>>WE HAD CLIMATE TALKS IN PARIS AND THEY HAVE REACHED A
CONCLUSION. THIS SATURDAY THEY CAME OUT WITH AN AGREEMENT, A 31
PAGE REPORT AS TO THE ACTION THEY WILL TAKE ON CLIMATE
CHANGE. A LOT OF THE LEADERS WERE BULLISH ON IT, INCLUDING
THE LEADER OF FRANCE, FRAN«OIS HOLLANDE. HE SAID --
>> LET'S FIND OUT WHAT IS IN IT.
LET'S GO TO A REPORT FROM THE
HUFFINGTON POST --
>> THAT IS A GREAT START. THIS
IS THE FIRST TIME THEY HAVE GOT
ALL THE COUNTRIES TO AGREE, IN FACT LET ME GIVE YOU SPECIFICS
ABOUT THAT --
>>
THAT IS TERRIFIC, THEY ARE ALSO VERY CLEAR ABOUT WHAT THE
REAL PROBLEM IS. THEY EXPLAIN THAT --
>> THIS IS VERY HEARTENING TO SEE THAT THEY HAVE VERY CLEAR
LANGUAGE IN THIS, AND EVERYONE IS PARTICIPATING. MORE DETAILS
AS TO HOW THEY ARE GOING TO TAKE ACTION --
>>
THAT ALL SOUNDS VERY GOOD. THERE IS A HOWEVER COMING UP,
AND IT IS THIS --
>>
EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE GOOD ASPIRATIONS IN THIS AGREEMENT, A
LOT OF PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED THAT IN REALITY THE NUMBERS THEY PUT
IN THERE GET US TO 2.7 DEGREES, AND 2 DEGREES SCIENTISTS SAY IS
THE MAX. THAT IS A POINT OF CONCERN. BUT MORE GOOD NEWS --
>>
PART OF THE REASON YOU NEED THAT IS THAT GOING TO CLEAN
ENERGY REQUIRES A BIGGER INVESTMENT, BUT IF THE COUNTRY
IS POOR THEY HAVE TROUBLE MUSTERING UP THAT INITIAL
INVESTMENT TO GO TOWARDS SOLAR, WIND, ETC. AND OFTENTIMES POOR
COUNTRIES ARE THE MOST AFFECTED BY CLIMATE CHANGE AS THEY GET
HIT WITH SEVERE STORMS, EITHER DROUGHTS, FLOODS, ETC., IN TERMS
OF THE WEATHER EVENTS. SO THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF PARITY THERE
WHERE THE RICHER COUNTRIES ARE SAYING WE ARE CAUSING MOST OF
THE CLIMATE CHANGE SO WE WILL HELP AMELIORATE SOME OF THE
EFFECTS OF THAT FOR THE POOR COUNTRIES, AND WE WILL HELP THEM
GET CLEANER ENERGY AS WELL. THERE IS A LOT OF GOOD THERE,
BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS WHO ARE
CONCERNED. BILL MCKIBBEN, COFOUNDER OF 350.ORG, ONE OF THE
GUYS WHO HELPED DEFEAT THE KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE, SAID --
>>
MICHAEL MANN, A LEGENDARY SCIENTIST IN THIS ARENA, SAYS --
>> AND JAMES HANSEN, A FORMER NASA SCIENTIST, ANOTHER
LEGENDARY SCIENTIST, IS MUCH HARSHER. HE SAYS --
>> HE
CONTINUES TO SAY --
>> HE GOES ON TO EXPLAIN, LOOK, STILL FOSSIL FUELS ARE THE
CHEAPEST. IF YOU PUT A SIGNIFICANT TAX OR FEE ON MOST
FOSSIL FUELS, THEY WILL NO LONGER BE THE CHEAPEST AND YOU
WOULD HAVE A REAL EFFECT. BUT RIGHT NOW THERE IS NO
SIGNIFICANT PUSH IN THAT DIRECTION AND HE IS SAYING WE
CAN'T GET ABOVE THE TWO DEGREE MARK, THAT IS A REAL NUMBER AND
IT WILL HAVE DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES, SO WE HAVE TO ACT
QUICKER. SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS WEIGHED IN, OBVIOUSLY RUNNING
FOR PRESIDENT HERE IN THE U.S. HE SAID --
>> HE GOES ON TO SAY THAT REPUBLICANS HERE IN THE UNITED
STATES, OF COURSE, ARE WORKING WITH THE FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY
AND BLOCKING ALL CHANGE, WHICH WE WILL GET TO IN A SECOND. BUT
HILLARY CLINTON ALSO WEIGHED IN, ALSO RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT ON
THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE, SHE CALLED IT A HISTORIC STEP FORWARD. SHE
IS MORE BULLISH THAN SENATOR SANDERS IS. FINALLY WE GO TO THE
REPUBLICAN REACTION, AND OF COURSE THIS WILL BE GOOD --
>> IN OTHER WORDS, IF YOU ELECT A REPUBLICAN, ALL THIS IS FOR
NAUGHT. WE WON'T DO ANY OF IT. 190 COUNTRIES AGREED, WHO CARES?
WE ARE REPUBLICANS, AND WE AS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ARE
SIGNING ON TO THIS? AN INTERNATIONAL COMMITMENT? WE
DON'T CARE AT ALL, WE WILL SHRED IT. THAT'S WHAT REPUBLICANS IN
AMERICA BELIEVE. BERNIE SANDERS IS RIGHT, THEY WORK FOR THE OIL
COMPANIES. THEY GET PRIVATE DONATIONS FROM OIL COMPANIES TO
FUND THEIR CAMPAIGNS, 95% OF THE TIME THE GUY WITH MORE MONEY
WINS THE ELECTION BECAUSE THEY USE THAT MONEY TO BUY DECEIVING
POLITICAL ADS, WHICH IS WHAT MITCH MCCONNELL DID IN KENTUCKY
RECENTLY, HE GETS A TON OF MONEY FROM THE FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY,
NOT JUST OIL BUT COAL COMPANIES, AND HE WORKS FOR THEM. ISN'T
THAT AMAZING? IF YOU DON'T LIVE IN AMERICA IT IS HARD TO
BELIEVE. WE HAVE LEGALIZED BRIBERY IN THIS COUNTRY.
INSANITY. AND NOT ONLY DO THEY GET THE BRIBERY IN THE FORM OF
CAMPAIGN DONATIONS AND INDEPENDENT MANAGERS TO MAKE
SURE THEY CAN WIN THE RACE, IF AT SOME POINT THEY WOULD LIKE TO
RETIRE THEY IMMEDIATELY GET HIRED BY ONE OF THESE LOBBIES,
THEN THEY GET DIRECT CASH. LEGALIZED BRIBERY. INSANITY.
LUCKILY THE DEMOCRATS DO NOT AGREE. PRESIDENT OBAMA AND
SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY PUSHED THIS FORWARD AND THEY
BELIEVE IT IS HISTORIC AS WELL. IT IS HARD TO KNOW WHO IS RIGHT
ABOUT THIS, I KNOW REPUBLICANS ARE NOT RIGHT THAT WE NEED TO
SHRED IT, BUT IS BERNIE SANDERS AND JAMES HANSEN RIGHT? THE
CRITICS? OR ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ENTHUSIASTIC RIGHT? I GO TO
ROBERT STAVINS HERE, HARVARD ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS PROGRAM
DIRECTOR, HE SAYS --
>> ONLY 10 TO 20 YEARS FROM NOW, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE IMPLICATIONS,
WILL WE REALLY KNOW. OF COURSE THAT SEEMS WISE. ON THE OTHER
HAND, JAMES HANSEN MIGHT BE RIGHT, WE DON'T HAVE 10 T0 20
YEARS TO SEE HOW IT TURNS OUT, AND BOLDER ACTION TODAY WOULD
HAVE BEEN BETTER. I AM SPLIT. I AGREE, BOLDER ACTION WOULD HAVE
BEEN BETTER. BUT IT IS NOT AN EASY TASK TO GET 190 COUNTRIES
TO AGREE, COUNTRIES THAT OFTENTIMES DISAGREE WILDLY ON
DIFFERENT THINGS. RUSSIA, U.S., ARAB COUNTRIES, CHINA, YOU NAME
IT. EUROPE. THEY ALL AGREED. SO IT IS A STEP FORWARD. HOW MUCH
OF A DIFFERENCE IT MAKES, ONLY TIME WILL TELL.