Attacks on scientists, a change of heart and a year of records

We close out 2017 on Climate Cast with interviews on some of the year's biggest stories. Here's what MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner goes over on the show:

• Unseemly, even criminal attacks on climate scientists. "I found myself subject to congressional inquisitions, efforts by conservative groups to demand all of my emails in an effort to try to discredit me, I've been subject to death threats," said Michael Mann, a renowned climate scientist and Penn State professor. We continue conversations started last week with Mann and Harvard University professor Naomi Oreskes.

• Harvey Krage's change of heart. Krage, a resident of Minnesota City, Minn., used to think of climate and weather as just cycles. His daughter told him it wasn't so simple — that climate change is real. Krage didn't believe it, and his regular listening to radio host Rush Limbaugh reinforced his beliefs. Then the rains came. Krage shares the story of how his mind changed on climate.

• 2017 goes into the record books. Let's start with 15. That's the number of $1 billion weather disasters this year in the U.S. Next, 16. Every one of the globes 16 warmest years on record have occurred in the 20 years since 1998. That's just a start to the past year's climate record-setting.

Use the audio player above to hear the whole show.

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