senator Bernie Sanders in the studio live with us senator Sanders
great to have you with us great to see you great to be here with you tom
thank you so much %uh what I wanted to ask you your thoughts 90
I believe that you are Barbara Boxer worked on this on legislation
about putting a price on carbon well how do we do that why do we need to do that
well why is obvious the scientific community
is very very clear a climate change
Israel climate change is caused by human activity
climate change is already causing devastating problems
in our country around the world and what the scientists tell us very alarming
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if we do not get our act together if we got do not transform our energy system
away from fossil fuel
art energy efficiency and sustainable energy the future
of this planet for our kids and grandchildren a great range
great-grandchildren is very dubious so clearly we have to act we have to act in
a bold way
one of the immediate actions that has to be taken
is a tax on carbon and senator Boxer I have introduced legislation to do just
that
it would be twenty dollars up ripon of carbon
art that amount we go up about five and a half percent
a year are we are going to do it in a way that impacts you within 3
thousand out the most significant
fossil fuel polluters in the country and the reason you do it
is people should not have the freedom quote-unquote
to destroy the planet they should not have the freedom
to produce an enormous amount of carbon dioxide
which results in warming the planet which results in massive devastation
are throttle country and the world they cannot continue to be able to do that
with impunity
and this is one important vehicle the other mechanism that we need of course
is as we transform our energy system we've gotta focus
on energy efficiency and weatherization we have the technology to do
huge things in that way and by the way Tom when you do that
not only do you cut carbon emissions you also save my people money on the few
bills
you know what I should do you create millions of jobs and the other thing we
have to do is develop an increase
our utilization of such sustainable energy users
wind solar geothermal biomass we are making progress
but given the severity of the problem right now we're not moving
fast enough so we lookin and a fight to save this planet and we have got to be
bold we have got to be aggressive last point but i wanna make
you know you and I know a whole lot of people have different points of view
what we do and our thats call democracy and that's fine
but I find it real the frightening
that we have a major political party in this country today
it has rejected the sites overwhelming science
regarding climate change now these guys don't tell you that they're objecting to
a research in cancer research and heart disease
but somehow or or another when there is research which offends the fossil fuel
industry and Big Oil and bacall in the Copelands
people who among other things but you japan's money
in the campaign's and political donations somehow
they reject that science and that is very very frightening and the american
people have gone awry some say
we can disagree about this we can disagree about that but about public
policy is not based
on sites and what sort of but wasn't me
what are your thoughts a carbon tax
is just a straight carbon tax what are your thoughts on this fee
and rebate program is sort of modeled after the Alaska Permanent Fund I guess
where the
there's a fee but all of the money comes in actually goes back to the people
trawl
I mean in our legislation we have a substantial amount of money that goes
into weatherization there we are wasting
billions and billions of dollars I just in having
the energy going through walls and a rose want to deal with that
are we want to invest in new technology for solar wind geothermal biomass but
significantly in this legislation a very large sum goes back directly to people
who may have to pay
short term at least by a few bills so
we are protecting those people who might be hurt
we are encouraging in a significant way
are the solo weaned industry geothermal industry to become
more productive to lower their prices and we're gonna make
sure that millions of people can cut all the energy that they utilize
yeah it's marvelous way what's your sensitive
where congress is out on this well
again you have a Republican Party that is
you know what I disagree with republicans on almost every issue
but on this issue to reject science is incomprehensible look
the next if the Republicans gain control of the Senate
you know the new chairman of the Environmental Committee will be the
gentleman who will have oversight
dealing with climate change it'll be german of
and senator enough a vocal homo wrote a book I think it's called the hopes the
great hope someone but
he believes the climate change is a Oaks perpetrated by al gore the United
Nations
and hollywood i think thats those who the perpetrators he is going to be the
government sharing the Environmental Committee
if Republicans gain control of the Senate so you that's where we are with
those guys
on the other hand what I can tell you is that among
the American people more and more see with their own eyes
what's happening in their communities you know people used to go ice fishing
can go ice fishing anymore
people as we used to go catch fish professional commercial fishermen
see what's happening to the fishing stock people can see what's happening to
glaciers
all over the world are so more more people
see the damage are and especially young people
are demanding action so the momentum is clearly
with us are and we just gotta stick it to these guys
and make sure that they addressed the scientific realities
of the day in the in the final minute we have to think there's any
hope for things being done at state level thanks what
when you have a congress which is this functional when you have a Republican
Party
tries to obstruct every significant piece of legislation
we are left with the state's being bold and aggressive
and I can tell you that in vermont all we are moving
done as aggressively as I want but pretty strongly in terms of whether
arising many many many thousands of homes
we are moving into solar in a big way wind our geothermal
but we need to do more look there he is the scientific community
people who knows boast about us telling us we r
telling us that we are in a crisis situation
and what's at stake is nothing less than the planet we're gonna leave appeared
but we have got to be incredibly bold and gonna fight
particular cream Canterbury Sanders thanks so much for being with us sir
break up