THE FLOODING IS VERY MUCH OVER THE NORMAL ESPECIALLY IN
CHARLESTON.
CHARLESTON. AND SO WE HAVE THIS REPORT.
>> THIS IS THE REMNANTS OF THE
MOST RECENT FLOODING, AND PART
OF THE FLOATING DOCK IS STILL
HERE.
HERE. THIS IS FROM HURRICANE MATTHEW
THAT WASHED UP ON SHORE.
WE HAVE EVIDENCE THAT THERE IS A
PROBLEM HERE.
PROBLEM HERE. >> LISA SAVIDGE LIVES JUST
OUTSIDE OF THE AREA HERE, AND IT
IS CALLED THE GROUND ZERO OF
CHIMT CHANGE.
CHIMT CHANGE. >> THE FLOODING IS
UNPRECEDENTED.
UNPRECEDENTED. >> HOW DO PEOPLE APPROACH THE
TOPIC OF CLIMATE CHANGE AROUND
HERE?
HERE? >> VERY GINGERLY.
SOME PEOPLE TALK ABOUT FLOODING,
BUT THEY DON’T WANT TO RELATE IT
BACK TO CLIMATE CHANGE.
>> IT SEEMS THAT YOU ARE
INVESTING IN MANY AREAS OF THE
NEIGHBORHOOD.
NEIGHBORHOOD. >> YES.
>> YES. PEOPLE HAVE ABSOLUTELY LOST
THEIR HOMES.
THEIR HOMES. >> CHARLESTON EXPERIENCED A
RECORD-BREAKING 50 DAYS OF HIGH
TIDE FLOODS.
TIDE FLOODS. THE CITY COULD SEE 180 DAYS OF
NEEDING A YEAR.
BUT EVEN THOUGH CHARLESTON IS
SEEING THE EFFECTS OF THE
CLIMATE CHANGE, TALKING ABOUT IT
IS A DIFFERENT STORY.
AND THAT IS THANKS TO POLITICS.
HOW DO YOU A PROBLEM THAT YOU
CAN’T TALK ABOUT?
TERMINOLOGY IS A STICKING POINT
FROM THE START.
THE GO-TO WAS GLOBAL WARMING,
BUT IT CHANGED TO THIS GUY, A
CONSERVATIVE STRATEGIST.
CONSERVATIVE STRATEGIST. IN 2002, HE PUTS REPUBLICANS TO
USE TERM CLIMATE CHANGE, AND TO
REDEFINE THE ENVIRONMENTAL
DEBATE, AND HIS RESEARCH SHOWED
THAT CLIMATE CHANGE SEEMED LESS
FRIGHTENING THAN GLOBAL WARMING,
AND HE SINCE DOES NOT LIKE THE
TERM, BUT IT HAS BEEN EMBRACED
BY DEMOCRATS.
BY DEMOCRATS. >> THIS IS THE MOST
COMPREHENSIVE CLIMATE CHANGE
PLATFORM OF ANY CANDIDATE.
>> IN CHARLESTON, BOTH OF THE
PARTIES ARE TAKING SHAUNG.
IT IS WHEN YOU BRING THE MAN PIX
INTO THE MIX THINGS GET
COMPLICATED.
COMPLICATED. >> DO YOU BELIEVE IN GLOBAL
WARMING OR THE COST?
>> WELL, IT IS GETTING WARMER,
AND THE DEFINITION OF GLOBAL
WARMING, AND THE WATER IS COMING
UP.
UP. >> WHY IS THAT.
>> THE WATER IS COMING UP.
>> THAT IS HENRY McMASTER, THE
REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR OF SOUTH
CAROLINA.
CAROLINA. LAST YEAR HE LAUNCHED A
COMMISSION TO COMBAT THE STATE’S
FLOODING PROBLEM.
FLOODING PROBLEM. AND THIS IS A CONSERVATIVE
LAWYER WHO HELPED TO GET THE
TASK FORCE.
TASK FORCE. >> WE TALK ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE,
AND INTERNAL ISSUES.
>> TO YOU THINK THAT THE NAME IS
A DISTRACTION.
A DISTRACTION. >> Y YES.
>> Y YES. I DON’T CALL IT IS A CLIMATE
CHANGE, BUT I CALL IT A CHANGE
IN THE CLIMATE HERE.
>> AND IS THAT IS TURNING PEOPLE
OFF WHEN THEY LOOK AT GLOBAL
WARMING.
WARMING. >> I THINK THEY THINK THAT IF IT
IS A GLOBAL CONVERSATION, YOU
WILL LOSE MANY OF THEM.
>> SO THEY HAVE STARTED TO ADOPT
CLIMATE CRISIS.
CLIMATE CRISIS. >> CLIMATE CRISIS.
>> BUT IT IS NOT A MAIN STAY YET
EVEN IN SOUTH CAROLINA EVEN
THOUGH THE CRISIS MAY BE THE
BEST WAY TO DESCRIBE WHAT
HAPPENED HERE.
HAPPENED HERE. >> THIS IS THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER AND
WE EAT HERE AND SLEEP HERE NO
MATTER WHAT.
MATTER WHAT. >> HE IS TALKING ABOUT THE TIMES
HERE.
HERE. >> THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE
HAVE TO DEAL WITH ON A REGULAR
DAY.
DAY. >> THIS STREET IS SUBMERGED
UNDERWATER, AND THE RAIN IS
RELENTLESS.
RELENTLESS. >> WE ARE IN THE HEART OF THE
MEDICAL DISTRICT, AND SOMETIMES
THEY HAVE TO FLY DOCTORS AND
SURGEONS FROM ONE BUILDING TO
ANOTHER.
ANOTHER. >> THIS IS A CONGRESSMAN WHO
REPRESENTS HALF OF THE STATE’S
COASTLINE AND HE HAS LIVED IN A
RED DISTRICT THAT HAS NOT GONE
BLEW IN 40 YEARS.
>> THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT IS
A PROBLEM, FLOODING, BUT THESE
EFFECT EVERY SINGLE PERSON,
REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT.
>> HE TOOK ME TO SEE THE SEA
WALL, AND SOMETHING THAT THE
CITY WANTS TO EXPAND.
>> BECAUSE OF TO SE LEVEL, AND
YOU WANT TO LISTEN TO THE
SCIENCE AND WE DO, IT IS ALL
CAUSED BY THE CHANGING SCIENCE.
>> WHEN YOU HAVE THAT ACROSS THE
SPECTRUM, DO YOU TALK ABOUT IT?
>> WELL, DOI, AND NOT EVERYBODY
AGREES, BUT EVERYBODY IS
AGREEING THAT IT IS THE FLOODING
HERE AND IT IS GETTING WORSE AND
YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT
IT.
IT. >> IF PEOPLE ARE TAKING ACTION
TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM, DOES
IT MATTER WHAT YOU CALL IT?
>> NAMES DETERMINE WHAT IS GOING
ON.
ON. >> THIS IS GEORGE A PROFESSOR
EMERITUS AT UC-BERKELEY.
PAUSE IT IS SO OFF-PUTTING, DOES
CLIMATE CHANGE NEED A NEW BRAND.
>> IT SHOULD BE CALLED GLOBAL
HEATING.
HEATING. >> AND THE ISSUE IS THAT PEOPLE
ARE TURNING OFF THE EXTREME
NARRATIVE AND THEY WILL URN
TOUGH WHAT THEY CAN’T COME INTO
GRIPS WITH.
GRIPS WITH. >> URGENCY IS STATE OF
IMPORTANCE.
IMPORTANCE. >> YES, IN SOUTH CAROLINA, THAT
IS WHAT IS WHEN YOU CAN’T TALK
ABOUT IT COLLECTIVELY, RIGHT.
>> YES, IN SOME INSTANCES, YOU
WILL WANT TO PUT IT ON THE AIR.
I KNOW THAT I AM ABOUT TO GET
TIRED, BECAUSE THE STATE OF THE
CLIMATE IS NOT CHANGING IS
OUTRAGEOUS, AND INDEFENSIBLE
POSITION.
POSITION. >> WHY WOULD YOU GET TIRED FOR
SAYING THAT?
SAYING THAT? SOME PEOPLE STILL SAY THAT.
>> AND YOU THINK THAT YOU ARE
GOING TO BE IN TROUBLE?
>> WELL, I HAVE TO BE FACETIOUS,
AND YOU HAVE TO MOVE ALONG TO
MAKE IT MORE INTERESTING.
>> WE ARE SEEING IT ON A SCALE
THAT WE ARE NOT SEEING
NATIONALLY, AND IT SHOWED THAT
ALMOST HALF OF THE AMERICANS SEE
CLIMATE CHANGE AS A MEANS OR
THREAT AND PARTICULARLY AMONG
THE REPUBLICANS.
THE REPUBLICANS. >> BUT HERE, THAT THREAT IS NOT
A HYPOTHETICAL ANYMORE.
YOU COME FROM A CONSERVATIVE
BACKGROUND, AND WHEN DID YOU SEE
THIS
THIS THIS?
THIS? >> WHEN MY CHILDREN CAME TO ME
AND SAID THAT YOU CANNOT BE A
CLIMATE CHANGE DENYIER.
AND I SAY, NO IT HAS BEEN
CHANGING, AND IT SAYS IN THE
BIBLE THAT IT IS WILLING TO PAY,
AND I HAVE NOT FELT BUT IT IS
HUMAN CAUSED.
HUMAN CAUSED. IT IS SCARY.
PART OF THAT WORD IS CONSERVING,
SO IT MAKES SENSE TO WANT TO
CONSERVE THE ENVIRONMENT.
>> IT IS A TOUGH SITUATION HERE,
BUT PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO HAVE
IT.
IT. THEY HAVE TO.
>> IT IS SOMETHING THAT IS NOT
GOING TO GO AWAY, AND WE HAVE