THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
IT’S GOOD TO BE HERE.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
SO STARTING ON RACIAL JUSTICE,
WHEN YOU SEE EVERYTHING
HAPPENING, WHAT WE JUST SAW
THERE IN WISCONSIN, WHAT IS
IMPORTANT FROM YOUR WORK ABOUT
COUNTERING THAT?
>> WELL, EXACTLY WHAT THE BOOK
SAYS.
SUPERMAN IS NOT COMING.
WE DO SEE ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM
AND THEY OFTENTIMES BEAR THE
BRUNT OF THE ISSUE.
AND IT DEFINITELY TAKES LONGER
TO FIX.
BUT WE’RE SEEING IT EVERYWHERE.
AND I THINK THAT’S ONE THING
THAT’S HAPPENING AS WE’RE WAKING
UP AND YOU’RE WATCHING THIS WAT
UNFOLD.
IT HAS BEEN YEARS OF NO ACTION.
THEY HAVE FELT THEY CAN’T SPEAK
UP.
THEY’VE BEEN SUPPRESSED BACK NOT
TO SPEAK UP.
THERE’S BEEN SOCIOECONOMIC
FACTORS.
THERE’S BEEN DECEPTIONS.
THERE’S THE IDEA THAT THEY’RE
GOING TO GO AWAY, AND THEY’VE
BEEN OVERLOOKED AND WE ARE NOT
LISTENING, AND I THINK WE’RE AT
A MOMENT WHERE WE ARE SEEING IT,
ACKNOWLEDGING IT, SPEAKING OUT
AGAINST IT.
AND UP FOR IT, AND GETTING RIGHT
DOWN TO WE, THE PEOPLE.
WHERE IF THIS ISN’T GOING TO GET
DONE, WE HAVE TO ACT.
WE HAVE TO GET INVOLVED.
WE HAVE TO JOIN TOGETHER.
AND WE HAVE TO MAKE A CHANGE.
>> HOW MUCH OF ENVIRONMENTAL
JUSTICE IN TODAY’S GLOBAL WORLD
REQUIRES PEOPLE UNDERSTANDING
AND REGULATING WHAT
INTERNATIONAL CORPORATIONS DO?
BECAUSE SOME OF THEM ARE AS
POWERFUL AS COUNTRIES, IF NOT
MORE SO.
THEY HAVE THEIR OWN FOREIGN
POLICY.
AND PART OF THE ARGUMENT YOU AND
OTHERS HAVE ALLUDED TO, YES,
THEY MAKE MONEY AND EMPLOY
PEOPLE AND PEOPLE NEED JOBS.
BUT SOMETIMES WHAT THEY DO IS
EXTERNALIZE THEIR COSTS, SO WE
READ ABOUT THIS SETTLEMENT OR
WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE PEOPLE
WHOLE AND SOMETIMES TAXPAYERS
FOOT THE BILL FOR THAT LATER,
WHILE IN THE SHORT RUN THE
CORPORATION SAYS LOOK HOW MUCH
MONEY WE MADE.
>> CORRECT.
AND YOU KNOW, WE OFTEN TALK
ABOUT WE NEED -- WE’RE DOING
THINGS KIND OF ASS BACKWARDS
THAT WAY IF YOU WILL, AND WE
NEED TO LOOK AT THE NEW BUSINESS
MODELS, IF YOU WILL.
THE IDEA YOU HAVE TO DO IT THE
WAY YOU DO IT IN ORDER TO MAKE
BUSINESS IS RIDICULOUS, BECAUSE
THE ENVIRONMENT IS BEING
DEGRADED, PEOPLE ARE BEING
HARMED, OUR HEALTH IS SUFFERING.
WE HAVE TO START PUTTING
INFRASTRUCTURE, SAFETY, AND
PEOPLE FIRST.
AND WHEN YOU DO THAT, I THINK
THERE’S THIS IDEA THAT IF YOU
DON’T DO THAT, YOU DON’T MAKE
MONEY, WHICH IS RIDICULOUS.
I THINK THAT IS LIKE THE GIG IS
UP.
WE’RE ALL STARTING TO SEE WHAT
IS HAPPENING.
AND IT’S A BUSINESS MODEL THAT
DOESN’T SERVE ANY OF US MOVING
FORWARD INTO THE FUTURE.
AND WE’VE NEGLECTED PUTTING OUR
MONEY FIRST IN INFRASTRUCTURE,
SAFETY, AND PEOPLE AND DOWN THE
LINE CREATING HORRIFIC
SCENARIOS, HUGE LAWSUITS AND
BILLIONS AND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS
THAT YOU HAVE GONE IN ON THE
UPFRONT FOR INFRASTRUCTURE
SAFETY AND PEOPLE FIRST.
>> UNDERSTOOD.
POLITICALLY, OF COURSE, WE ALL
KNOW HOW POLARIZED SO MANY
THINGS ARE.
BUT IT’S USEFUL TO REMEMBER THAT
THERE WERE PRESIDENTS WHO HAPPEN
TO BE REPUBLICANS THAT DID A LOT
FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND
CONSERVATION, ROOSEVELT, NIXON.
>> YES, YES.
>> AND THERE’S NOTHING
AUTOMATICALLY CONSERVATIVE OR
RIGHT WING ABOUT BEING AGAINST
CONSERVATION OR THE GLOBE.
TAKE A LOOK AT NIXON COMPARED TO
TODAY.
>> WE CAN NO LONGER AFFORD TO
CONSIDER AIR AND WATER COMMON
PROPERTY.
FREE TO BE ABUSED BY ANYONE
WITHOUT REGARD TO THE
CONSEQUENCES.
INSTEAD, WE SHOULD BEGIN TO
TREAT THEM AS SCARCE RESOURCES,
WHICH WE ARE NO MORE FREE TO
CONTAMINATE THAN WE ARE FREE TO
THROW GARBAGE INTO OUR
NEIGHBOR’S YARD.
>> PARIS CLIMATE ACCORD, WHICH
WAS UNBELIEVABLY EXPENSIVE TO
OUR COUNTRY, WOULD HAVE CRUSHED
AMERICAN MANUFACTURERS.
WE STOPPED TO EGREGIOUS ABUSE OF
THE CLEAN WATER ACT, WHICH HAS
SHUT DOWN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
ACROSS OUR COUNTRY.
>> WHAT DO YOU SEE THERE IN THAT
EVOLUTION?
>> WE TALK ABOUT THAT SPEECH IN
MY BOOK, SUPERMAN’S NOT COMING,
AND I DON’T UNDERSTAND THE
POLITICS OF IT REALLY DRIVES ME
CRAZY.
I WAS ACTUALLY RAISED BY A
REPUBLICAN MAN WHO WORKED FOR
INDUSTRY AND TAUGHT ME THE VERY
VALUE OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND
WATER AND CLEAN AIR.
IT’S LIKE THE PARTY HAS MOVED
AWAY FROM THAT.
THIS SHOULD BE BOTH SIDE OF THE
ISLE’S ISSUE FOR THE COMMON GOOD
FOR ALL OF US.
THE POLITIC MAKES A BIG, BIG
PROBLEM IN GETTING THAT MESSAGE
OUT.
AND WE HAVE MADE SOME TERRIBLE
ENVIRONMENTAL MOVES, LEAVING THE
PARIS CLIMATE ACCORD, ROLLING
BACK REGULATIONS, AND THE SPLIT.
WE HAVE SOMEHOW GOT TO COME BACK
TO THAT MIDDLE AGAIN WHERE WE
RESPECT, ESPECIALLY ON THE
ISSUES OF WATER AND AIR FOR NOT
ONLY EVERYBODY HERE IN OUR
COUNTRY, BUT ON THIS ENTIRE
PLANET THAT WE ALL CALL HOME.
AND’9" IS IN PERIL.
EVERY ONE OF US IS EXPERIENCING
AND SEEING WHAT’S HAPPENING.
WITH BACK-TO-BACK HURRICANES,
MORE FLOODING, RISING SEA
LEVELS, DROUGHT ON THE WEST
COAST, MORE FIRES BURNING HOT.
I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY BOTH
SIDES OF THE AISLE PUT DOWN THE
FIGHT, GET BACK TO YOUR JOB, GET
TO THE BUSINESS AT HAND, OF THE
ENVIRONMENT, WHICH ALL OF IT
CANNOT BE SUSTAINED WITHOUT.
>> RIGHT.