>>> GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO

"METROFOCUS," I AM JACK FORD.

SO, ARE AMERICAN SCHOOLS

MISLEADING CHILDREN ABOUT

CLIMATE CHANGE?

AND IF SO, WHY?

THOSE QUESTIONS ARE THE SUBJECT

OF A NEW BOOK BY AWARD-WINNING

INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST KATIE

WORTH.

THE BOOK IS CALLED

"MISEDUCATION: HOW CLIMATE

CHANGE IS TAUGHT IN AMERICA."

IN IT, SHE ARGUES THAT POLITICS

MORE THAN SCIENCE DETERMINES

WHAT MILLIONS OF STUDENTS ARE

BEING TAUGHT AND AS A RESULT

COULD, INDEED, BE CATASTROPHIC.

JOINING US NOW TO TALK ABOUT HER

BOOK AS PART OF OR ONGOING PERIL

AND PROMISE INITIATIVE,

REPORTING ON THE HUMAN STORIES

OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS

SOLUTIONS, IS AUTHOR AND

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER KATIE

WORTH.

KATIE, WELCOME.

>> SO GLAD TO BE HERE.

>> LET ME START WITH WHERE YOU

START IN THE BOOK, BECAUSE IN

THE INTRODUCTION, YOU TALK ABOUT

GOING BACK TO ONE OF YOUR

SCHOOLS.

TELL ME WHY YOU WANTED TO START

WITH THAT AND WHY IT WAS SO

SIGNIFICANT.

>> WELL, SO, I'VE BEEN REP

REPORTING, STARTED THIS

REPORTING PROJECT ABOUT WHAT

KIDS LEARN AND -- IN SCHOOL

ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE AND THEN IN

NOVEMBER 2018, ACTUALLY, IT

HAPPENS TO BE THREE YEARS AGO

TODAY, THE TOWN OF PARADISE

BURNED DOWN IN THE CAMP FIRE,

YOU MAY REMEMBER IT.

IT WAS DEVASTATING.

IT BURNED 90% OF THE BUILDINGS

IN THAT TOWN.

I'M FROM THE COUNTY WHERE

PARADISE IS.

SO, I'M FROM A FOUND CALLED

CHICO.

SO, OF COURSE ONE OF MY FIRST

THOUGHTS ONCE THE FIRE WAS OUT

WAS, WHAT ARE KIDS IN THIS

COMMUNITY LEARNING ABOUT CLIMATE

CHANGE WHEN THEY HAVE ARGUABLY

BEEN REALLY -- THEIR LIVES HAVE

ALREADY BEEN SHAPED BY IT?

SO, I WOUND UP GOING TO -- TO MY

ALMA MATER, CHICO JUNIOR HIGH

SCHOOL AND TALKING TO A SCIENCE

TEACHER THERE WHO IS VERY

INTERESTED IN TEACHING CLIMATE

CHANGE AND SHE TOLD ME THE STORY

ABOUT HOW ONE YEAR A COUPLE

YEARS AGO, SHE WAS WORKING WITH

HER STUDENTS ON SOLUTIONS

PROJECTS.

THEY'D ALREADY HAD A WHOLE

CLIMATE LESSON AND ALL OF A

SUDDEN THEY STARTED COMING IN

AND NOT KNOWING -- OR SAYING

LIKE, WELL, THIS ISN'T REAL

ANYWAY AND IT TURNED OUT THAT

THEY HAD BEEN LEAVING HER CLASS

WHERE THEY WERE LEARNING CLIMATE

SCIENCE AND WALKING INTO A

HISTORY TEACHER'S CLASS WHERE --

WHO WAS SHOWING THEM VIDEO,

YOUTUBE VIDEOS, ALLEGING THAT

THE CLIMATE CRISIS WASN'T REAL,

THAT IT WAS A HOAX, THAT IT WAS

ABOUT SCIENTISTS WHO WERE

GRABBING FOR POWER AND SO THEY

WERE GIVING THESE TWO -- IT WAS

11-YEAR-OLDS, SIXTH GRADERS, WHO

WERE GETTING MIXED MESSAGES IN

THEIR LIVES THAT THEY TRUSTED ON

THIS ISSUE.

AND THERE WERE SO MANY POINTS OF

TENSION OVER THIS ISSUE.

IT WAS REALLY ONE EXAMPLE OF

MANY THAT I CAME ACROSS IN MY

REPORTING.

>> TELL US ABOUT, IN TERMS OF

YOUR REPORTING, BECAUSE YOU

SPENT A LOT OF TIME AND YOU

TRAVELED, TELL US SOME OF THE

THINGS YOU DID, JUST QUICKLY, TO

PUT TOGETHER THE INFORMATION

THAT FORMED THE BASIS OF THE

BOOK?

>> YEAH, SO, I TRAVELED TO A

COUPLE DOZEN CLASSES -- I

OBSERVED A COUPLE DOZEN

CLASSROOMS AND A COUPLE DOZEN

COMMUNITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY.

I BUILT A 50-STATE DATABASE.

I READ THROUGH DOZENS OF

TEXTBOOKS.

I REALLY DID BOTH QUALITATIVE

AND QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF

THIS AND, YOU KNOW, AS I SAID,

WHAT I FOUND WAS, THERE'S

JUST -- THIS WAS A POINT OF

FRICTION IN A LOT OF COMMUNITIES

AND WHAT I -- AND ESPECIALLY IN

PRETTY CONSERVATIVE COMMUNITIES,

SO IN KIND OF THE REDDEST STATES

AND THE REDDEST PARTS OF THE

BLUEST STATES -- I'M FROM

CALIFORNIA AND THAT'S WHAT WAS

HAPPENING IN MY HOMETOWN, YOU

KNOW?

THERE'S REALLY A RED/BLUE

DIVIDE.

YOU CAN KIND OF ROUGHLY GUESS

WHAT A KID IS GOING TO LEARN BY

CLIMATE CHANGE JUST BY KNOWING

WHETHER THEIR STATE LEGISLATURE

IS RUN BY REPUBLICANS OR

DEMOCRATS.

>> LET ME TALK ABOUT SOME OF

YOUR FINDINGS, BECAUSE THERE'S

SO MUCH IN HERE AND IT'S A

MARVELOUS BOOK, WELL RESEARCHED

AND PEOPLE SHOULD READ IT.

IT'S IMPORTANT.

LET ME TALK ABOUT SOME OF YOUR

FINDINGS.

AND I GUESS THE OVERARCHING

QUESTION IS, ARE TEACHERS

ACTUALLY KNOWINGLY PROVIDING

MISINFORMATION TO THEIR STUDENTS

OR ARE THEY DOING THIS WITHOUT

KNOWING THAT THEY'RE DOING IT?

>> I THINK IT'S FAR, FAR, FAR

MORE THE LATTER.

I THINK, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF

TEACHERS DIDN'T LEARN ANYTHING

ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE THEMSELVES

WHEN THEY WERE GROWING UP AND

THEN THEY'VE HEARD, YOU KNOW,

FROM -- FROM THEIR NEWS SOURCES,

FROM THEIR POLITICIANS, THAT

THIS MAY OR MAY NOT BE HAPPENING

AND, YOU KNOW, SO, THEY -- THEY

AREN'T -- THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE

GOING TO PASS ONTO THEIR KIDS.

YOU KNOW, TEACHERS ARE ALL OVER

THE SPECTRUM, SO, IT'S NOT SOME

KIND OF, LIKE, FROM THE

TEACHER'S POINT OF VIEW, IT'S

NOT AN INTENTIONAL MISEDUCATION,

IT'S JUST KIND OF PASSING ON

MISINFORMATION THEY THEMSELVES

HAVE ABSORBED A LOT OF THE TIME.

OR JUST COMPLETELY LEAVING IT

OUT OF THE LESSON PLANS BECAUSE

THEY KNOW IT WILL BE A POINT OF

TENSION.

OR, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST A MATTER

OF THEM JUST NOLL HT HAVING THI

TRAINING TO TEACH IT.

>> TALK ABOUT THE PROBLEM OF A

BOTH SIDES-ISM APPROACH TO THIS

IN THE CLASSROOM.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT AND WHY

IS THAT CONCERNING TO US?

>> YEAH, SO, THE -- THERE HASN'T

BEEN A TON OF RESEARCH INTO HOW

TEACHERS TEACH CLIMATE CHANGE,

BUT THERE HAVE BEEN A COUPLE OF

SURVEYS AND THEY FIND THAT ABOUT

A THIRD OF TEACHERS TEACH IT AS

A DEBATE.

AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S -- THAT'S

NOT -- DEBATE IS ACTUALLY PRETTY

GOOD PETAGOGY IN CLASSROOMS,

BECAUSE IT ENGAGES KIDS AND

MAKES THEM THINK AND THINK

CRITICALLY AND PAY ATTENTION,

BUT IF YOU'RE HAVING KIDS DEBATE

SOMETHING THAT'S NOT A DEBATE,

SO, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NOT HAVING

KIDS DEBATE, YOU KNOW, MITOSIS

OR, YOU KNOW, THE CELL THEORY,

YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THERE'S THIS

ABUNDANCE OF EVIDENCE FOR IT AND

DEBATING IT MIGHT MAKE THEM

THINK THAT THERE ISN'T, RIGHT?

AND THE SAME IS TRUE WITH CLUE

MAT CHANGE.

THERE'S AN ABUNDANCE OF EVIDENCE

AND THERE'S NO EVIDENCE TO THE

CONTRARY AND SO TO HAVE KIDS

DEBATE IT IS DOING A DISSERVICE,

BECAUSE IT PLANTS THIS IDEA

THAT, YOU KNOW, EVEN WITH AN

ABUNDANCE OF EVIDENCE, IT'S --

IT MAY OR MAY NOT BE TRUE.

>> YOU TALK ALSO ABOUT THIS

PROBLEM BEING COMPOUNDED BY

MESSAGING.

BY GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS WHO

ARE JUMPING IN AND ACTIVELY

TRYING TO MOVE THE CONVERSATION

AWAY FROM THE TRUTH OF CLIMATE

CHANGE.

GIVE US A SENSE OF SOME OF THESE

ORGANIZATIONS AND HOW ARE THEY

GOING ABOUT DOING THAT?

>> YEAH, WELL, SO, THERE'S THIS

LONG HISTORY OF FOSSIL FUEL --

THE FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY

INSERTING THEIR MESSAGES INTO

CLASSROOMS AND YOU KNOW, AT ONE

POINT, THEY ACTUALLY -- THERE

WAS A PLAN MADE TO INSERT

CLIMATE DENIAL INTO CLASSROOMS

IN A LEAKED MEMO THAT "THE NEW

YORK TIMES" PUBLISHED IN 1998,

THEY SAID THAT THEY WANTED TO,

QUOTE, ERECT A BARRIER AGAINST

FUTURE REGULATION OF FOSSIL

FUELS.

SO, THERE WAS KIND OF AN ACTUAL

CONCERTED CAMPAIGN BY THE FOSSIL

FUEL COMPANIES FOR A LONG TIME

TO MAKE KIDS DOUBT CLIMATE

CHANGE.

BUT THEN THAT, YOU KNOW, FOSSIL

FUEL COMPANIES ARE NOW MORE OR

LESS ONBOARD, THEY ARE NO LONGER

PUSHING DENIALISM --

>> IS THAT TRUE?

BECAUSE I SUSPECT PEOPLE WOULD

BE -- MIGHT NOT KNOW THAT, BUT

ARE YOU SEEING GENERALLY

SPEAKING THE FOSSIL FUEL-BASED

COMPANIES ARE SAYING, OKAY, IT

DOES EXIST?

>> YEAH.

THERE WAS -- IT TOOK A LOT OF

PUBLIC PRESSURE, BUT THEY AT

LEAST PUBLICLY NOW SAY CLIMATE

CHANGE IS REAL, WHICH IS

SOMETHING THAT THEIR OWN

SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN SAYING

SINCE THE '50s, BY THE WAY, BUT

YEAH, THEY AT LEAST PUBLICLY ARE

SAYING, YEAH, IT'S REAL AND

WE'VE GOT TO DEAL WITH IT.

NOW THEIR STRATEGY IS SAYING,

BUT THE ANSWER TO IT ISN'T TO

REGULATE US, IT'S TO MAKE

INDIVIDUALS TAKE THE BUS INSTEAD

OF, YOU KNOW, DRIVING TO WORK OR

MAKE IT AN INDIVIDUAL -- BECOME

VEGAN, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE TRYING

TO PUSH ANY ACTION ONTO

INDIVIDUALS RATHER THAN ON THEIR

CORPORATION.

BUT -- BECAUSE THERE CAME TO BE

TOO MUCH PUBLIC PRESSURE TO

CONTINUE THE DENIALISM, BUT IN

THEIR PLACE, THERE ARE THESE

CONSERVATIVE THINK TANKS, ONE OF

THEM IS BASED IN CHICAGO, IT'S

CALLED THE HEARTLAND INSTITUTE,

AND A FEW YEARS AGO, IT SENT OUT

CLIMATE DENYING MATERIAL TO, IT

CLAIMED, EVERY SCIENCE TEACHER

IN AMERICA.

SO, YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT A LOT

OF TEACHERS RECEIVED THIS AND

JUST IMMEDIATELY THREW IT AWAY,

BUT SOME RECEIVED IT AND TOOK IT

IN GOOD FAITH AND STARTED USING

IT IN THEIR CLASSROOMS.

>> IT'S ALL ABOUT CLASSROOMS AND

THERE'S A FASCINATINGS PART OF

THE BOOK HERE WHERE YOU TALK

ABOUT THE FACT THAT PUBLISHERS

WILL DISTRIBUTE DIFFERENT

VERSIONS OF THE SAME TEXTS TO

DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COUNTRY.

EXPLAIN THAT TO US.

>> YEAH, YOU KNOW, SO THE WAY

THAT TEXTBOOK MAKERS CONDUCT

THEIR BUSINESS IS THEY'RE REALLY

TRYING TO SELL TEXTBOOKS AND

SOME STATES, NOTABLY TEXAS AND

FLORIDA AND CALIFORNIA, ALL HAVE

STATEWIDE ADOPTION, SO, A

TEXTBOOK MAKER PRODUCES A

TEXTBOOK, THEN A COMMITTEE,

BASICALLY, LOOKS AT THE TEXTBOOK

WITH A FINE TOOTH COMB AND THEN

EITHER APPROVES IT OR REJECTS

IT.

AND THAT IS A MATTER OF, OF

COURSE, MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO

THESE COMPANIES.

SO, WHEN THEY'RE MAKING THESE

TEXTBOOKS, THEY HAVE IN MIND,

WILL THIS BOOK PASS THE SCRUTINY

OF THE TEXAS TEXTBOOK

COMMISSION?

AND, YOU KNOW, AND SO THEY KIND

OF, YOU KNOW, THEY REALLY -- ARE

VERY CAREFUL IN THEIR LANGUAGE

ABOUT POLITICAL ISSUES.

AND I TALKED TO SEVERAL PEOPLE

WHO WORKED IN THE INDUSTRY WHO

SAID THAT THERE WERE EXPLICIT

CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW TO

PRESENT CLIMATE CHANGE IN THEIR

TEXTBOOKS.

AND AS A RESULT, WHAT WE FOUND

WHEN WE READ THROUGH ALL THESE

TEXTBOOKS WAS THAT THERE'S A LOT

OF CLIMATE DENIAL LANGUAGE IN

IT.

SO, THERE'S GOOD INFORMATION

ABOUT CLIMATE SCIENCE, BUT THEN

THERE WILL BE A PARAGRAPH THAT

SAYS, YOU KNOW, WHILE MANY

SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THAT CLIMATE

CHANGE IS CAUSED BY HUMANS, SOME

BELIEVE THAT IT'S NATURAL AND

IT'S BEING CAUSED BY SOLAR

CYCLES, ET CETERA, WHICH,

THERE'S NOT A SHRED OF EVIDENCE

FOR.

IT'S NOT ACTUALLY BASED ON

SCIENCE.

BUT THEY'RE INCLUDING THAT, SO,

YOU KNOW, WHEN THAT CONSERVATIVE

TEXAN TEXTBOOK COMMISSION LOOKS

AT IT, THEY'LL BE LIKE, OKAY,

WELL, IT INCLUDES BOTH SIDES,

RIGHT?

SO, THERE'S A TEXTBOOK THAT'S

MADE SORT OF WITH TEXAS AND

LOUISIANA AND FLORIDA IN MIND

AND THEN THERE'S NOW A SECOND

TIER OF TEXTBOOKS THAT GOES INTO

MUCH MORE DEPTH ABOUT CLIMATE

CHANGE FOR THE CALIFORNIANS OF

THE WORLD WHO REALLY DO WANT A

ROBUST EDUCATION ABOUT CLIMATE

SCIENCE.

>> KATIE, THERE IS SO MUCH IN

THIS BOOK THAT IS WORTHY OF OUR

CONSIDERATION, WHERE WE NEED TO

BE DEALING WITH IT, ESPECIALLY

AS PARENTS, TO START A BETTER

GRASP OF WHAT YOUR CHILDREN

SHOULD BE LEARNING, BECAUSE WHAT

YOU TALK ABOUT IN THE BOOK,

THERE COULD BE DIRE CONSEQUENCES

FOR OUR CHILDREN, ENTIRE

GENERATION OF CHILDREN NOT TO BE

TAUGHT ABOUT THE REALITY OF

CLIMATE CHANGE.

ONCE AGAIN, THE BOOK IS CALLED

"MISEDUCATION: HOW CLIMATE

CHANGE IS TAUGHT IN AMERICA."

GO GET IT, GO READ IT.

>> GET IT INTO YOUR SCHOOL.

KATIE WORTH, APPRECIATE YOU

TAKING THE TIME TO CHAT WITH US.

YOUR RESEARCH IS COMPELLING AND

SHARING YOUR THOUGHTS AND YOUR

FINDINGS WITH US HAS BEEN VERY

PROFITABLE FOR US.

KATIE, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

YOU TAKE CARE NOW.

>> YEAH, THANK YOU.

MY PLEASURE.

BYE-BYE.