While discussing theĀ 2024 budget request for the Department of Energy on Wednesday, Louisiana Senator John Kennedy grilled Department of Energy Deputy Secretary David Turk for not knowing the answer to a $50 trillion dollar question.
FromĀ The Daily Caller:
Kennedy noted the budget requests a 38% increase in green energy funding while cutting nuclear energy funding with barely an increase fossil fuel energy. Kennedy then asked Turk for an estimate of how much it would cost to be carbon neutral by 2050, with Turk refusing to provide a number. Kennedy first said Turkās colleagues have presented a figure in the range of $50 trillion before asking how much would temperatures be affected by that massive spending.
āIf you could answer my question: if we spend $50 trillion to become carbon neutral in the United States of America by 2050, youāre the deputy secretary of energy, give me your estimate of how much that is going to reduce world temperature.ā
āSo first of all itās a net cost, itās what benefits weāre having by getting our act together and reducing all of those climate benefits, weāre seeing āā Turk said before Kennedy stopped him.
āIām gonna ask again, maybe Iām not being clear: if we spent $50 trillion to become carbon neutral by 2050 in the United States of America, how much is that going to reduce world temperatures?ā
āThis is a global problem so we need to reduce our emissions and we need to do everything we can āā
āHow much if we do our part is it going to reduce world temperatures?ā
āWeāre 13% of global emissionsāā
āYou donāt know do you?ā Kennedy asked.
āYou can do the mathāā Turk answered.
āYou donāt know do ya Mr. Secretary?ā Kennedy again asked.
Watch the clip above.