>>> PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP HAS
INDICATED HIS INTENTION TO
WITHDRAW THE UNITED STATES FROM
THE PARIS CLIMATE ACCORDS.
AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN NEARLY 200
COUNTRIES TO REDUCE EMISSIONS OF
GREENHOUSE GASES IN AN EFFORT TO
FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE.
THIS HAS TROUBLED MANY
SCIENTISTS AND LEFT MANY PEOPLE
WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE
ENVIRONMENT FEARFUL THAT
PROGRESS ON CLIMATE CHANGE WOULD
COME TO A SCREECHING HALT.
BUT THAT HAS NOT BEEN THE STANCE
TAKEN BY FORMER MAYOR AND
ENTREPRENEUR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG
AND BY KARL POPE, FORMER
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CHAIRMAN
OF THE SIERRA CLUB.
THEY'VE JOINED TOGETHER TO WRITE
A BOOK THAT TAKES AN OPTIMISTIC
LOOK AT THE CHALLENGE OF CLIMATE
CONTROL, SHOWING CITIES,
BUSINESSES AND CITIZENS CAN LEAD
AND STILL WIN THE BATTLE OF
CLIMATE CHANGE, NO MATTER WHICH
WAY POLITICAL WINDS IN
WASHINGTON MAY SHIFT.
APTLY TITLED "CLIMATE OF HOPE:
HOW CITIES, BUSINESSES AND
CITIZENS CAN SAVE THE PLANET."
IT'S PART OF OUR ONGOING SERIES
OF REPORTS, "PERIL AND PROMISE:
THE CHALLENGE OF CLIMATE
CHANGE," WE'RE LOOKING AT THEIR
PROPOSAL FOR SECURING A
SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.
I HAD THE CHANCE TO SPEAK WITH
THE COAUTHOR OF THE BOOK, KARL
POPE, BEFORE THE PRESIDENT
ANNOUNCED HIS INTENTION TO
WITHDRAW FROM THE ACCORDS.
AND I ASKED HIM WHY HE AND MAYOR
BLOOMBERG FEEL THERE IS STILL
HOPE TO PROTECT THE FUTURE OF
OUR ENVIRONMENT.
>> WAR DOING IT JUST AS MUCH
SINCE DONALD TRUMP WAS ELECTED
PRESIDENT AS WE WERE BEFORE
DONALD TRUMP WAS ELECTED
PRESIDENT.
WE'RE MAKING MONEY DOING IT.
WE'RE GETTING HEALTHIER DOING
IT.
WE'RE BECOMING SAFER DOING IT.
THERE'S NO REASON TO BELIEVE
THAT ONCE THE HUMAN RACE GRABS
THE NEXT BIG THING AND THE NEXT
BIG THING IS A LOW-CARBON,
CLEAN-ENERGY FUTURE, THAT WE'RE
ALL GOING TO LET GO OF IT
BECAUSE JUST SOME POLITICIANS
TELL US TO.
>> WHAT KIND OF PROGRESS ARE WE
MAKING AND HOW ARE WE MAKING
PROGRESS WITHOUT THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT BEING THE DRIVING
FORCE?
>> WELL, IN THE BOOK WE START
WITH THE ISSUE WHICH BROUGHT
MIKE BLOOMBERG AND I TOGETHER,
WHICH WAS TRYING TO CLEAN UP
AMERICA'S ELECTRICITY SECTOR BY
REPLACING OLD, DIRTY, AND
CLIMATE-DANGEROUS COAL-FIRED
POWER PLANTS WITH CLEAN, WIND
ENERGY, AND NATURAL GAS.
SINCE WE STARTED OUT DOING THAT,
MORE THAN HALF OF AMERICA'S
COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS HAVE
EITHER SHUT DOWN OR HAD THEIR
RETIREMENT DATES ANNOUNCED BY
THEIR OWNERS.
SINCE WE ANNOUNCED THAT, WE NOW
SEE ALL OVER THE COUNTRY THE
PEOPLE WHO OWN THE REMAINING
COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS UNABLE
TO SELL THE ELECTRICITY FROM
THOSE POWER PLANTS.
NOT BECAUSE OF THE CLIMATE.
NOT BECAUSE OF PRESIDENT OBAMA'S
PROPOSED CLEANUP RULES.
BUT BECAUSE IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE.
TO GIVE YOU A FUNNY EXAMPLE,
THERE'S A MUSEUM OF COAL MINING
IN EASTERN KENTUCKY.
LAST MONTH THAT MUSEUM
ANNOUNCED, PROUDLY, THAT THEY
WERE CHANGING THEIR ELECTRICITY
SOURCE FROM COAL TO SOLAR
BECAUSE BY DOING SO, THEY WERE
CUTTING THEIR UTILITY BILL BY
$10,000 A YEAR.
>> CAN YOU BE ANY MORE IRONIC.
>> YOU LOOK AT THAT AND SAY,
OKAY.
THIS STUFF IS CLEANER AND
CHEAPER.
WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE?
>> AND WE'RE ACTUALLY MAKING
MONEY, YOU SAID.
MY SUSPICION IS IF YOU ASK
PEOPLE THEY'D SAY, YOU'RE
SHUTTING DOWN COAL PLANTS SO
PEOPLE ARE LOSING JOBS, THEY'RE
NOT MAKING MONEY.
BUT I KNOW IF YOU LOOK AT THE
BOOK YOU TALK ABOUT WHAT IS SORT
OF BECOMING A SUBSTITUTE FOR
THAT AND IS CREATING JOBS AND
REVENUE, HOW?
>> SO LET'S BEGIN WITH THE FACT
THAT WHEN A COAL PLANT IS SHUT
DOWN BECAUSE IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE,
YOUR UTILITY BILL GOES DOWN.
WHOLESALE ELECTRICITY PRICES IN
THE UNITED STATES HAVE GONE DOWN
BY 25% SINCE WE STARTED THE
SHIFT FROM COAL.
PEOPLE ARE WORRIED ABOUT JOBS.
BUT WHAT PEOPLE DON'T RECOGNIZE
IS, THE COAL INDUSTRY WAS
ALREADY SHEDDING JOBS BECAUSE OF
TECHNOLOGY.
MOST, 800,000 COAL MINERS IN THE
1920s --
>> THESE NUMBERS ARE
FASCINATING.
800,000 IN THE 1920s TO?
>> 100,000 FOUR YEARS AGO.
NOW 60,000.
WE HAVE FIVE TIMES AS MANY
PEOPLE WORKING IN THE CLEAN
ENERGY INDUSTRY, WHICH IS
RELATIVELY YOUNG, AS WORKING IN
COAL, NATURAL GAS, AND OIL
COMBINED.
THE CLEAN ENERGY INDUSTRY IS THE
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY OF THE 21st
CENTURY.
AMERICA INVENTED ALL OF THE KEY
TECHNOLOGIES.
NOW THE QUESTION IS, CAN WE GRAB
THE GLOBAL LEADERSHIP AND THE
JOBS AND THE PROFITS THAT GO
WITH IT?
>> THE TITLE "CLIMATE OF HOPE:
HOW CITIES, BUSINESSES AND
CITIZENS CAN SAVE THE PLANET."
I SUSPECT MOST CITIZENS WOULD
SAY, WHAT CAN I REALLY DO?
WHAT IMPACT WILL ME, AS AN
INDIVIDUAL, HAVE ON THIS NOTION
OF DLI MAT AND PROGRESS AND
CLIMATE?
WHAT'S THE ANSWER?
WHAT CAN CITIZENS DO?
>> WE ALL HAVE LOTS OF ROLES IN
LIFE.
YES, WE'RE CONSUMERS.
AS CONSUMERS WE CAN BUY
EFFICIENT LIGHTBULBS AND GET
SOLAR PANELS.
WE'RE ALSO EMPLOYEES.
WE CAN SAY TO OUR COMPANY, WE
EXPECT YOU TO BE A LEADER.
ANHEUSER-BUSCH, AMERICA'S
BIGGEST BEER COMPANY, IS GOING
TO GENERATE 100% OF ITS POWER
FROM CLEAN ENERGY.
AND I THINK ONE OF THE MAJOR
REASONS IS BECAUSE
ANHEUSER-BUSCH, WHEN THEY
INTERVIEW YOUNG MILLENNIAL
PEOPLE WHO WANT TO COME TO WORK
FOR THEM, THEY GET THE QUESTION.
ARE YOU GOING TO BE SUSTAINABLE?
WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT CLIMATE
CHANGE?
MOST OF US HAVE KIDS THAT GO TO
SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
IF THE SCHOOLS ARE LEAKY AND
DIRTY, A, IT'S BAD FOR
EDUCATION.
IT'S ALSO BAD FOR THE CLIMATE.
C, IT COSTS MONEY THAT COULD BE
PUT INTO PAYING TEACHERS BETTER.
YOU CAN SAY TO YOUR SCHOOL
DISTRICT, LET'S MODERNIZE OUR
SCHOOL BUILDINGS.
OR YOU CAN SAY TO YOUR MAYOR,
LET'S MAKE OUR CITIES ONE OF THE
FIRST 50 CITIES IN THE UNITED
STATES, WE'RE NOW AT 37, TO
ANNOUNCE THAT 100% OF OUR
ELECTRICITY IS COMING FROM WIND
AND SOLAR.
>> AGAIN, THE BOOK IS "CLIMATE
OF HOPE: HOW CITIES, BUSINESSES
AND CITIZENS CAN SAVE THE
PLANET."
IT'S A VERY THOOFL AND VERY
REVEALING WORK BY YOU AND MAYOR
BLOOMBERG.
KARL POPE, THANKS SO MUCH.
>> THANKS VERY MUCH, IT WAS A
PLEASURE.
>> YOU TAKE CARE.
