[aerohead]

In the screenplay, it's what the White House had to say about the PBS 'FRONTLINE' episode which shined a light where the oil industry and it's cronies would rather have had it remain unilluminated.
FRONTLINE has a reputation for extreme vetting of the information it shares, and an unimpeachable reputation within the realm of investigative journalism. It was spot-on for John Grisham to weave it into the narrative.
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Corals evolved to survive within only a very narrow temperature window. About 90% of all the heat from global warming ends up in the oceans. They've warmed enough to constitute 'oceans' in which coral did not evolve for. It's that simple.