The audacity of the Obama administration knows no limits.
Boarding Air Force One en route to the Paris climate change summit, the president's "climate adviser" documented his departure with an up-close and personal video. In the footage, Paul Bodnar walks up the steps to Air Force One, effortlessly unaware of the fossil fuels raging around him, preaching about the importance of ratcheting down global emissions. The climate-sensitive, self-important climate expert can barely be heard over the roaring jets of the gigantic 747.
"Hi, everyone, I'm Paul Bodnar. I'm on the president's climate team at the White House. We're aboard Air Force One, about to take off for Paris. Paris is the culmination of years of negotiation leading up to a new global climate agreement. And it's a chance for the world to take a big step forward as we work on a long-term solution to this major global challenge. We've already seen tremendous progress, going into Paris, with more than 170 countries putting forward long-term climate targets, following the example that the U.S. and China set last year when our president stood together and jointly announced our long-term targets. Those targets are a really important step in bending down the global emissions curve. That's why Paris -- in Paris, it's very important that we take a step in putting in place a long-term framework that will allow us to ratchet down global emissions in the coming decades.
"It's stunning," Glenn said on radio Wednesday. "You see this video, you can't believe it. Because there are shots all the way interspersed all the way of the plane. The last shot is from underneath the wing, behind the jet that is larger than me. The actual engine that is one of those huge 747 engines. The camera shot is from the back of one of those carbon-spewing engines."
An estimated 10,000 people boarded jets just like this one to attend COP21 in Paris. While no one expects world leaders to fly commercially, they might consider different logistics for attending a conference about climate control.
Glenn had a great suggestion: A 21st century-style virtual conference. That might cut down global emissions, right, Mr. President?
Watch a segment from the program below:
Featured Image: US President Barack Obama holds a drinking cup during the inaugural session of the COP 21 United Nations conference on climate change, on November 30, 2015 at Le Bourget, on the outskirts of the French capital Paris. More than 150 world leaders are meeting under heightened security, for the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21/CMP11), also known as 'Paris 2015' from November 30 to December 11. (Photo credit should read ERIC FEFERBERG/AFP/Getty Images)