Late-night TV host condemns CNN, NBC for booking ‘non-scientists’ to discuss climate change

Late-night TV host Trevor Noah hit out at networks like CNN and NBC on Monday night for inviting "non-scientists" to their shows in order to debate climate change.

However, he was rather selective in his choices for examples — pointing only to "non-scientists" who are "climate deniers."

What are the details?

Noah, the 34-year-old host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," said that major networks in America featured far too many "climate change buffoons."

Noah's remarks came on the heels of the Trump administration's Friday report warning that efforts to combat climate change are not working.

The report — The National Climate Assessment — finds that "extreme weather and climate-related events" will only worsen in the coming years, and will impact everything from the environment to the economy. It said that extreme weather disasters "have already become more frequent, intense, widespread or of long duration and have cost the U.S. nearly $400 billion since 2015."

On Monday, President Donald Trump dismissed the report, saying that he didn't believe it.

Noah tackled the report and pointed the finger at networks bringing on guests with no real scientific basis for their opinions on climate change and global warming.

What was said on the news shows?

Danielle Pletka of the American Enterprise Institute, for example, appeared Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," where she went on to discuss the report.

Others in the episode included political analyst Elise Jordan, New York Times Pentagon correspondent Helene Cooper, and presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin — all "non-scientists."

"We need to ... recognize we had two of the coldest years, biggest drop in global temperatures that we have had since the 1980s," Pletka said during the discussion, later noting, "I'm not a scientist."

Noah clearly took exception to Pletka's remarks at that point.

"Once you say you're 'not a scientist,'" Noah said, "why is anyone listening your scientific opinion?"

He later added, "Get the f*** out of here with your opinions as citizens!"

Noah also pointed to CNN for featuring former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) during Sunday's "State of the Union."

Others in the episode included former Obama White House Communications Director Jen Psaki, political analyst and commentator Bill Kristol, and Symone Sanders, the former national press secretary for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) — also all "non-scientists."

During the segment, Santorum argued, "A lot of these scientists are driven by the money that they receive."

Noah made jokes at Santorum's expense in response to the comments, joking that scientists are just trying to get rich.

“Of course, how did we miss it? Climate change is a ... scam by scientists trying to get rich. We should have known when we saw them balling in those Gucci lab coats with the diamond-encrusted beakers, making it rain test tubes in the club,” he joked.

It's worth noting that Noah didn't point out the fact that the rest of the people featured on their respective shows were not scientists, and he does not appear to be overly concerned that "non-scientist" proponents of climate change chimed in with their own opinions.