Welcome
Conversations that go deep on the environment, the climate crisis, and the solutions
Conversations that go deep on the environment, the climate crisis, and the solutions
“I always say the most important thing an individual can do is be a little less of an individual and come together with others to form the kind of movements big enough to change the basic underlying ground rules here, the economic and political ground rules.”
“It’s time to live out youth to power in all its forms. be the one who stands up and speaks truth to power, even when it is difficult and unpopular. Be the one who draws the line and says, ‘No more.’ No more destruction of our environment and planet, no more violence in our communities, no more discrimination based on race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, or ability. Be the one who dares to imagine and create better possibilities, solutions, and ways of living in place of those old systems that have only harmed us.”
“For many of us who came out of civil rights, we didn’t separate the right to live in a clean environment or the right to breathe, or the right to not be dumped on as a strictly environmental issues. And so the justice part was at the core, the equity part was at the core. Theft of wealth and theft of health, these are basic civil rights and human rights. African Americans and other people of color made that connection and still make that connection event today.”
“The reality is that we win on almost every vector. The Green New Deal is going to provide cheaper energy for the average American home and for the American economy at large, it will improve our air quality, it will improve our health. If we committed to this with the vervor that we did for World War Two, we could do this in about a decade.”
“Activists are going to have to take political action to take things back. More and more people are doing whatever they can individually and as localities — towns, cities — but we have to have an all-out political commitment to tackling this issue. It’s probably the biggest issue the planet has ever faced, outside of world wars, and unless people act politically we’re not going to change anything.”
“When you talk about the U.N. report, we are now realizing that the death of species at an unnatural rate is a warning sign for humankind as well. The canaries in the coal mine are telling us how we better handle the planet in a better way, because we’re destroying it not only for those species but the humans who are going to rely upon the planet for sustenance over time.”
“Climate change is connected to absolutely everything. So no matter who you are or what you do, or what your job is, or what you’re passionate about, there’s a way that connects to the climate crisis. So you don’t have to take off your hat as a nurse or a teacher or a construction worker to be part of the movement. There’s a way that the work you do everyday has a connection to the climate crisis, and there are organizations that work directly with every part of society to find out what that connection is.”
“What we are sitting on the precipice of is either a catastrophic global climate crisis or the mobilization of resources, political will and common purpose to build something profoundly exciting. If you think about what is involved in the solutions to the climate crisis, it's more walkable communities, better access, better mobility. It's green buildings that not only reduce CO2 emissions, but that are healthier, more vibrant, more productive places to live and work, to raise a family, to build a life. So when we invest trillions of dollars — and that is the scale of the investment that's required — when those dollars flow, this is an opportunity to do what America does best when it's living up to its potential — invest in democratic institutions, invest in a stronger, more accessible communities, in opportunities for jobs and career ladders and training for access to the middle class. What we're talking about is rebuilding stronger, better, more vibrant and more healthy communities. And it really translates into real dollars in real people's lives that can do a lot of good.”
“Our parents were fighting for equality in the 20th century, but now we have a time clock and we're fighting for existence in the 21st century. So we have to get it right, now. We are at a moment, literally at a moment when we must think literally about our destiny, our time and put it all on the line right now. No matter what we have, we have to put it all on the line so that the next generation can simply live.”
“This new pathway where electricity is this catalyst of societal-wide decarbonisation is becoming so much clearer to so many of us. The basic idea is that we clean up our electricity system and that we use that as the first linchpin of climate action.”
“We have a once in a generation opportunity here —really a once in a century opportunity. We're really thinking about climate change. This election means so much.”
This is the first of two special bonus episodes to Season One, published uniquely to discuss the crucial 2020 election cycle.
“There is a huge latent pool of political power out there in these millions of non-voting environmentalists. I know it’s frustrating when we hear about all these environmentalists who don’t vote. But don’t look at the frustrating side of it — look at the potential power of it. Our ultimate goal is to build up so much electoral demand for environmental leadership that politicians have to follow, or they’re not going to win elections anymore.”
This is the second of two special bonus episodes to Season One, published uniquely to discuss the crucial 2020 election cycle.
