>>> IS THAT RARE GOOD NEWS I Always Discreet Boutique.
>>> IS THAT RARE GOOD NEWS I
SPOT ON THE GLOBAL HORIZON?
PLEDGING TO WORK TOGETHER TO
ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE.
IT COMES AS PRESIDENT PRESSED 14
WORLD LEADERS AT A VIRTUAL
CLIMATE SUMMIT ON THURSDAY.
BIDEN TOOK EXECUTIVE ACTION TO
BRING THE U.S. BACK INTO THE
PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT TO STOP
THE KEYSTONE PIPELINE AND PAUSE
OIL AND GAS LEASING.
CRITICS SAY IT’S NOT ENOUGH,
GIVEN THE SCALE OF THE
CHALLENGE.
ONE PERSON WHO IS VERY CONCERNED
THAT WE DON’T TAKE CLIMATE
CHANGE SERIOUSLY ENOUGH IS NOAM
CHOMSKY, RENOWNED CRITIC OF
PRESIDENTS DRLTIC AND
REPUBLICAN, A POLITICAL
INTELLECTUAL AND ACTIVIST,
CO-AUTHOR OF "CLIMATE CRISIS AND
THE GLOBAL GREEN NEW DEAL" AND
"CHOMSKY FOR ACTIVISTS."
I SPOKE TO HIM EARLIER TODAY.
N
NOAM CHOMSKY, THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR COMING ON THE SHOW TONIGHT.
LET ME START BY ASKING YOU THIS.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF JOE BIDEN’S
PRESIDENCY SO FAR AS WE APPROACH
THE 100-DAY MARK?
HAS IT SURPRISED YOU?
>> ON THE DOMESTIC FRONT, I
THINK I AM SURPRISED.
IT’S BETTER THAN I EXPECTED.
IN FACT, QUITE REASONABLE,
PARTICULARLY, CONSIDERING THE
NATURE OF THE OPPOSITION.
ON FOREIGN POLICY, I THINK IT’S
PRETTY DANGEROUS.
A LOT TO BE DESIRED.
>> YEAH.
I WANT TO ABOUT AFGHANISTAN FORE
POLICY LATER WITH YOU IN THE
INTERVIEW.
FOR NOW LET’S TALK ABOUT CLIMATE
CHANGE WHICH IS A FOREIGN POLICY
AND DOMESTIC POLICY, AND JOE
BIDEN IS TRYING TO GET THE
CHINESE AND OTHER BIG CARBON
EMITTERS ONBOARD.
WHAT DOES HE NEED TO DO IN YOUR VIEW?
>> WELL, TO SAY TO BRING OTHERS
ONBOARD IS A LITTLE MISLEADING.
WE HAVE TO BRING OURSELVES
ONBOARD.
THE LAST YEARS THE UNITED STATES
HAS BEEN AN OUTLIER MOVING
RADICALLY IN THE WRONG
DIRECTION, SO YES, WE HAVE TO
GET BACK ONBOARD.
BIDEN’S PROGRAM IS -- IT’S THE
BEST THAT HAS YET BEEN PROPOSED
BY ANY PRESIDENT, ANY -- IT’S A
MOVE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
PRIMARILY, I THINK, THANKS TO
THE EXTENSIVE PRESSURES OF
ACTIVIST MOVEMENTS WHICH HAVE
MADE AN EFFECT.
THERE’S A RESISTANCE FROM THE
MAINSTREAM DEMOCRATS, THEY DON’T
WANT TO GO FAR ENOUGH AND HE HAS
NOT GONE FAR ENOUGH.
IT HAS TO BE IMPROVED BUT IT HAS
GOT THE RIGHT OBJECTIVES AND IF
IT’S MODIFIED IN A WAY WHICH CAN
ACHIEVE THOSE OBJECTIVES IT WILL
BE VERY IMPORTANT, AND IN FACT
CRUCIAL FOR HUMAN SURVIVAL.
>> I WILL ASK YOU A QUESTION
THAT I ASKED ON THIS SHOW, IF
JOE BIDEN WAVED A WAND AND SAID
I WILL RING YOU OCCUPY CLIMATE
CHANGE, AND WHAT IS THE ONE
THING YOU WOULD ADVICE HIM TO
DO?
>> TAKE DIRECT STEPS TO BEGIN
THE ELIMINATION OF FOSSIL FUELS
AT A PACE WHICH WILL REMOVE THEM
COMPLETELY BY MID CENTURY.
THAT’S THE GOAL.
AND ALSO PUT INTO OPERATION
OTHER PLANS, A WHOLE VARIETY OF
THEM, NO TIME TO TALK ABOUT
THEM, AND THAT WOULD HELP
EXPEDITE THIS MOVE, AND HE CAN
DO VERY SIMPLE THINGS RIGHT AWAY
AND ENSURE THAT, SAY, FRACKING
IS NOW INCREASING WITH THE RISE
OF OIL PRICES AND THE FRACKING
OPERATIONS ARE KEEPING TO
TRUMP’S DEREGULATION, MEANING
ALLOWING METHANE TO ESCAPE INTO
THE ATMOSPHERE WHICH THEY KNOW
EXACTLY HOW TO STOP BUT IT’S A
LITTLE MORE PREFERABLE TO DO IT,
TO STOP THAT AND BEGIN THE
PROGRAM OF MOVING TOWARDS
EFFICIENT MASS TRANSPORTATION
AND RECONSTRUCTION OF CITIES,
NECESSARILY, AND RETRAINING OF
OIL WORKERS FOR OTHER JOBS, A
WHOLE VARIETY OF THINGS CAN BE
DONE.
THE MAIN THING IS STOP THE USE
OF FOSSIL FUELS STEP BY STEP
EVERY YEAR AND TERMINATE IT BY
2050.
>> THERE’S SOME ON THE LEFT THAT
TAKE A BOTH SIDES APPROACH TO
DEMOCRATICS AND REPUBLICANS, AND
THEY ARE BOTH EQUALLY BAD.
YOU DON’T, YOU TOLD PEOPLE TO
VOTE FOR BIDEN IN THE LESSER OF
TWO EVILS LASTS YEAR, AND YOU
CALLED THE REPUBLICAN PARTY THE
MOST DANGEROUS ORGANIZATION IN
HUMAN HISTORY.
WHY DO YOU SAY THAT?
>> THEY ARE THE ONLY
ORGANIZATION IN HUMAN HISTORY
THAT IS DEDICATED WITH PASSION
TO ENSURING THAT HUMAN
SURVIVAL -- SURVIVAL OF
ORGANIZED HUMAN SOCIETY WILL BE
IMPOSSIBLE.
THAT’S EXACTLY THEIR PROGRAM
SINCE 2009.
WHEN THEY SHIFTED TO A
DENIALIST POSITION UNDER THE
IMPACT OF THE KOCH BROTHERS’
JUGGERNAUT, AND BEFORE THAT WHEN
McCAIN WAS RUNNING, THERE WAS A
MODERATE LIMITED CLIMATE
PROGRAM.
>> YES.
>> AND INSTEAD THE DENIALISM,
AND THERE’S NOTHING LIKE THAT IN
HUMAN HISTORY.
IT’S CLEAR WHAT IS GOING TO
HAPPEN.
>> YEAH, THE ONLY MAINSTREAM
CONSERVATIVE PARTY IN THE
WESTERN WORLD THAT DECLINES
SCIENCE TO HIGHLIGHT THAT,
RIGHT.
YOU’RE 92 YEARS YOUNG AND YOU
HAVE BEEN WRITING ABOUT POLITICS
OVER 60 YEARS NOW AND DARE I ASK
OVER THE COURSE OF YOUR LIFE AND
CAREER WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD
OF AND WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST
REGRET, WHAT DID YOU GET WRONG?
>> THE BIGGEST REGRET IS NOT
DOING ENOUGH AND NOT DOING IT
EARLY ENOUGH.
THERE ARE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN
ACHIEVED THROUGH WHICH I’M HAPPY
TO HAVE MADE SOME CONTRIBUTION. THE MOST GRATIFYING THING IS THE
THE MOST GRATIFYING THING IS THE
WORK OF THE YOUNG ACTIVISTS,
PEOPLE LIKE SUNRISE MOVEMENT WHO
I JUST MENTIONED AND MANY OTHERS
WHO ARE CARRYING THINGS FORWARD
IN THE FACE OF SEVERE
DIFFICULTIES --
>> YES.
>> -- UNFLINCHING AND MOVING
FORWARD TO CRUCIAL CHALLENGES.