The mayor of an Iowa town featured in a documentary airing on the National Geographic channel says the production is a little one-sided. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a potential 2020 presidential candidate, financed the film and was in Iowa last week to tout it. Val Swinton is mayor of Clarksville, which was featured in the documentary because of profound flooding in the town in 2016.
The documentary pinpointed certain areas of the country where producers argue climate change has had adverse effects on residents. The 2016 Clarksville flood was the second “150-year flood” in less than a decade. Swinton says after watching the program, he’s not sure if the evolving weather patterns are a result of climate change.
The documentary is called “Paris to Pittsburgh” — a reference to a remark President Trump made when he withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement. Bloomberg told reporters in Iowa last week he hopes to make climate change the central issue of the 2020 campaign if he runs for president.
