FEDERAL GAS DRILLING ONLINE.
JOHN KERRY WILL BE JOINING THE
WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING ANY MINUTE
TO REVIEW THE ADMINISTRATION’S
MOVES.
>>> JOINING ME, FORMER
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR OF
CALIFORNIA, JERRY BROWN, CLIMATE
ACTIVIST, KNOWN FOR HIS GLOBAL
LEADERSHIP ON THIS.
GREAT TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
PRESIDENT BIDEN IS ALSO --
>> GREAT TO SEE YOU.
>> -- DIRECTING THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT TO CONSERVE AT LEAST
30% OF LAND OVER ABOUT A DECADE.
IS THAT AN AGGRESSIVE ENOUGH
POSTURE TO TAKE FOR THE U.S.
RIGHT NOW?
>> WELL, IT’S A GOOD FIRST STEP
BECAUSE FOR FOUR YEARS AMERICA
HAS DONE KNOCK.
SO ULTIMATELY, SOME PEOPLE LIKE
IAN WILSON FROM HARVARD, SAYS WE
MUST SET ASIDE AS PEOPLE 50%.
BUT GOOD, TAKE THE NEXT STEP,
BECAUSE WE’VE BEEN IN THE
CLIMATE WILDERNESS FOR TOO LONG.
AND THE CO2, THE GREEN HOUSE
GASES, ARE STILL EMITTING,
COMING OUT OF CHINA, THE U.S.,
AND THE REST OF THE WORLD.
DAMN SERIOUS.
EVEN THE PLAGUE ITSELF, THIS
VIRUS, IS EXACERBATED BY CHANGES
IN THE CLIMATE.
AND THERE COULD BE MORE VIRUSES
TO COME.
AND WHEN YOU SEE THE RESPONSE,
INADEQUATE THEY THINK IT IS, WE
HAVE TO GET VERY SERIOUS ABOUT
REDUCING THE ASSAULT ON THE
ATMOSPHERE THAT CURRENTLY IS
OCCURRING EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY
DAY GOING FORWARD THROUGH A
CHANGE.
>> AND THERE’S A BRAND-NEW U.N.
POLL BEARING OUT EXACTLY WHAT
YOU’RE SAYING SHOWING THAT 64%
OF PEOPLE GLOBALLY SAY CLIMATE
CHANGE IS A PRESSING EMERGENCY.
EXPLAIN WHY IT SHOULD BE AS THE
PRESIDENT IS DEFINING IT TODAY
IN EXECUTIVE ORDER A NATIONAL
SECURITY ISSUE.
>> LOOK, THE WORLD FOR THOUSANDS
OF YEARS HAD ABOUT A BILLION
PEOPLE.
NOW WE’RE CLOSE TO 8 BILLION AND
GROWING.
NOT ONLY BILLIONS OF PEOPLE BUT
WE HAVE COAL, OIL, AND GAS
METHANE THAT ARE EMITTING, GOING
INTO THE ATMOSPHERE AND CHANGING
THE CHEMISTRY THAT HAS SUSTAINED
HUMAN EXISTENCE AND BIOLOGICAL
LIFE ON THE PLANET, IN THE
WORLD.
WE ARE PLAY INGING WITH GREAT
DANGER.
WE’RE ALTERING THE CHEMISTRY
THAT MAKES LIFE POSSIBLE.
SO, YES, WE HAVE TO GET MORE
CONSERVATIVE, MORE REALISTIC,
AND REDUCE THE HUMAN ASSAULT ON
THE VERY ATMOSPHERE AND THE VERY
SYSTEMS THAT ALLOW HUMAN BEINGS
TO EXIST.
SO THAT’S WHAT’S AT STAKE.
BIDEN IS TAKING MORE ACTION THAN
ANY OTHER LEADER OF AMERICA EVER
AND MORE THAN MOST OF THE
LEADERS OF THE REST OF THE
WORLD.
SO THIS IS REALLY GOOD NEWS.
BUT TO MAKE IT REALLY WORK, WE
HAVE TO WORK WITH CHINA, AND WE
HAVE LOTS OF ISSUES WITH CHINA,
JUST LIKE ON THE MATTER OF THE
NUCLEAR DANGER, WE HAVE TO WORK
WITH PUTIN AND RUSSIA.
WE HAVE TO WORK VERY CLOSELY.
SO THAT’S THE DILEMMA.
WE HAVE LOTS OF WHAT I WOULD
CALL SMALLER PROBLEMS BUT WE
HAVE TO FACE THESE BIGGER
PROBLEMS LIKE CLIMATE, LIKE
NUCLEAR DANGER, IN A VERY
SERIOUS WAY WITH PEOPLE THAT
WERE THAT WE’RE INCREASINGLY
CALLING OUR ADVERSARIES.
>> AND THAT’S THE BALANCING ACT
THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN IS GOING TO
HAVE TO NAVIGATE.
YOU’RE SO RIGHT.
WHAT DOES HE SAY TO REPUBLICANS
AND SOME DEMOCRATS THAT THESE
MOVES ON CLIMATE ARE GOING TO
KILL JOBS?
>> WELL, HE JUST SAYS YOU DON’T
KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOU’RE
TALKING ABOUT.
IF WE DON’T ALTER THE
HEAT-TRAPPING GASES THAT ARE NOW
GOING UP EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY
DAY, WE’RE GOING TO HAVE A
MASSIVE JOB LOSS BECAUSE THE
BASIS OF OUR ECONOMY IS THE
PRODUCTION OF AGRICULTURE.
IT’S THE ABSENCE OF THESE
TROPICAL DISEASES IN NORTHERN
CLIMATES.
SO IT’S NOT A QUESTION OF LOSING
JOBS.
IT’S A QUESTION OF PREVENTING A
JOB CATASTROPHE.
SO THE REPUBLICANS, LIKE THEY
ARE ON WHO WON THE ELECTION, ARE
ALL WET.
THEY’VE GOT THEIR HEADS IN THE
SAND.
IT’S QUITE EXTRAORDINARY.
BUT BIDEN IS GOING TO HAVE TO
TALK TRUTH TO THE REPUBLICANS AS
HE IS TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
WE SAVE JOBS BY GOING THROUGH
ENERGY, REDUCING HEAT-TRAPPING
GAS, NOT INCREASING THEM, AND
THAT’S JUST THE WAY IT IS.
HIS JOBS PROGRAM, THE
INVESTMENT, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND
HIS CLIMATE PROGRAM ARE LONG
OVERDUE.
THEY’RE GREAT.
AND I THINK WE’RE GOING TO GET
AS MUCH SUPPORT FROM BIDEN --
WELL, WE MUST.
IF WE DON’T, WE’RE IN DEEP
TROUBLE.
AND THE REPUBLICANS, LIKE THEY
SAY, TRUMP WON THE ELECTION,
THEY’RE OUT TO LUNCH.
HALF OF THEM ARE CYNICAL AS
HELL.
THE REST OF THEM ARE DUMB AS
DOO-DOO.
AND BIDEN, COMMON SENSE, BEEN
AROUND FOREVER, KNOW WHAT IS THE
HELL THE SCORE IS.
HE’S A BREATH OF FRESH AIR.
THANK GOD WE’VE GOT HIM.
>> DURING THE CAMPAIGN, HE HAD
TO STRADDLE THE FRACKING ISSUE
BECAUSE OF PENNSYLVANIA AND
OTHER CRITICAL STATES.
HOW DOES HE DEAL WITH A COAL
STATE SENATOR LIKE JOE MANCHIN,
A DEMOCRAT WHO HAS SHIFTED HIS
VIEWS, FORMER GOVERNOR, SHIFTED
HIS VIEWS ON CLIMATE, STILL
HOLDS A KEY VOTE IN ADVANCING
THE PRESIDENT’S AGENDA IN A
50/50 SENATE.
>> GREAT PROBLEM.
BIDEN’S GOT A PROBLEM BECAUSE
COAL AND OIL AND GAS HAVE A LOT
OF POWER IN THE WORLD.
BY THE WAY, PRESIDENT XI IN
CHINA HAS HIS COAL AND OIL
COMMUNISTS.
THEY WANT TO KEEP PUMPING.
THEY WANT TO KEEP DIGGING.
THE FACT IS WE HAVE TO GO TO A
RADICALLY DIFFERENT BASIS FOR
OUR ENERGY ECONOMY.
YEAH, BIDEN WILL HAVE TROUBLE
GETTING THAT VOTE.
HE MAY NOT GET IT.
MAY TAKE ANOTHER TWO YEARS TO
GET MORE SENATORS.
BUT ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, WE’RE
GOING TO RESPOND BECAUSE THE
CLIMATE IS CHANGING SUCH, THE
SEA LEVEL IS RISING, AND PEOPLE
WILL INCREASINGLY WAKE UP.
HOW MUCH BIDEN CAN DO, NOT CLEAR
YET.
ONE THING WE KNOW, HE’LL DO A
HELL OF A LOT MORE THAN DONALD
TRUMP.
HE’LL DO MORE.
ENOUGH, PROBABLY NOT.
IN FACT, CERTAINLY NOT.
BUT WE HAVE TO BUILD THE
SUPPORT.
THE MEDIA HAS TO TAKE CLIMATE
SERIOUSLY.
AND AS PEOPLE GET THE MESSAGE,
THEN AMERICA, CHINA, RUSSIA,
INDIA, THE WORLD WILL MAKE THE
CHANGE THAT WE HAVE TO A
NET-ZERO CARBON EMISSION
ECONOMY.