Oil, coal lobbies discrediting climate change: James Cameron

Taking part in CNN International's 'Earth's Frontiers' debate in Seoul, South Korea, from Los Angeles via 3D technology, award-winning film director James Cameron suggests a possible cause for the shift in public perception on global warming to conventional fuel lobbies spreading disinformation to discredit scientific evidence on climate change

 ''What I see in the US is the oil and coal lobbies spending massive amounts of money on a disinformation campaign that is used to discredit science and steer public opinion away from any sense of social responsibility about climate change,'' he said.

Hosted by CNN's Anna Coren, the unique 'Earth's Frontiers' discussion pairs Cameron with the President of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, chairman and CEO of Puma, Jochen Zeitz; and Changhua Wu, Greater China director of the Climate Group. The group discusses the depletion of natural resources, the push for alternative energy and the possibility of a sustainable future.

Cameron also discusses what he sees as the unreal price of gas in the United States: ''Nothing is going to change until we properly price carbon…Right now gas is $3 a gallon at the pump… In my perspective, gas is $15 or $20 a gallon if you fully burden it with the cost of all of these big military actions, the overall consequences to the economy and the long term costs of climate change.''

President of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, highlights the pressing threat his country is facing: ''It'll be very difficult for the Maldives to survive if business goes as usual. We didn't move from the Stone Age because we ran out of stone but because we found better technology to move forward. I think it's time, especially for big emitting countries, to find alternative technology to move forward. If not, it's not just going to be the Maldives, it's going to be all of us.''

He also calls on world leaders to be proactive: ''If you want to call yourself a leader and get elected to do that, you better do it. You're not supposed to hang around for everyone else to make a decision and then you just simply go ahead with this decision. What you're supposed to do is go out to the country and convince your people that there's a better option.''

"The Special Debate for Earth's Frontiers: The Future of Energy" will air on CNN International on  Thursday April 29th at 6:00 pm and 10:00 pm; Saturday 1 May at 1:00 pm, 11:00 pm and; Sunday 2 May at  8:30 am, 1:00pm, and  8:30pm IST.