Climate change scientists have political agenda: Trump

International Desk: US President Donald Trump has accused climate change scientists of having a "political agenda" as he cast doubt on whether humans were responsible for the earth's rising temperatures.

But Mr Trump also said he no longer believed climate change was a hoax.

The comments, made during an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes, come less than a week after climate scientists issued a final call to halt rising temperatures.

The world's leading scientists agree that climate change is human-induced.

Last week's report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - the leading international body evaluating climate change - warned the world was heading towards a temperature rise of 3C.

Scientists say that natural fluctuations in temperature are being exacerbated by human activity - which has caused approximately 1C of global warming above pre-industrial levels.

The report said keeping to the preferred target of 1.5C above pre-industrial levels will mean "rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society".

During Sunday's interview, Mr Trump cast doubt on making any changes, saying the scientists "have a very big political agenda".

"I don't think it's a hoax, I think there's probably a difference," he told journalist Lesley Stahl.

"But I don't know that it's manmade. I will say this. I don't want to give trillions and trillions of dollars. I don't want to lose millions and millions of jobs. I don't want to be put at a disadvantage."

Mr Trump added that temperatures "could very well go back" - although he did not say how.

Source: BBC


risingbd/Oct 15, 2018/Mukul