>> welcome to "teen kids news." i'm siena. let's start with our top story for this week. there used to be a popular tv commercial back when our parents were kids. the commercial ended with the line "you can't fool mother nature." today, many scientists would change that line to, "you can't fool with mother nature," meaning that we need to be aware if things we are doing are having a bad impact on our environment. and that brings us to the subject of climate change. as scott reports, it's a highly controversial issue.

>> on one side are those who believe climate change is real. on the other side are those who doubt our climate is changing. not only is climate change real, but it's a clear and present danger caused by us humans. well, if the climate really is changing, humans aren't responsible. we believe climate change is a natural course of events. so, it's no biggie. during his speech at georgetown university, president obama made it clear which side of the issue he believes is the correct one. >> but i don't have much patience for anyone who denies that this challenge is real. [ applause ] we don't have time for a meeting of the flat earth society. [ cheers and applause ] sticking your head in the sand might make you feel safer, but it's not going to protect you from the coming storm. i'm here to enlist your generation's help in keeping the united states of america a

leader -- a global leader -- in the fight against climate change. >> the president announced what he calls his national action plan to improve the health of our planet. >> it demands our attention now. and this is my plan to meet it, a plan to cut carbon pollution, a plan to protect our country from the impacts of climate change, and a plan to lead the world in a coordinated assault on a changing climate. >> we'll learn more about why it's important to take action now against climate change, when "teen kids news" continues.

>> i refuse to condemn your generation and future generations to a planet that's beyond fixing. and that's why today i'm announcing a new national

climate action plan. >> with those words, president obama declared war on climate change. speaking at georgetown university in washington, d.c., the president outlined some of his goals. >> so, using less dirty energy, transitioning to cleaner sources of energy, wasting less energy through our economy is where we need to go. and this plan will get us there faster. >> joining us now is climate scientist dr. radley horton of columbia university. hi. >> hi. how are you? >> fine, thanks. when people talk about climate change, what are they referring to exactly? >> climate change refers to a whole series of changes that can happen on our planet -- warming of the atmosphere, melting of ice on land, warming of the oceans. and when we talk about climate change today, we're talking about the impact of human activities -- the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil, changes in land use.

since the start of the industrial revolution, we've increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by about 40%. because it's a powerful, heat-trapping gas, that's caused temperatures to go up. it's causing ice to melt. it's causing sea levels to rise. >> why all the controversy? >> i think there are a few reasons why there's controversy. one issue is that there are very powerful interests who don't want to have to change their actions today. we have seen an active campaign attempting to undermine the climate science and make people confused. i think that's part of it. but part of it is much simpler. part of it i think is just that some people tune out when they hear negative news. it can be scary to hear "sea levels are rising, temperatures are going up." some of us, our natural first instinct is to sort of ignore that news, to kick that problem down the road a little bit. but what i think is really important is that we basically think about what can do. let's take action. it's gonna be a lot cheaper to

take steps today to reduce our greenhouse-gas emissions to prepare, to adapt to higher sea levels and warmer temperatures and protect our population. it's a lot cheaper to do it today than to wait until much later, when temperatures have changed so much that it may be too late for us to adapt. >> is this climate change something that's taking place slowly, over hundreds of years, or is it happening now? >> climate change is happening right now in our own lifetimes. in the u.s. alone we've seen temperatures go up by almost two degrees fahrenheit since 1900. globally, the sea levels have gone up about eight inches in the last century, due to warmer oceans. more of that ice that's on land melting and making its way into the water. eight inches of sea-level rise doesn't sound like much, but it's already leading to more frequent coastal flooding, and when a storm comes along like sandy, the water moves that much further inland, floods that many more houses, just because that sea level has risen higher. >> a big focus seems to be on carbon emissions. can you explain what this is and

why "clean" energy sources are important? >> clean energy sources don't use carbon. if we look at things like solar power, wind power, those are sources of energy that don't require burning of fossil fuels and releasing these greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. so, if we use more green energy, if we increase our energy efficiency so we're using less energy in our cars, in our homes, putting more insulation in our houses, we can reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that we're putting in the atmosphere. >> so, what are some of the other issues that president obama's action plan is targeting? >> president obama's action plan is targeting reducing our greenhouse-gas emissions. now if we look back at his first administration, there were steps taken to increase fuel efficiency in our cars and trucks. >> the fuel standards we set over the past few years mean that by the middle of the next decade, the cars and trucks we buy will go twice as far on a

gallon of gas. that means you'll have to fill up half as often. we'll all reduce carbon pollution. >> right now we're seeing an effort addressed more at the big polluting industries, the coal industry especially, being targeted to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. another big thing that the obama administration is doing is focusing on preparing for those higher temperatures, preparing for sea level. we know that we're gonna see some additional warming and some additional sea-level rise, which we're trying to minimize by reducing emissions. but because we're already vulnerable to heat waves, and we're gonna see more of them in the future, because we're already vulnerable to coastal flooding, and we're gonna see more of it in the future, steps are being taken to protect our most vulnerable members of our population, to build some of our buildings higher and protect against storms. >> is there anything we can do as teens to help? >> absolutely. teenagers are the next generation. a lot of these key issues are gonna be in your hands. there are so many opportunities

out there to invent that next type of green energy. maybe it's a type of battery that can store solar or wind energy. maybe it's a technology to help us adapt to higher sea levels, which we can't even imagine today. so, we need the younger generation to focus on solutions instead of ignoring the problem or saying, "this is too difficult." take the problem on, make a better world, and it's not just the climate that'll change, but we can help our more vulnerable populations, as well. >> thanks for all the insight, professor. >> thank you. >> as dr. horton just said, there's a lot we teens can do, a point echoed by president obama. >> understand this is not just a job for politicians. so, i'm going to need all of you to educate your classmates, your colleagues, your parents, your friends. tell them what's at stake. speak up at town halls, church groups, pta meetings. push back on misinformation. speak up for the facts. broaden the circle of those who

are willing to stand up for our future. [ applause ] >> there's an old saying that "everybody talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it." here's our chance to change that by helping to change climate change. >> coming up, i'll tell you about a british statesman who truly proved that the pen is mightier than the sword.

>> during her trip to the united kingdom, nicole learned about a man whose bulldog determination helped save a nation. >> just a stone's throw from the house of parliament and its iconic clock tower is a statue of the person many consider britain's greatest prime minister. his name? sir winston churchill. sir winston was born into a family with a long and distinguished military history.

one of his ancestors was the first duke of marlborough. after the duke's spectacular victory over the french at the battle of blenheim in 1704, a grateful english queen granted him this amazing palace. the duke dutifully named it blenheim. it was here in 1874 that winston leonard spencer-churchill was born. today blenheim and its sprawling grounds are open to the public to visit. sir winston grew up to become a war correspondent, a soldier, and eventually a politician. when he became prime minister, england was in its darkest hour. hitler's aggression had triggered world war ii. the germans defeated every european country that stood against them except the british isles. every day, the brave british expected the nazis to invade.

more than tanks and soldiers, it was the words of prime minister churchill that the british found most heartening. >> "we shall fight on the beaches. we shall fight on the landing grounds. we shall fight in the fields and in the streets. we shall fight in the hills. we shall never surrender. >> that "never surrender" attitude gave the british the courage to fight on. throughout the war, churchill's speeches and radio broadcasts rallied a nation. >> let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties and so bear ourselves, that if the british empire and its commonwealth lasts for a thousand years, men will still say, "this was their finest hour." >> and it was. through all the bombings and rocket attacks, the british

never gave up nor gave in. the power of sir winston's inspiring words helped defeat nazi germany. it was said that churchill mobilized the english language and sent it to war. for "teen kids news," i'm nicole. >> it's time to play "word." check out these words and match them with the real definition. here's a noun that's a mouthful -- onomatopoeia. it's either... [ bell rings ] as when you say a baby babbles. that's onomatopoeia, because when a baby babbles, it sounds like babble. ready for another?

[ bell rings ] give up? ...as in, the turgid poetry used so much onomatopoeia that it was irritating to hear. okay. let's take a short one. [ bell dings ] gotcha. flail can be a noun... and.. you could say the farmworker has to flail a flail to thresh the wheat. that's "word" on "kids news."

♪you fill up my senses

♪like a night in a forest ♪like the mountains in springtime♪ ♪like a sleepy blue ocean ♪you fill up my senses ♪come fill me again ♪come let me love you ♪let me always be with you ♪come let me love you ♪come love me again

>> we see people in the movies who are able to kick and punch their way out of dangerous situations. no question about it -- self-defense is a great thing to know. but few of us have the time to put in the years of training it takes to become a real expert in hand-to-hand combat like tris in "divergent." katie tells us there are some things even beginners can learn that could make a big difference in a dangerous situation. >> okay, say you're a girl, walking on your own, and this happens. >> [ gasps ] >> what can you do? >> meet charley and tracy vega. they are self-defense experts. okay, so, what's the first thing you can tell me about being safe? >> the first thing you should do, katie, is to keep your

distance, okay? you don't ever want to let anybody get into your personal space, which we think is like 7 to 10 feet, okay? so, if you saw him walking up to you, you know what you'd do? put your hand up. >> put your hand up at my eye level. >> and say something. put your hand up. >> "stop. what do you want?" and keep your hand up there to show that person that you're keeping your distance between them. >> and be creative. it's okay to be rude to a bad guy if you don't feel comfortable. so, say something that'll make him stay away, okay? go ahead. test it out. >> say, "what do you want? keep back. i don't feel comfortable," or "i don't know you." >> or "get out of here." whatever. >> can you keep back? >> yeah, that's it. >> yeah, exactly. >> that's exactly what you want to do. >> cool. can you show me a technique? >> absolutely. >> sure. >> so, i'm going to let charley grab your arm, okay? >> so, the natural tendency is you're gonna pull, so pull. so, whoever's stronger is gonna win, right? >> yeah. >> so, instead, what i want you to do, instead of going in this direction, bring your hand straight up and step back with that leg. >> and then turn and take off. >> go. >> perfect. >> that's it. >> that's really good, except you'd be running.

>> so, what's another technique you can show me? >> well, you know the one we showed you when charley ran up behind me? let us show you. >> cool. >> turn around. he's gonna grab you, okay? he's gonna put his hand over your mouth and around the waist. >> so, one around your waist, one around your mouth. all you need to do is grab one finger and peel. >> there you go. >> so, all i have to do is peel back one finger? >> right. >> and kids can do this? >> right, even guys can do it. >> wow! >> right, pretty easy. katie, this is one of my favorite ones that i'm gonna show you now, okay? this one is what you're gonna do is if he was coming up and he's maybe gonna choke your head. you're pinned against a wall. what you're gonna do is you're gonna take two fingers and at his trachea, you're gonna drive right through. so, go up and just touch him right there, and if you did that and you poked really hard, he would probably choke. >> what i'd do is go... [ choking ] it makes them choke, and it gives you plenty of time to get away. >> gives you a lot of time. you're just gonna use two fingers, too, and you're gonna push as hard as you can. because remember, you're in fear of your life. you're gonna escape. you're not gonna kill him, but you're gonna hurt him, and it's gonna make a difference. >> that's so much simpler than a lot of kids would think. >> well, you know what? it's the "easy" button of self-defense, but don't tell staples. >> so, how is all of this different than typical self-defense? >> well, you noticed we're not

wearing pads, and we're not throwing you on the ground. what we're doing is we're teaching you to escape, so anybody could do it. >> no fighting -- there's no punching, no kicking. it's about escaping because the reality is you're gonna be against someone much stronger than you are, and these techniques don't require strength. >> and you can escape without having a black belt. >> that's right. >> that's exactly right. >> anybody can do it. that's right. >> anybody can do it. >> remember -- just because you're a kid doesn't mean you have to be a victim. as tracy and charley say, the trick is to escape not stay and fight. for "teen kids news," i'm katie. girl: hi, mom. hi, sweetie. [ beep ]

man: how's it going, buddy? i'm bored. [ beep ] i think i'll ride my bike. [ tv playing ] [ beep ] it may never be this easy to help your kids find balance, but you have more power than you know. the we can! parents' handbook and web site can help you maximize that power. you'll learn how to help kids choose healthier foods... and how to make it fun for them to get active. who can help kids maintain a healthy weight? we can! visit the we can! web site for a free parents' handbook, plus tips, tools, and resources. a message from the u.s. department of health and human services.

>> this report is brought to you by nbc sports at the l.a. auto show.

>> well, it's the l.a. auto show, the biggest and most important auto show in the country some say, and well, here's one of the reason for that. perfect for the family, you guys. this is the all new xc90 from it will seat seven members of your family and has three rows. check this out, though. at night you plug it in, so you don't have to use any gas if you drive short distances. it'll go on sale next year. tell mom and dad abut $48,000. and remember -- volvos are super-safe. well, ford also has an s.u.v. they're excited about. this is the brand-new explorer. this has a 2.3-liter ecoboost engine, which means it's got great gas mileage. also, it will charge up your devices twice as fast through its usb ports. and look at that! it parks itself. on sale next year, $31,000. well, you want to get to school in style, you want to get to school in this car. this is not a bentley but a chrysler, the all-new 300. all-wheel drive -- it will go on sale next year. it's under $32,000. it looks a lot more expensive than that. well, we all know, texting,

using your phone while driving is not cool, and we need to do a better job at keeping our, well, drivers and our parents from being distracted. that's what hyundai is talking about with the new sonata. using android auto, also apple's carplay, which allows you to interact with all your devices through your voice and through the screen. in fact, your phone gets disabled completely. android auto will do everything for you -- very cool. it's available on the 2015 hyundai sonata. well, one cool concept that caught my eye was this. take a look. this is xr plug-in hybrid. if you lose the electricity in your house, all you have to do is plug the car into your house, and it powers it up! that's pretty cool -- mitsubishi, the xr-phev. well, kia is excited about this. it's the all-new kia sorento. first time that this vehicle has been debuted here in the united states. three engine options, and it tows 5,000 pounds. it will be available in 2015. look at all that room inside -- really nice. well, one car that is becoming very popular with younger people is this -- the cadillac atsv.

twin turbo v-6 455 horsepower -- it'll go on sale in the spring from cadillac. and let's talk about a real racecar, even though it's just a concept. if you've every played "gran turismo," it may look familiar to you. it's the chevy chaparral 2x vision gran turismo. how about zero to 60 in just 1.5 seconds?! not a real car yet, but ooh, who wouldn't want to drive that thing? and from land rover, this is the all-new discovery sport. this is a 7-passenger seater, so the whole family can get inside. you can control all the apps with your voice. it will go on sale in the spring -- $37,900. and a sedan that's pretty fancy is from audi. take a look at this. this is the all-new audi prologue -- 4-liter v-8. three l.e.d. screens on the inside -- look at all that lighting. this is a nice car, and it's got 605 horsepower. so, it'll get you to the mall pretty quick. and let's look at a convertible that i think the whole family is gonna love. it's from jaguar.

and it's red, and i love it. yeah, this is the jag f-type, and it's got all-wheel drive, which means all four wheels have motion, which means it's good in the rain or the bad weather. zero to sixty in 3.9 seconds, by the way, so it's pretty fast, as well. and from fiat, you may have seen fiats before, but now they're getting a little bit bigger. this is the fiat 500x. i love the way this thing looks. it's all-wheel drive. it's really safe -- seven air bags. it will go on sale early next year. and if you like a ford mustang, you're gonna love this. this is a special edition -- the shelby gt350. oh, my goodness gracious, who's not gonna want this in their driveway? the most powerful mustang built. 500 horsepower and a big v-8 engine, really taking advantage of all of that great reputation that the mustangs have. so many cars, and tell mom and dad, "hey i'd like to drive some of those" or go for a ride. check them out for yourself at your local dealerships. i'm doug brauner in los angeles for "teen kids news." >> that wraps up our show, but

we'll be back soon with more "teen kids news." thanks for joining us and have a great week. >> here's a shout-out to pr newswire for including "teen kids news" on their big screen in times square, new york city. res-res--

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