On Sunday, France officially installed former Socialist Party member Emmanuel Macron as the nation’s next president, pushing Macron’s past promise to offer a home to all climate change scientists in America to the forefront of the ongoing debate over global warming.
Macron, who has been described by many European and American news outlets as a “centrist,” is a noted believer in the theory humans are primarily responsible for climate change. In February, Macron posted a video on his Facebook page in which he invited all U.S. climate researchers to France to escape the Trump administration.
“I do know how your new president now has decided to jeopardize your budget, your initiatives, as he is extremely skeptical of climate change," Macron said in the video. “I have no doubt about climate change, and how committed we have to be regarding this issue."
Macron said to U.S. scientists that France will be their “new homeland.”
"I want all those who today embody innovation and excellence in the United States to hear what we say: From now on, from next May, you will have a new homeland, France," Macron said.
Since Macron’s victory, the video has received massive attention. As of Sunday morning, it had been viewed more than 19.4 million times and shared more than 200,000 times.
Many climate change scientists have expressed their displeasure at President Donald Trump’s plans to roll back climate-change-related regulations and policies imposed by the Obama administration.
In April, thousands of protesters gathered in Washington, D.C., and in cities across the United States in opposition to Trump’s skepticism about man-caused climate change. One of the primary leaders of the march, pop scientist Bill Nye, who is not a climate expert, repeatedly called out politicians and Trump for rejecting what he believes to be settled science.
“Today, we have a great many lawmakers, not just here, but around the world, deliberately ignoring and actively surpassing science,” Nye said. “Their inclination is misguided, and in no one’s best interest.”
Some climate change skeptics are hoping Nye and other climate alarmists take up Macron on his offer to allow climate change researchers to move to France.
In an article for the popular climate change website Watts Up With That?, Eric Worrall wrote, “Speculation is mounting about whether President Macron will keep his promise to take all our climate scientists, and offer them a new home in France. … President Macron, please take them. Take them all.”
“But be warned,” Worrall said, “they will expect you to feed them; don’t expect us to pay for their upkeep.”
In their first telephone call together following Macron's victory, Macron and Trump reportedly discussed climate change.
"Usually in these phone calls, it’s a lot of congratulations, Macron raised the issue of climate change because the Americans are thinking about staying or leaving the Paris agreement," said Gerard Araud, the French ambassador to the United States, according to a report by the Trend News Agency.
Justin Haskins
