Gov. Brown to Embattled Climate Scientists: 'We Will Persevere'

Gov. Jerry Brown threw down the gauntlet on Wednesday to a gathering of scientists working on climate change, many of whom feel under attack by the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

At a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco, Brown promised that California stands ready to lead the charge against climate change if Washington won't.

"We’ve got a lot of firepower," Brown said. "We’ve got the scientists, we’ve got the universities, we have the national labs, and we have the political clout and sophistication for the battle. And, we will persevere. Have no doubt about that."

Brown, who has been fairly low key since the November election, seemed to relish his attack on climate change deniers, and what he called "the clowns of (right-wing news site) Breitbart" and  "the miasma of nonsense coming across the social media channels."

Brown, who got several standing ovations, promised to help protect the scientific integrity of California's Lawrence Berkeley and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories.

"This is not a battle of one day or one election," the governor said. "This is a long-term slog into the future. And you are there -- the foot soldiers of change and understanding and scientific collaboration."