. >> i don't care how good the idea is, i always feel that in the end someone or some organization is going to benefit financially from it, and the person that is getting it at the end are the people who didn't even craft it, didn't even design it. if you're a truck driver or the

farmers and the people out on the road trying to make a living. >> this to me goes back to yellow vests. when you talk to them, some of the yellow vest protesters are very much environmentalists saying i can't afford this. i don't live in paris. i don't have the same access to public transportation. how do you solve that? >> we have to find a way to -- this guy on television he says someone else will make money. we want to make sure that he is one of the beneficiaries. what i've been doing is spending my own money helping to train him and lots of other people like that and they are the ones that i've got to make sure are lined up with the skills to take advantage of the new drugs. people want recognition and respect, and too many people think, i know what's right for you and don't bother me with the details. just let me do it. that is why you had people in paris in yellow jackets. that's why you have people here who voted for donald trump is

exactly that. that's what brexit is all about, macron is all about. >> right. >> people are saying i don't want to be told what to do. i think you can show somebody what's available and convince them to want it, and that's what nobodiee done with the guy who just said somebody else is going get rich. he could be one of the beneficiaries and incidentally if companies don't make money they're not going to create jobs so you want them to be able to make money, but we have to match the skill sets with the need. >> what would be the impact if we rejoin paris today, the paris agreement? >> not a lot because we are half way there towards meeting our goals already. somebody said oh, you know, you're never going to get this. it's ridiculous to think that america will meet its goals. we're half way there already and there's seven years left to go. the economics of coal means no one will stop the reduction in the amount of coal. we've done a bunch of things

that we promised to do under that agreement that trump said we're not going to do. he walked away so he decided. >> he hasn't fully walked away. he can't pull out until 2020, but for example, he stopped and america owed some money to help pay for the management of these programs. he walked away from it. in the end, he did some of it or the federal government did some and my foundation paid their 5 million to pay what our obligation is. he didn't walk away. all of the things that were done have done by the private sector, individuals and companies. >> is that the real answer? should we give up government? >> it would be a lot more helpful if we had a climate champion rather than a climate denier in the white house. trump has the right to his opinions, but he doesn't have the right to his own facts and the truth of the matter is this

country is in trouble. the ice caps are melting. in south carolina a month ago they had three feet of rain. that's a lot. >> what do you think -- why do you think people want to deny climate change? >> number one, people don't. >> do you think that's a phony argument when they say they deny it? >> no. some people do, but we did a lot of polling. i support 24 congressional candidates and we did lots of polling as we created ads for them and 75% said they believe in climate change. you mentioned iowa. iowa now generates one-third of its entire energy from wind. they in a few years will be 100%. there is a town -- georgetown, texas, with a republican mayor, 100% renewable. there are people doing things and people believe that you look at forest fires and you become a

believer pretty quickly. let's talk about how a presidential campaign and a sort of a presidential focus. there are some people that say climate change is a policy that you put out and there are others that say, every proposal that you do now in washington has to be through the lens of dealing with climate change. whether it's your economic plan. where are you on that? >> i think that any candidate for federal office that it darn well have a plan to deal with the problem that trump science advisers say could basically end this world. >> is that fair that, you know, if you run for president and if you happen to do it that all of your policy proposals will be through the lens of -- >> look, chuck, the presidency is not an entry-level job. we have real problems and if you don't come in with real concrete answers, i think the public is tired of listening of the same

platitude, we're in favor of god other mother and apple pie and trust me we'll get there. no. you have to have a plan. i will be out there demanding that everybody who is running has a plan and i don't want to hear the plan and i want everybody to look at it and say it's doable. >> what's your time line on deciding whether you win or not and what would be the factor if you didn't? >> the time line is beginning of the year, end of january, into february, maybe. there's no rush to do it. everybody wants to know what you're going to do and the bottom line is i'm not sure yet. i care about a bunch of issues. i care for my kids and i care for this country that's been so good to me, and i want to see how i can help the best. right now my foundation and my company which i give 100% of the company's profits or my share to the foundation, we support an awful lot of things that we're doing that let us explain to people how to do things and give

them options and not telling them what to do, but i think i can make the world a better place in the private sector. i can make it a better place in the public sector. i think it's fair to say most people like what they did in city hall. do i think i could be a good president? yes. i'm not the only one that could be a good president. i disagree with our current president on so many things that i don't even know where to start there. >> i assume -- are you trying to figure out if the democratic party will accept you? >> i would certainly run as a democrat. i'm much closer to their philosophy although i don't agree with any one party on everything. you would have to run as a democrat. you would have to get a democratic nomination and i think if you go out and explain to them what you do. keep in mind, i got elected in new york city an overwhelming democratic city and an overwhelming minority city, and i got elected three times. so i must know something about this. >> michael bloomberg, always

great to talk with you. thanks for coming on and sharing your views. >> thanks. >> when we come back it's our panel of experts and they join us on economic risk and consequences of climate change. ♪ ignition sequence starts. 10... 9... guidance is internal. 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... ♪

♪ [screaming & yelling] is time you make for yourself. aveeno® daily moisturizing lotion improves skin hydration in just 1 day. and for twice the moisture, try the body wash, too. aveeno® naturally beautiful results® ♪ our mission is to make offshore wind one of the principal new sources of energy. not every bank is willing to get involved in a first-of-its-kind project. citi saw the promise of clean energy. we're polluting the air less.

businesses and homes can rely on a steady source of power. this will be the first of many offshore wind farms in the u.s. ♪ ♪ we are sinking by, i think it's 3 millimeters a year, and it doesn't sound like much, but you go into 40 years, 50 years and you start to notice differences when you already only are slightly above the water. >> well, let's jump right into the panel, and as i said at the

beginning of the show. no offense to everyone else, but we'll start with the scientists. dr. marvel, just -- i think the question here is how do you -- how do you explain the urgency to americans, right? that has been, i think, the challenge and i think it came through during the michael bloomberg interview. explain the urgency upon what we're facing. >> oh, my gosh, i wish i knew. i wish i had a good answer for this. what we're more tempted to do is show more data or more graphs like there will be a magic equation that will convince everybody. i don't think that a lot of the reductance to accept climate change. i don't think that's about the science. i think that's about values. i think that's about the sort of deep story of how people see themselves. so i think it's really important for scientists to go out in communities and engage with what's important to people in communities. >> it feels overwhelming.

>> the science feels overwhelming. it just does. is there a way to prioritize? >> that's the thing. it is overwhelming because we're talking about something that affects the planet that we live on. we're talking about global warming, but we're also talking about changes to rainfall patterns and changes to extreme events like heat waves and floods and droughts and hurricanes. so it should feel overwhelming because it is overwhelming, i think. >> you traveled the globe for us. to try to show us what's happening and not just say what's happening and show us and we're doing our best to show pictures. >> and that's important because i liken climate change to cancer. they're both such large issues it's hard to wrap your head around it, if you will. take a trip to glacier national park in montana. in 1850 when the industrial revolution started and we started burning coal and sending greenhouse gasses in the air there were 150 glaciers in that

national park. today, there are 26 and they're in danger of losing those 26. they're really threatened. if you look at things that we just know are happening around us. growing zones are moving north and fish are migrating north to get to colder waters. we're seeing changes here. that's what convinces people that it's happening, and the reason why we're seeing more people believe in it today is because we're starting to live climate change in real time in the united states. >> speaking of real time. i think it's the financial impact that will start spiking things. with continued growth and emissions in historic rate, annual losses in some economic sectors are projected to reach hundreds of billions of dollars by the end of the century more than the gross domestic product. this year alone, disaster -- the cost of three disasters, hurricane michael, 25 billion and wildfires were up to 9

billion, 50 billion for hurricane florence. craig fugate, can you convince people with dollars and cents? >> i don't know if you'll convince them with dollars and cent, but i think you can convince them with the sheer frequency. every time they say this is a record-setting event, almost all of our practices of how we prepare for disasters is looking at the past to prepare for the future and it's not working and look at all of the money we're spending. when fema is spending money that's for uninsured losses, we're seeing federal programs like national fema, flood organization, and it's looking at the policy of why are we growing disaster risk in the face of climate change with policies that incentivize growth. we are still providing flood insurance for people when build in a flood zone. >> we shouldn't be doing that. >> and we reauthorized it again. there are a lot of things that we need to do with flood insurance. why don't we stop writing flood

insurance and let the private sector insurance and if they don't, why is the public insuring it. >> dollars and cents won't do it. what about national security? >> it's interesting because i think there is a very strong consensus in the u.s. military and in the national security community and the climate change is real. this is a sort of pragmatic, clear-eyed view, and for the military they see this as leading to a change in their mission, more humanitarian assistances and more missions abroad and at home. they see the melling of ice caps in the arctic and that will open up an area of strategic competition in both russia and china. >> just pause -- i don't want to gloss over that. here we are worried about what it will do to our life and meanwhile, it will become a military fight. >> there will be new channels of commercea and russia and china

have made it clear. the bases overseas are estimated to be severely impacted by climate change, either severe weather and/or flooding and that's our ability to project power overseas. that's our ability to operate our u.s. military. 50% of the facilities will be redirected. >> think about the cost of defense that it is today. >> look at air force base that got hit by michael. you have f-22s and hangars that were destroyed and think how few of those we have. >> as you can see here, i was trying to make a point. can the economy do it? can national security do it. the most important state and if floridians change their mindset on this it may change the country. i want to put out a few stats of the climate, assessment. there is a one in 20 chance that half of the property value will

be under water. this is your hometown, not just your hometown, mine, too, what the university of miami had to say about this. take a listen. >> i think somewhere later in the century, miami as we know it will be unlivable. so the reality in south florida, we're just going to be leaving. we don't have a problem. you up in orlando, you better set asset your groundwater resources and you better plan for us. you really better plan because we are coming. >> does florida change the country's mindset on this? >> it can because it's where the effects of climate change are most evident. so we get tidal flooding in the florida keys. >> explain what that is. >> so king tide comes meaning lunar cycles and the tide is the strongest and our roads literally flood. >> just once a month. no rain, no anything. >> i just want to remind people what it is. >> a big threat to our drinking water supply, the everglades houses all of the water for south florida and the saltwater

comes in and threatens that drinking water supply as we get higher carbon dioxide content in the ocean and that kills our reefs, of course, reefs are essential to ocean ecosystem. so i think the point ann made is so important. we need to start covering the debate and start covering the story so that people see that this is real and so that politicians take a more pragmatic approach and find solutions that are achievable. >> if you think those high tides bother you once a month wait until they happen every day and that's what the reports say. if we don't do something about cutting our greenhouse gas emissions that will happen and it will not just happen in miami and it will happen in virginia and newport news and they're dealing with that high tide flooding and it's going to affect places like new york and boston and cape cod and new orleans. we're going have big problems. >> i just have to say i live in new york and the subway is

projected to flood every five years by the middle of the century and every year by the end of the century. i don't want the subway to flood. >> you think it's miserable now, right? >> this goes back 2012, super storm sandy makes landfall. we're flying up to go see governor christie and president obama turns to me and says craig, the debate about climate change is over. we have to start talking about adaptation. this is what's really hard. we built infrastructure over the span. we always thought this was something 50 years away. it's now, and we haven't built for this and the change and the build for it while we're still denying it, we're losing. >> what's the -- i mean, the displacement of americans. how many millions of americans live basically in an area that could be unlivable, we're talking millions, right? >> many, many. more air holds more water vapor. even if you live in the midwest

you will see increased downpours. >> for agriculture, the consequences are significant. >> if you look globally, we are a pretty strong economy and a powerful nation and think of the countries that will experience massive population movements and have no wherewithal whatsoever to deal with that kind of pressure and the instability and conflicts. >> do you see how overwhelming this feels? dr. marvin, what's the one thing we can do right now? give me one thing. >> so this thing that i actually find kind of perversely comforting is the fact that bee know exactly what's causing this. can you imagine if this were a natural cycle that we didn't have any control over? we know exactly what's causing this. it's us. greenhouse gas emissions that we're putting in the atmosphere and as a scientist i can tell you let's not do that anymore. >> it's about those guys. no offense.

i'm not a scientist and that's the phrase that's been used in the past by politicians, but i do know this. mitigation which is we reduce carbon dioxide emissions and adaptation which we're starting to make progress in the congress and that's been the coastal infrastructure that would protect properties and will protect people from these effects. >> we've done a lot on the science and a lot on the impact later, and i want to get into some practical ideas including the carbon tax. is that the right way to go, but let me pause here. when we come back. few states have been hit harder than our biggest state, california. governor jerry brown joins us next. ♪ not long ago, ronda started here. and then, more jobs began to appear. these techs in a lab. this builder in a hardhat... ...the welders and electricians

who do all of that. the diner staffed up 'cause they all needed lunch. teachers... doctors... jobs grew a bunch. what started with one job spread all around. because each job in energy creates many more in this town. energy lives here. brushing only reaches 25% of your mouth. listerine® cleans virtually 100%. helping to prevent gum disease and bad breath. never settle for 25%. always go for 100. bring out the bold™ (clock ticking) (bell ringing) it's time. time for a new kind of cloud. the ibm cloud. the cloud that proactively protects your business from threats, instead of just reacting to them. that lets you modernize and move more of your apps without re-writing. that unlocks insights from all your data and puts it to work with ai. get a faster, more secure journey to the cloud. the ibm cloud. the cloud for smarter business. ♪ ♪

(nicki palmer) being a verizon engineer is about doing things right. and there's no shortcut to the right way. so when we roll out the nation's first 5g network, it'll be because we were the first to install millions of miles of fiber optics. and we'll be the first to upgrade the towers and put up the small cells that will power the smart cities of the future. when i started at verizon, i knew i was joining a team that was pushing the industry forward. now, with the launch of the only 5g ultra wideband network, we're doing it again. this time, changing the way we learn, work and live. and i'll always be proud that we're not just building america's first 5g network. we're doing it right.

but one blows them all out of the water. hydro boost from neutrogena®. with hyaluronic acid to plump skin cells so it bounces back. neutrogena® we're in areas and terrains literally that we haven't been before in the last couple of decades. >> it is no longer the new norm, this is just our norm and we will continue to see large fires grow faster than we've ever seen them. >> welcome back. this year california endured the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in the state's

history. multiple fires burned at once including what's known as the camp fire which killed 86 people and destroyed more than 14,000 homes. the man that has led the state of california is outgoing governor jerry brown and has been the champion of environmental causes and has been outspoke own this issue since his first term in the 1970s and the state's office of emergency services outside of sacramento where the state's emergency management personnel oversee disaster preparedness for response relief and recovery which means there is an operation. governor brown, welcome back to "meet the press," sir. >> great. good to be here. the first time i was here -- i was going to say the first time i was on the show is 1975. >> here we are. we do have a long history. the world wire fildfire is not flint without california. you have seen your share of natural disasters.

try to put into context what you've experienced this year and why it's bigger than just a wildfire issue this time. >> well, it's bigger because the fire season instead of being a few months around the summer and a little bit in the fall is year long and we saw that with the fires both in the north and the southern part of the state at the same time. that hasn't happened before. usually one would burn and then it would stop and then the southern part of the state would burn with the santa ana winds. so it's new, and it leads not just to fires. it leads to mud slides and then, of course, you see with the heavy storms and rain as the snows melt faster or they don't come at all, we will find a lot of inundation of a good part of the state. so we see it. we see it in the fear in people's eyes as they fled. the elderly who died.

this is real, it's dangerous and weave g we've got to wake up the country and the world and we have the white house that requires raking leaves in the bottom of the forest there. >> i was just going to say and he came out and toured, frankly, it was after that weird comment he made about raking, and you seem to -- did you feel like you made any progress in convincing him this is not something that's distinctive or unique to now. this is a larger issue with the climate? >> no, i don't think i did. i do appreciate that he came, that the president has made funding available under the emergency acts of congress so that's all good, but i would say he is very convinced of his position and his position is that there's nothing abnormal about the fires in california or the rising sea level or all of

the other incidents of climate change. >> you've both been a mayor and a governor. you've had to see people become temporary refugees from their home. at what point do you feel that politicians in positions like the governorship of california are going to have to start proposing restrictions on where people live and basically saying, you know what? we just can't build here because we can't afford to basically maintain people living this close to the water or living this close to wildfire damage or living this close to a place that's susceptible to mud slides? >> now we've got to -- we have to make those proposals now, but we already have restrictions. people want to build housing in flood plains. california prevents that, but the zone of danger from fire and flood is far bigger, much bigger.

so the politics of that will unfold slowly, but the facts are on the ground and the politicians, however painful will follow, of course, now to restrict building in areas that are just too dangerous. >> i'm curious about the yellow vest movement and why you think that has been such a struggle for macron there and what lessons we should take away here. joanna heier which is in the city lab. she is a uc davis post-graduate student writes this, if everyone in the state, talking about california, if everyone in the state had equal access to quality public transportation the gas tax would be a fair incentive to motivate people to ditch their cars. as it is it punishes people to not have a chance to transit options to meet their needs. it seems to me the yellow vest in france is a disconnect there. you won the gas tax fight, but

rural californians didn't like it. >> no, they don't. they don't like a lot of things. they voted against housing bonds and they voted for the republican tax for 40% and there was a divide in california as in, in. the red is different from the blue and it's associated definitely with rural areas, but i would say in terms of what happened in france, i believe the president cut back on taxes for the very wealthy and at the same time he imposed what is essentially sales tax and working on poor people and that is very different than our own gas tax and when we tax the wealthy and very substantially and then we went to the state and said stick and reaffirm this gas tax and they did by over 13 points. it's incredible and people are ready to build and the money will be spent right and they understand it's helping their community. so yes, we need more rapid

transit. we need trains and we need more efficient cars and all of that, and that's why this climate change is not just adapting. it's inventing new technology. it's instead of complaining about the chinese putting all their money into batteries and artificial intelligence and new kind of cars. we have to put more money in america. so instead of worrying about tariffs, i like to see the president and the congress invest tens of billions in renewable energy and more efficient batteries to get us off fossil fuel as quickly as we can and we point to the fact that it took roosevelt many, many years to get america willing to go into world war ii and fight the nazis. we have an enemy and perhaps very much devastating in a similar way and we have to fight climate change. >> i want to get you to respond

to something that was in "the l.a. times." in recent years the state has suffered an array of environmental woes to varying degree, climate related, jerry brown's climate efforts has been profoundly important and it's a mish of the breadth of the environmental crisis that hasn't been very enough. it was complimentary and not enough. is th is that how you leave the governorship? that there was more that could have been done. >> not even close. we're doing more than anybody else and not close in america with the rest of the world. look, we've got to get those zero emission cars on the road. we have to figure out new ways of making cement. we have to clean up our ships which are creating more pollution than california and texas put together. the technology, the investment, the lifestyle change e the land

use changes and this is a revolutionary threat and we've got to get off this idea it's the economy, stupid. no, it's the environment and the ecology that we have to get on the side of and we only do that with wisdom, with investment and widespread collaboration and working together. so that's a good criticism. some of his ideas, i thought, were not as important as the ones we're trying to push. >> but i knew it would bring out that final answer and it was about as good of a summary that needs to be done as anybody put together. >> governor jerry brown, you've been coming on "meet the press" since 1975. i hope this is not your last appearance. >> i hope not either. >> all right. >> when it comes to climate change, everyone agrees it's happening. well, almost everyone.

a whole new way to care for newborns is born new johnson's cottontouch™ wash and lotion made with real cotton and enhances your gentle touch a new soft a new touch a new gentle new johnson's cottontouch™ (baby cooing) choose gentle carla is living with metastatic breast cancer, which is breast cancer that has spread to other parts of her body. she's also taking prescription ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor, which is for postmenopausal women with

hormone receptor-positive her2- metastatic breast cancer as the first hormonal based therapy. ibrance plus letrozole was significantly more effective at delaying disease progression versus letrozole. patients taking ibrance can develop low white blood cell counts, which may cause serious infections that can lead to death. before taking ibrance, tell your doctor if you have fever, chills, or other signs of infection, liver or kidney problems, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or plan to become pregnant. common side effects include low red blood cell and low platelet counts, infections, tiredness, nausea, sore mouth, abnormalities in liver blood tests, diarrhea, hair thinning or loss, vomiting, rash, and loss of appetite. carla calls it her new normal because a lot has changed, but a lot hasn't. ask your doctor about ibrance. the #1 prescribed fda-approved oral combination treatment for hr+/her2- mbc. hi, kids! i'm carl and i'm a broker. do you offer $4.95 online equity trades?

great question. see, for a full service brokerage like ours, that's tough to do. schwab does it. next question. do you offer a satisfaction guarantee? a what now? a satisfaction guarantee. like schwab does. man: (scoffing) what are you teaching these kids? ask your broker if they offer award-winning full service and low costs, backed by a satisfaction guarantee. if you don't like their answer, ask again at schwab. ♪ ♪ welcome back. "data download" time. after years of contentious debate on climate change, new polling this year seems to suggest that americans are finally starting to form a consensus on this issue. more people are willing to accept that it's happening and that humans are responsible, but

there is a serious political divide. according to a study from yale and george mason university, 70% of americans say global warming is happening and 57% believe it's mostly caused by human activity, and in fact, the 66% of people in our latest nbc news/wall street journal poll who believe climate change is a serious problem that does need to be addressed, that's a 15-point increase since 1999. we're down to just 30% who say we need more research or we shouldn't be concerned. a 14-point drop in that same time period. this this is significant because the feelings about climate change are uniform no matter your skin tone or where you live. over 60% of white, african-americans believe we need to do something about climate change and more than 50% of those who live in cities, suburb as rural america agree, but if the public has reached a consensus why hasn't washington? well, we see the biggest idea of

climate change, 75% of democrat believes that's a serious problem. a 42-point increase since 1999. 47% of independents agree, a 22-point jump. a republican opinion, stagnant on the issue. only 15% believe climate change is an urgent problem. the exact same number when we first asked this question in 1999. look, these numbers in particular serve as a reminder that no matter how much the public at large may agree on something, we live in a two-party political system and the two parties do not see eye to eye on how to address the issue let alone on how to address it as long as that's the case it's hard to see how the public consensus will lead to action in washington. when we come back, the panel is back with that question. how to deal with the tricky politics of climate change. ♪ what would you like the power to do?

♪ listening to people answer that question, is how we find out what matters most to them. for a business, it's the power to grow. for an entrepreneur, it's the power to innovate. and for a family, it's the power to own a home. we stand with the ones who day in and day out put in the hard work to make things happen. for themselves, for their communities, and for the world we all share. we want to fuel their drive. and celebrate their accomplishments. that is what we're here for. and above all else, it's really what people want from us. the power to make a difference. ♪ i am brian moynihan. and i work for bank of america. ♪ and i work for bank of america.

i'm sorry, i don't understand-king german) ♪ ♪ you'll make my morning, buty the price ruin my day.ou? complicated relationship with milk? pour on the lactaid, 100% real milk, just without that annoying lactose. mmm, that's good. ignition sequence starts. 10... 9... guidance is internal. 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... ♪

>> it is absolutely imperative that we get our act together on this issue regarding the future of the planet. >> this idea that science is just absolutely settled and if you don't believe it's settled then you're somehow another n neanderthal. that is so inappropriate.

>> trying to break the political paralysis. carlos, you wanted to introduce a carbon tax and you were trying to start the debate about a carbon tax, but as we're watching what's unfolding in france and the protests and the pushback there, is a carbon tax doable? is this the way to do it? is a vice tax the way to go? >> it's the most efficient and the most logical and probably the most politically viable solution? i think mayor bloomberg and governor brown tried to make the point that the key is that the people being taxed in this case, it would be the american people trust that the revenues are going to be put to good use and that's why in the bill i filed we put all of it to infra structure and that most americans believe that we have to invest in our infrastructure. we also set aside some funds to mitigate higher utility rates for lower income americans. that is the key, and we know this is true because in miami recently they just passed a $200 million bond referendum and a

property tax increase to fund coastal infrastructure because the citizens understood that the funds would be put to good use. >> it does seem like the regressive nature perhaps and how do you, again, the person that doesn't live near an easy to access public transportation point and the cost of fossil fuels. >> right. but, i think -- the question is can you make people see the value in that tax that is actually -- a tax is the quickest way to change behavior and if it will help people and if it will ensure that you have cleaner air and that you have less extreme weather events and that you have access to cleaner water. if people see a value in it they might buy into it. >> our most trusted institutions are the military these days and it does seem since in the military there's been more experience in seeing it in real time. >> the military tends to be

pragmatic and it's a planning culture. they like to look way off into the future and what's interesting is while the trump administration's been trying to take reference to the word climate change out of the national security strategy, out of the defense strategy and out of dod reports and to cut funding where it can, meanwhile, the congress in the last two national defense authorization acts has played a really, really important role, sort of putting reporting requirements. every service has to identify the ten most vulnerable bases and mitigation efforts and you have to come up with antarctic strategy for when the ice melts and you have to factor climate change into your operational planning and this gives the department top cover. i actually think there is a role for the military as that respected institution to sort of being truth speakers on this and to say this is real. we're planning for it it and we're spending money on it to continue to protect the country,

so you know, let's get over it and get on with it. >> this is an interesting dynamic in the congress as the president has acted irresponsibly on climate and made some reckless comments. more and more republicans in the house have moved to embrace this issue, to accept the science. when i got to congress in 2015, there were two or three republicans even willing to utter the words climate change. today we have 40 on the record, acknowledging that this is a real issue that requires government act and they went on the record by joining the bipartisan cost. >> we were talking during the break about you thought you were equating it to the tobacco company and i'm curious what you make of the lawsuit strategy that we're seeing now. four lawsuits we're outlining here and lawsuits against oil companies and the crab fishermen, and the state of new york versus exxon and the state of rhode island versus chevron and this idea of holding them

accountable, is that a smart strategy? >> we saw what happened to tobacco. the individual suits didn't make a difference and when the state attorneys general sued big tobacco they settled. investors will want to protect their investments and they see these exposures getting worse and this is the part of the carbon tax and we have to price risk what it costs. think about it. over $100 billion was put into disasters that could have been saved if we had been doing stuff ahead of time and part of this is how do we price our risk so we're not building it the same way we've always done and investors will drive this even faster and government regulations because we're seeing the short sightedness of investments that have multidecades to pay back that will be disrupted in years. >> yet, you're already seeing that in the energy sector. we've had 20 coal plants that have been retired this year and coal is at its lowest point since 1979 when jimmy carter put solar panels on the white house the first time and when you look

at utility companies are doing dte in michigan and southeastern michigan this year broke ground on a new natural gas plant and a billion dollar investment that are investing in renewable economically, coal doesn't make sense anymore. natural gas and renewables do. >> dr. marvel, i'm curious about the impact and the trump administration has rolled back a few akds that the obama administration put in and they put a freeze on the gas mileage standards that sort of reversed obama regulations and methane rules and trump also rolled back and other rules having to do with coal. how much has that set us back? is that a decade back? how much time does it take to sort of get this -- just get back on the path that we worked three weeks ago. it's not a good idea, but we have seen a lot of action at the state level and more important

at the local level. so i think that's not a yes or no question. that's not a black or white question. we have -- president trump has signalled his intent to withdraw from the paris agreement, but we've seen this agreement called we are still in. people are still adhering to the paris goals so i'm not going to say it's good news because it's not, but i think it's not necessarily as catastrophic as it might otherwise be. >> what -- i guess is there any individual action anymore or is this so large -- >> i remember going back to jimmy carter, hey, it was this collective action and if everybody can do their little part, it feels like with climate change it doesn't. it feels like it's all stock. we do need national policy that will become international policy and when we make changes as a country we galvanize? is there a way to galvanize? >> the disasters, i think, are starting this process and this

is no longer something that's in the future and one of the regulations that roll back is the standard says that quit building one foot, let's build two feet above flood levels and they rolled it back, which in the last two years we missed that rebuilding to build with future risk. >> what would you do if you could do this? how would you shake us by the lapel? >> i get frustrated because i hear this administration say two things. first of all, when they talk about pulling out of paris, they talk about we reduced greenhouse gas emissions. we reduced greenhouse gas emissions because people turned away from coal and yet that's exactly what this administration is promoting. it just makes no sense. >> what a tremendous hour. thank you guys for your time and thoughts on this. much appreciated. that's all we have for today. thank you for watching sunday morning. on behalf of all of us at "meet the press" we want to wish you a happy, and healthy new year and we'll see you next year because

if it's sunday it's "meet the press."

. this week, a look back at some of our favorite guests, from a cryptocurrency billionaire to a real showman. plus, one of the most successful founders in all of silicon valley. throw in an hr director who fired some of the best minds in tech and add in a venture capitalist not afraid to speak his mind. this week on "press here." good morning everyone. i'm scott mcgrew. in a blatant attempt to get this show listed by glass door as one of the best places to work, we've given the crew the holidays