Bill Nye talks climate change, racial conflict at Rutgers graduation

Graduation day at Rutgers University is a chance for students to relax after four years of college and celebrate with family and friends before entering the real world.

 

Or, when Bill Nye is the keynote speaker, it’s a reminder that the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere is rising and its future may be a “no-way-out overheated globe.”

 

Nye, the bow-tied host of “Bill Nye The Science Guy,” used his speech at Rutgers’ commencement Sunday as a platform to tell students they must find a way to stop climate change.

 

Though it wasn’t the message some graduates were expecting, several said they were happy to get another lesson from the scientist they grew up watching.

 

“It’s a heavy topic, but it’s something that was necessary to address,” said Jesse Bagley, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in science and biomedical engineering. “He’s right. We all have an opportunity to make a choice as far as that goes, so it was something that we needed to hear.”

 

Nye urged students to challenge those who dismiss climate change. The scientific consensus on climate change is as strong as the consensus that smoking causes cancer, he said.

 

“Climate change is a real deal,” he said. “So, hey deniers — cut it out, and let’s get to work.”

 

Read More: Bill Nye talks climate change, racial conflict at Rutgers graduation | NJ.com.