Climate change has always been a subject that makes for heated discussions.
And it was certainly no different on CNN's Crossfire Tuesday night when "Science Guy" Bill Nye and show host S.E. Cupp went at it in the wake of a new U.S. government report on the effects of global warming.
"I want you to take a look at this polling," Cupp said to Nye. "Only about 36 percent of Americans think global warming is a serious threat to our way of life."
She added, "Now, again, let me posit everything that [environmental advocate] Van [Jones] and the White House have said is true, however, the scare tactics have not worked. And don't you need public consensus to move the needle on this?"
Nye replied by saying, "So, how do you want to get public consensus, by saying that it's not happening, that it's not serious, that shorelines aren't flooding? ... This is serious business!"
Soon after, panelist Nick Loris of the Heritage Foundation joined the conversation by questioning some of the recent statistics.
"I'm not a denier. I'm not a skeptic. What I'm saying is climate is changing," said Loris. "Man-made emissions are some part to that, but we haven't seen these extreme weather event trends. The observed data doesn't prove that."
Nye then told Loris that they simply "don't agree on the facts," adding, "So, this third report came out saying it's serious. You say, no, right? There's the essensce of the problem, S.E."
At which point, Cupp snapped back by asking Nye, "Isn't it a problem when science guys attempt to bully other people? I mean, Nick here had to say, 'I'm not a denier.' He had to get it up, 'I'm not a denier,' because really, the science group has tried to shame anyone who dares question this."
Meanwhile, Nye took to his Facebook page today and wrote, "I will look anyone in the eyes and remind them that climate change is the most serious problem facing human kind. Yesterday I met another man for whom no evidence is sufficient. What will future generations think of us?"