Bill Nye just dropped a slew of F-bombs. As a guest on the May 12 episode of Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, the storied science communicator used profanity and half-jest to make a succinct point about Earth's rising carbon dioxide emissions, which are now at their highest levels in millions of years: CO2, a potent greenhouse gas, will continue to relentlessly trap heat on the planet unless the U.S. and the rest of the world ambitiously slash their carbon emissions. As of now, global nations have little to no hope of curbing Earth's warming at levels that would limit the worst consequences of climate change. "By the end of this century, if emissions keep rising, the average temperature on Earth could go up another four to eight degrees," said Nye. "What I'm saying is the planet is on fucking fire." Nye’s 37-second tirade took place near the end of the episode, wherein John Oliver dissected the concept of a Green New Deal. Such a plan — which currently only exists as a visionary framework in U.S. Congress — is a government-driven plan to radically transform the nation's energy system with the specific aim of slashing its ample carbon emissions. Carbon emissions in the U.S. ticked up in 2018. Nye chose a fitting time for his invective-laden performance. The same day the show aired, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography — which has measured rising CO2 levels for decades — announced that carbon levels topped another big, round number, at 415 parts per million, or ppm. This atmospheric CO2 number isn't just growing — it's picking up speed. "The rate of CO2 increase since the first Earth Day is unprecedented in the geologic record," Dan Breecker, a paleoclimatologist at The University of Texas at Austin, told Mashable last month. As emissions rise, scientists expect Earth to keep warming. The planet has already warmed 1.8 Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius) since the onset of the Industrial Revolution. If carbon emissions double from the 280 ppm levels before industrialization to 560 ppm, climate scientists now expect the globe to warm astronomically, to between 9 and 11 degrees Fahrenheit (5 and 6 degrees Celsius). If carbon emissions continue as they are today, we'll easily blow through 550 ppm, paleoclimatologist Matthew Lachniet told Mashable last year. "What I'm saying is the planet is on fucking fire." Transitioning our fossil-fuel dominated economy to carbon neutral energy production certainly won't be cheap. Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke recently unveiled a $5 trillion plan that would result in "net-zero" emissions by 2050. Rising CO2 levels. Image: scripps institution of oceanography But driving such grandiose climate change on the planet — which is now fueling widespread drought and pummeling storms — isn't just expected to devastate lives, it's expected to cost trillions. After Nye lit a globe aflame in reference to the planet's accelerating temperature increase, he noted that "there a lot of things we could do to put it out," but asked, "Are any of them free?" "No! Of course not, nothing's free you idiots. Grow the fuck up. You're not children anymore," spat Nye. "I didn't mind explaining photosynthesis to you when you were 12. But you're adults now, and this is an actual crisis. Got it?" "Safety glasses off, motherfuckers," said Nye, before ending his fiery scientific experiment and aggressively removing his safety glasses.<doc-sep>Celebrity scientist Bill Nye is best known for his wacky experiments and easy-to-understand language when talking about science - mostly catered towards children on his show, Bill Nye the Science Guy. But he wasn’t speaking to children when talking about climate change during an appearance on talk show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on Sunday. “The planet’s on f***ing fire.” he said, before setting a globe alight. A large segment of the show was dedicated to the subject of climate change. Nye was invited to explain some of the topics like the Green New Deal, studies which warned of food shortages and wildfires as well as carbon pricing - with his unique brand of teaching. But for this segment, he wasn’t cheerful and light-hearted. With a blunt delivery, he explained the state of the planet, and criticised decision-makers in the US. “There are a lot of things we could do to put it out,” he said. “Are any of them free? No, of course not. Nothing’s free, you idiots. “Grow the f*** up. You’re not children anymore. “I didn’t mind explaining photosynthesis to you when you were 12. “But you’re adults now, and this is an actual crisis. Got it?” “Safety glasses off.” He finished, before blowing on the globe, still on fire, and walking off screen. The blunt delivery received laughter from the audience, and a comment from Oliver after his rant - “I think we’ve all broken Bill Nye,” he said. Since airing on Sunday night, the clip has gone viral, with Bill Nye trending on Twitter, most praising him for his blunt delivery on climate change.<doc-sep>Former scientific children’s show host Bill Nye set the world on fire (literally) during a profanity-filled rant regarding climate change on HBO’s “Last Week Tonight,” after host John Oliver delivered a segment debunking myths about the Green New Deal. When Mr. Oliver asked Mr. Nye if he had “a fun experiment for us,” the show cuts to Mr. Nye saying: “Here I have a fun experiment for you. Safety goggles on.” The show then pans out to a shot of Mr. Nye with a globe and a blowtorch. “By the end of this century, if emissions keep rising the temperature on Earth could go up another four to eight degrees. What I’m saying is the planet is on f—-ing fire,” the television host says as he lights the globe on fire. “There are a lot of things we could do to put it out,” Mr. Nye continued, gesturing to a fire extinguisher, blanket and bucket of sand. “Are any of them free? No! Of course not! Nothing’s free you idiots!” “Grow the f—- up! You’re not children anymore. I didn’t mind explaining photosynthesis to you when you were 12. But you’re adults now, and this is an actual crisis! Got it?! Safety glasses off, motherf—-ers.” The Green New Deal, submitted by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey, outlined a sweeping overhaul of the economy and energy sector. It’s also laden with ambitious social-justice goals. Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters Copyright © 2021 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.<doc-sep>
Bill Nye is done being the nice guy. While discussing climate change on Sunday's "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver," the famous "Science Guy" didn't hold back on the state of the Earth. "The planet's on (expletive) fire," Nye said, point-blank. Oliver invited the science educator on his HBO show after wading through the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez-backed Green New Deal, which calls for shifting completely from fossil fuels to renewable energy in the coming years and prescribes a broad platform that includes free housing, medical coverage and higher education for all Americans. Citing a study that warned of food shortages and wildfires as soon as 2040, Oliver brought on Nye to de-mystify carbon pricing, an economist-backed method of reducing global warming by charging those who emit carbon dioxide. More:Democrats pass House bill to try to block Trump from exiting Paris climate deal But Nye wasn't feeling as jovial as usual. "By the end of this century, if emissions keep rising, the average temperature on Earth could go up another four to eight degrees. What I'm saying is the planet's on (expletive) fire," said Nye, actually setting fire to a globe. "There are a lot of things we could do to put it out – are any of them free? No, of course not. Nothing's free, you idiots. Grow the (expletive) up. You're not children anymore. I didn't mind explaining photosynthesis to you when you were 12. But you're adults now, and this is an actual crisis, got it? Safety glasses off, (expletives)," Nye said, attempting to blow out the fire on display. "I think we've all broken Bill Nye," declared Oliver.