On Friday's MTP Daily, as MSNBC weather contributor and former ABC News meteorologist Sam Champion talked up his belief that global warming is exacerbating hurricane activity, substitute host Katy Tur managed to throw him off with a predicable question that the liberal weather forecaster nevertheless had difficulty mustering up a response to.
Champion was stumped for an answer when Tur wondered: "Sam, I hate to put you on the spot, but what about those who say, 'Hey, listen, we haven't had a big hurricane here in 10 years'?"
The topic of global warming came up at 5:46 p.m. ET after Tur asked about there being "two powerful storms happening back to back." Champion declared himself to be a "believer" of global warming theory as he responded:
Back to back category fours have never made impact in the U.S. in the same season, and they've never made an impact back to back. The only thing I'll tell you is, from the early days of me learning about global warming -- and I'm a believer because global scientists -- people who spend their lives studying this believe it and point to it.
He further blamed global warming for stronger storms:
One of the things they said about warming oceans -- and oceans absorb the heat in this planet -- warming oceans give more fuel to storms which means more and bigger storms. Certainly stronger storms are the storms that develop. Sure we've had hurricanes before, but now the impact of warming oceans should mean and could mean and looks like it does mean that these storms are stronger now.
As if there were something wrong with challenging her guest's point of view, Tur then declared that "I hate to put you on the spot," before asking a contrarian question:
Sam, I hate to put you on the spot, but what about those who say, "Hey, listen, we haven't had a big hurricane here in 10 years"?
At this point, he rambled on and essentially argued that scientists have not been studying the issue long enough to answer that question. Champion began:
Right, and so we're just now understanding the impact of how much heat oceans absorb. We talk about the melting ice -- and, Katy, I'll do a whole show on this one day with you. You have me on, and we'll talk about this all day long.
Tur excitedly injected: "I'd love to. I would love to talk about this in depth, absolutely. I think people don't know anything about it."
The liberal weather forecaster failed to come up with an explanation as he added:
Right, and you know what? It's time that we understood it better. And we're just now understanding how much heat oceans -- more of our planet is water -- and how much heat those oceans are absorbing. So we're learning now, and it will take a few years, a few hurricane cycles before we can point backwards and say, "There's your evidenciery proof."
