An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power Page #4

---

"Even if everything"

"Al Gore's been saying

since the '80s is true,"

"it's gonna cost so much money,"

"it's gonna

cripple the economy."

It's an insidious theme

that we've seen before,

but it's coming back

with a new force.

And I think that

this is something we're

focusing on very intently.

We want to know who the groups

are who are doing this,

what is their analysis,

what's the science,

and what are the government

actions that are being taken?

Assuming for the moment

that the facts prove

that's what they did,

that's a violation of the law,

isn't it?

That's consumer

and securities fraud.

But it's clear that

what they've done is

essentially tried to cripple

our ability, mankind's ability,

to respond

to this existential threat.

A few days ago,

the Attorney General of

the State of New York

launched an investigation

of ExxonMobil

for fraud and funneling money

to this new form of denial

where people are out there

minimizing solar, saying,

"It's not going anywhere."

"Why are you wasting

your time on this?" Et cetera.

Utility monopolies really,

really fear disruption,

and have woken up and said,

"Wow, this solar thing,"

"I need to crush it

before it kills me."

The last two weeks,

we had 55,000 people

sign up in Nevada to say,

you know,

"I want choice,

I want energy freedom."

What happened in Nevada

will send a massive message

to the rest of the country.

Yeah, I think so. Yeah.

Thank you. Will there

be bumps in the road?

You bet there will be.

But, at the end of the day,

you really are

on the front lines.

On the rooftops, if you will.

And we're seeing this play out

in every part of the world.

We've had 150 years of

burning fossil fuels

with the many blessings,

poverty's gone down,

living standards have increased.

So naturally, there still are

some people that say,

"Well, we just have to keep

relying on oil and gas"

"and even coal."

But it is worth pointing out

that in northern China,

life expectancy has gone down

five and a half years

because of air pollution.

And in Beijing, the mayor said,

"My city is not livable."

But in many parts of China

it is already cheaper

to get electricity

from solar and wind.

So this is the time

when your presentations

can provide support for your

government's determination

to do even better

with renewable energy.

Fine. How are you?

There are so many commitments

that governments are thinking

about making right now

for hundreds of new coal plants.

Even as the revolutionary drop

in cost from renewables

is picking up speed.

China's one of these countries.

And there are numbers of

others. India, others.

Unfortunately, they've looked

at the price of coal.

They see the price low,

and they feel they're compelled

therefore to try to provide

for their people.

So if India proceeds

to build the number of plants

it is currently planning,

and they are coal fired,

it can erase everything

everybody else

is trying to do

in terms of reductions.

We've got to figure out

a way to crack that nut.

Absolutely.

Now, climate change is high

on world leaders' agendas.

And that's because the crucial

U.N. talks in Paris

start in less than two months,

when the world gets together

to try to agree

on a global deal.

One of the sticking points

remains financing.

My agenda is dominated right now

by the preparations for the

climate conference in Paris.

The world's been preparing

for it a long time.

And the main objective is

to speed up

the transition

to renewable energy,

so that the entire world

can bring down

the pollution levels

while continuing

to reduce poverty.

But there is still a big divide

between rich countries

and poor countries.

So, thank you

for arranging this,

and for the privilege of

talking with you.

As you know,

I have this passion for

solving the climate crisis

that goes back 40 years. And...

Because I have studied it

so closely, I'm hoping that

the United States and India

will accelerate

our transitions to

renewable energy together.

India has always looked

at the United States

as a valuable partner.

But sadly, the Western world,

the developed world

does not seem

to be coming forth with

significant amounts of support.

And seems to be creating

more impediments.

All this talk about supporting

climate change

seems to be only talk,

and there's hardly

any action on that.

- In the U.S.?

- Yeah, from the U.S.

I don't think it's fair,

with all due respect,

if you may?

- Sure, please.

- Well, in the U.S.

in calendar year, uh, 2015,

if you look at the investments

in the U.S.

in the building of new, uh,

electric generating capacity,

three-quarters is

from solar and wind.

- May I respond to that?

- Yes. Please.

I'll do the same thing

after 150 years.

After I've used my coal.

After I've got my people jobs.

After I've created

my infrastructure

and highways and roads.

When I have technology.

When my people earn

$50,000-$70,000

per capita income,

using low-cost

fossil fuels-based energy.

The way the United States did

for 150 years.

It's very easy to say now that,

"Oh, we are not using coal!"

What about in the past?

So I'm only asking for

that carbon space

which you utilized

for 150 years.

My point is not

to deny your right

to make your own choices as to

what kind of energy you want.

Obviously you have that right.

But what I am saying,

when is the sun coming up today?

I don't see it anywhere.

I don't see the blue sky.

When any of us walk outside

and look up at the sky,

our natural impression is

that the sky looks like it's

a vast and limitless expanse.

Goes on forever.

Actually, the atmosphere

of the Earth

is a very thin shell

surrounding the planet.

And, of course, right now

we are putting 110 million tons

of heat-trapping

global-warming pollution

into that space

every single day.

We're using this

as an open sewer

for all of the gaseous waste

in our global civilization.

Agriculture is

a big cause of it.

Burning of forests and

burning of cropland.

But still, the main part of

the problem

is the emission of

carbon dioxide

from the burning of

coal, oil, and gas.

And that builds up heat energy

and raises temperatures.

India just set their

all-time high temperature

record in May.

123.8 degrees Fahrenheit.

The streets are melting.

We have built

a civilization for conditions

that we are now in the process

of radically changing.

All-time records have

been broken this year

in Thailand and Cambodia

and Laos.

In Pakistan, over 1,200 people

died in the heat wave there.

This year, they have dug

anticipatory mass graves

for the people

they fear will die

in this year's heat waves.

And we're seeing that

the higher temperatures

are shifting the balance

between microbes

and human beings.

The transportation revolution

has a lot to do with this.

Air travel.

But the climate conditions

have a big impact on that.

Let's look at Zika.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes