White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby refused to say this week that nuclear war is more dangerous to humanity than climate change.
Kirby made the remarks, or a lack thereof, during an interview on Fox News with Martha MacCallum as war rages in Europe between Russia and Ukraine and has exploded in the Middle East as Iranian-backed Islamic terrorist groups launched an unprecedented terrorist attack against Israel.
MacCallum asked Kirby about recent remarks from President Joe Biden on the topic.
“The only existential threat humanity faces even more frightening than a nuclear war is global warming going above 1.5 degrees in the next 20 — 10 years,” the 80-year-old president claimed.
MacCallum asked, “Given all the nuclear players in these two areas where we are now engaged on, does the president stand by that comment?”
“Absolutely he does. Climate change is an existential threat,” he claimed. “It could, it actually threatens, is capable [of] wiping out all human life on earth over time. I mean, that’s, I don’t know how more existential you can get to that. But that doesn’t mean that we walk away from our obligations, our national security interests in very dangerous parts of the world.”
“The president believes wholeheartedly that climate change is an existential threat to all the human life on the planet,” he later added. “That’s just science. That’s a fact, Martha. But it doesn’t mean that we turn our back on the other challenges facing this country and our allies and partners around the world.”
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WATCH:
Martha MacCallum asks John Kirby if Joe Biden still stands by his comments that "The only existential threat humanity faces even more frightening than a nuclear war is global warming going above 1.5 degrees in the next 20 — 10 years."
Kirby: "Absolutely he does. Climate change… pic.twitter.com/USdA0fGbMm
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) October 9, 2023
TRANSCRIPT:
MARTHA MACCALLUM: Given that the United States is now involved in wars that are taking place in Europe and also in the Middle East, I want to play this soundbite for you that is just last month in Vietnam, and ask you if this still holds for the President. Watch.
JOE BIDEN: The only existential threat humanity faces even more frightening than a nuclear war is global warming going above 1.5 degrees in the next 20 — 10 years.
MACCALLUM: Given all the nuclear players in these two areas where we are now engaged on, does the President stand by that comment?
JOHN KIRBY: Absolutely he does. Climate change is an existential threat. It could, it actually threatens, is capable wiping out all human life on earth over time. I mean, that’s, I don’t know how more existential you can get to that. But that doesn’t mean that we walk away from our obligations, our national security interests in very dangerous parts of the world.
MACCALLUM: But John, he said it was more frightening than a nuclear war. It’s more frightening than a nuclear war in this moment?
KIRBY: The President believes wholeheartedly that climate change is an existential threat to all the human life on the planet. That’s just science. That’s a fact, Martha. But it doesn’t mean that we turn our back on the other challenges facing this country and our allies and partners around the world. We’ve got broad national security commitments, literally globally. And we’ve got to mind all of them at the same time. You mentioned two of them. Obviously, Israel right now, certainly Ukraine over the last almost two years now. We are big enough and powerful enough and effective enough nation to be able to look after all these disparate national security threats and one of them absolutely is climate change.