After weeks of bad news, Pat Sajak puts own 'spin' on climate change

Wednesday, May 21, 2014, 12:04 PM - Over the past two weeks, there's been a dramatic up-tick in the number of stories about the effects of global warming and climate change, and it seems to have gotten to Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak, as he took to Twitter on Monday night, to voice his own sentiments on the subject.

First it was news that carbon dioxide levels at Mauna Loa in Hawaii reached 400 ppm for the entire month of April, setting a new record for the entirety of human history, and this less than one year after that same site recorded just one full day's average at that concentration. Then the U.S. government issued their National Climate Assessment report, showing that climate change is not an issue for the future, but is affecting us right now, and warning of the dire consequences of further delays in taking action. The U.S. Military released their own report right after, deeming climate change as a growing threat to national security.

Reports from all over the world are showing the effects of climate change, both now and for the future: 

• glaciers in Western Antarctica have passed the point of no return, meaning that they will eventually completely collapse into the ocean, raising sea levels by over a meter
• the entire continent of Antarctica is losing ice from its glaciers at a rate over 150 per cent higher than it was just five years ago
• tropical cyclone intensities are shifting away from the tropics, bringing increased risks to regions further north, that are likely less prepared for the impacts of these powerful storms
• soot from wildfires and pollution from industry are accelerating the melting of Greenland's glaciers
• new measures of the topography of Greenland's coastline show that those glaciers are even more vulnerable to melting than we thought, likely leading to more sea level rise than previously estimated.
• after a report that March 2014 was the fourth warmest month of March on record, April 2014 comes in as the warmest April ever on record, for the globe

Even with all of this, Mr. Sajak's response (perhaps only meant to stir up trouble) wasn't well-received:

I now believe global warming alarmists are unpatriotic racists knowingly misleading for their own ends. Good night.

— Pat Sajak (@patsajak) May 20, 2014

However, even if he was just joking, as he claimed afterwards, this isn't exactly an isolated incident. Earlier in the day he reported 'accusing' his nephew of being a "Tooth Fairy denier" (despite the "settled folklore") and a few days before he wrote:

Very hot weather: "We're all going to die!" Very cold weather: "There's a difference between climate & weather, moron!"

— Pat Sajak (@patsajak) May 11, 2014

He's also recently poked at PETA, Google and the NSA, the gay community and even Mother's Day. 

Along with the overwhelming backlash that Sajak witnessed on his Twitter account, a few responses have stood out from the others, most notably from Penn State climate scientist Michael Mann:

Hey @PatSajak, this aint the Wheel of Fortune. If we lose this game, it isn't just one person's misfortune. All humanity pays the price.

— Michael E. Mann (@MichaelEMann) May 20, 2014

Also, some rather clever references back to Sajak's very own gameshow:

@MichaelEMann Would @patsajak like to spin or solve the puzzle? pic.twitter.com/6adZA0eGd4

— Tim Kovach (@twkovach) May 20, 2014

Mr. Sajak had his counter-point to all the criticism he's received, but it doesn't show much movement from the same basic sentiment as the Tweet that sparked the backlash in the first place, and it shows a certain lack of sympathy for the abuse, legal hassles and even death threats that have been aimed at supporters of climate change science and the IPCC.

As most of you know, original Tweet was intended to parody the name-calling directed at climate skeptics. Hyperbole.

— Pat Sajak (@patsajak) May 21, 2014

However, if he wants to stick to the "I was just joking" line, that's his right. As for an appropriate response to Mr. Sajak on the subject, however, one really doesn't need to go much further than his own Twitter feed, from roughly a month ago:

Why is it we seem to be getting dumber when it's never been easier to get smarter? Something is fundamentally wrong.

— Pat Sajak (@patsajak) April 24, 2014