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Governor Jerry Brown / Powerful Regulation ... California

Jerry Brown speaks to American Geophysical Union (AGU) national conf Dec 2016 ... Climate Change is real and government in California will do something about it.

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Jerry Brown speaks to the AGU national conf Dec 2016

https://youtu.be/5MLHWFO6DwE

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Published on Dec 14, 2016

AGU’s Fall Meeting is the largest Earth and space science meeting in the world - The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is an international scientific society dedicated to promoting discovery in Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity.

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Transcript

English (Automatic Captions) 0:00the data we know what's happening in the 0:02world despite the deniers climate is 0:05changing the temperatures are rising the 0:08oceans are becoming more acidified 0:10habitats are under stress the world is 0:14really facing this tremendous danger and 0:18it's not about this or that politician 0:20we're facing far more than one or two or 0:24even thousands of politicians are facing 0:27big oil or facing big financial 0:29structures that are at odds with the 0:32survivability of our world it will be up 0:35to you as truth-tellers truth seekers to 0:38mobilize all your efforts to fight back 0:41and we have a good example big tobacco 0:44was pretty powerful but they lied and 0:47they came a cropper not just with 0:51scientists but with lawyers and in 0:53California we got plenty of lawyers so 0:58we got the scientists we got the lawyers 1:00and we're ready to fight 1:02we're ready to vent 1:10in California is no stranger to this 1:13fight for a long time we've been 1:16fighting efforts to reduce vehicle 1:19emissions to improve our environment and 1:22in recent years we've been even more 1:23aggressive steps the california vehicle 1:26emission standards became the national 1:29standards California drove the United 1:32States the Obama administration 1:34responded to the California Air 1:37Resources Board that's how we got there 1:43so a lot of people say what the hell are 1:45you doing Brown you're not a country 1:47well judged by measures of gross 1:54domestic product of over 2.2 trillion 1:57where this fifth or sixth largest 2:00economy in the world and we are a lot of 2:03firepower we got the scientists we got 2:06the university's we have the National 2:08Labs and we have the political clout and 2:10sophistication for the battle and we 2:13will persevere have no doubt about that 2:21so we have the vehicle mileage standards 2:23we have the zero-emission vehicle 2:26standards we have the goal of fifty 2:30percent renewable or probably a 2:3128-percent right now not even counting 2:34nuclear our hydro we're making real 2:37steps we just signed a bill on short 2:40live Climate Pollutants such as methane 2:43we are going to affect and we have rules 2:46for the agricultural sector we got 2:48support their and landfills we're taking 2:51the recent rise and methane very 2:54seriously 2:55we have the laws we have the tools of 2:57enforcement and we have the political 2:58will and we will set the stage will set 3:01the example and whatever Washington 3:03thinks they're doing 3:05California is the future 3:15by harken back to that day in 1960 when 3:19john f kennedy in Los Angeles said that 3:22California was the new frontier 3:25well we still are the new frontier and 3:27we're pioneering space were pioneering 3:29honest science were pioneering the 3:31politics that it is committed to 3:34equality and sustainable as 3:36sustainability and inclusivity that's 3:38our commitment when people up so and we 3:45know it isn't very easy the measures on 3:48methane that I signed into law 3:51Breitbart and the other clowns talked 3:54about cow farts that's what they reduce 3:57everything is reduced from from you know 4:00seriousness to you know just a it's a 4:03joke 4:04well it's not a joke and this is not 4:07about a hundred forty characters and the 4:11instant up 4:14news bits is about real life is about 4:18real people real science and you're the 4:21custodians of that aspect of our lives 4:24you're here to seek truth to disseminate 4:27what results you find and modify them 4:31based on peer review and pressure that's 4:34different in politics we have another 4:36game it's not about truth it is about 4:40truth I don't know what the hell is 4:41about but it's about politics after all 4:45that's what it's about and I'm not to 4:47discourse on that although i know it 4:49pretty well we need a long time and i 4:53enjoyed by the way it's not a nice 4:55business but it's a hell of a lot of fun 4:58and it's very it's for finally important 5:05it's depending on the elected officials 5:07all over the world and so Washington is 5:11under stress but California still here 5:14we've signed in under 2 mou with 200 5:17states provinces in countries we will 5:20not stand back 5:21I spoke with the Canadian ambassador 5:22yesterday they're going to stay the 5:24course on a carbon price our meeting 5:27climate goals so we will unite with 5:29those 200 states and provinces in 5:32countries with canada with China we will 5:34pursue a path of collaboration and bold 5:38political advancement whatever they do 5:40in Washington and eventually the truth 5:42will prevail 5:53some people some people say that they're 5:56going to turn off the satellites that 5:58are monitoring the planet low-earth the 6:03flower of the Landsat and all the 6:06various measure measuring satellites we 6:09have well i'm back in 1978 i proposed a 6:12Landsat satellite for California they 6:16called me governor moonbeam because that 6:18I didn't get that moniker for nothing 6:22and if Trump turns off the satellites 6:26California will launch its own damn 6:28satellite we're going to collect that 6:30data 6:38and we do lunch with you launch private 6:41companies are launching satellites right 6:42here in California so we have the 6:45laboratories and by the way if they 6:48start messing with Lawrence Berkeley Lab 6:51or berkeley little more on the president 6:54border regions I'm gonna say keep your 6:56hands off that laboratory is going to 6:59pursue good science 7:00[Applause] 7:05as long as the University of California 7:07manages those labs we're not going to 7:09have political interference we now 7:11honest independent science can count on 7:14that 7:14by the way they start deleting 7:21look we got a lot of database in 7:24California we can take a few more we're 7:28here we're here to collaborate we're 7:30also here to stay up on the on the 7:33course and we know that I proposed to 7:36reduce oil consumption in vehicles by 7:3850% the all companies knocked down the 7:41legislation would have implemented it 7:43but we keep trying and bills and I lost 7:46one year we get the next year so this is 7:48not a battle of one day or one election 7:52this is a long-term slog into the future 7:55and you are there the foot soldiers of 7:58change and understanding and scientific 8:01collaboration so we know it's not time 8:04to think a setback here there is going 8:07to slow us down often by the way when 8:10you're moving along a rather rapid pace 8:12you're not going to get there when 8:14someone comes along and say ok let's 8:16blow it all up 8:17well sometimes it wakes us up some 8:21people need a heart attack to stop 8:23smoking 8:24maybe we just got a heart attack and 8:27we're going to start doing the work that 8:29it takes two to really do what it takes 8:32to reduce our climate emissions and it's 8:34not some nice rhetoric is all going to 8:37work easy know it's expensive 8:39it takes strong changes in business it 8:44has tremendous political obstacles not 8:46easy 8:47we proved in California that the economy 8:49grows and it grows in part because of 8:54the climate rules we've adopted now i 8:56remember our new Secretary of Energy he 8:59was coming to California and say come to 9:02Texas because we have all jobs in texas 9:04well 9:08California is growing a lot faster than 9:10Texas and we got worse son that you have 9:20oil and we're going to use it so don't 9:29don't be worried always well that 9:35there's a term that I've always liked 9:37and I have to invoke one latin term is 9:39another scientist but I've studied more 9:42Latin you have reduced co I absurdum 9:47reduced to absurdity and when you do 9:50that everybody sees the observed path 9:54you're on up to now things have been a 9:57little cloudy in many minds the effort 10:00to reduce to absurdity climate denial 10:03will inevitably were result is absolute 10:07reversal that's the way things work and 10:10we're not at the point of absurdity yet 10:12what about the time we get there 10:14we're ready to ride the backlash back to 10:17sanity sustainability and truth and 10:20you're the truth seekers and that's why 10:22scientists in this world unite you have 10:24nothing to lose but your grants your 10:26tenure and who knows what else 10:39in politicians all you have to lose the 10:41election but it takes some boldness some 10:45risk-taking for most of all truth 10:48telling 10:50our of truth is profoundly more 10:54effective than the power of rhetoric 10:57rhetoric comes and run it goes so we 11:00have to get back to common sense what do 11:02we know what's real what's human not 11:05only the miasma of nonsense coming 11:09across 11:12you know because you work at every day 11:14and I promise you everything I do in the 11:17next couple years in California to work 11:19with you to bring a common sense to the 11:22people of America and together we're 11:25going to make sure that California as 11:27many states who wants to join other 11:29countries and ultimately washing itself 11:31will be together as we combat climate 11:34change now is in the future thank you 11:37very much 11:53that's it 12:23I think that was just what we needed to 12:26hear 12:28Governor Brown has a really tight 12:31schedule but he allowed me to ask a 12:33couple questions and my first one is you 12:36know I California's an inspiration to a 12:40lot of of our members but many of them 12:42don't live here 12:44what's your advice to them about what 12:46home states or their home countries 12:49about twenty-five percent of our 10 days 12:51are from outside the US 12:53well I say keep keep writing your papers 12:56keep disseminating what you learn and I 12:59really believe I've seen this over a 13:01long period of 40 years in politics that 13:05truth does win out and you can't keep 13:08fighting reality so you helped generate 13:11the understandings and all the different 13:14my new projects that you're a part of 13:16and we join together in California world 13:19continue its support of research and 13:22support of conferences its support of 13:24efforts like the under two mo you were 13:27not isolated where a state or most of 13:30the world's leaders come out they come 13:33to Silicon Valley almost like pilgrimage 13:35to Lourdes they want to drink the water 13:38in palo alto and think that they can 13:40turn their respective countries into the 13:43innovative place that silicon values 13:46butt is the reality is so many people 13:50come here and I meet with them and we 13:52joined together so California is a is a 13:55pivot point and that we can leverage 13:58what we are with others and wherever you 14:02are you can contribute to that the point 14:04is not to lose faith to get discouraged 14:07or to get I 14:09let people be picked off one after 14:11another 14:12that's why I say we have the lawyers and 14:14if anyone in Washington's 14:15searches you can be sure you'll have a 14:18friend in California in our attorney 14:20general and all the people all the legal 14:24talent we can bring to bear so it's 14:26about working boldly and working 14:28together and not in any way under 14:31estimating the power of who you are and 14:34what you can do one of my colleagues 14:44that was in Marrakech earlier and let 14:49last month was just totally disheartened 14:53when a graduate student in climate came 14:56up to them and said to after the 14:58election 14:59do you think I should change my career 15:01path 15:03it's it's an example of some of the the 15:08fear and the the sort of loss of heart 15:13are you optimistic about the future and 15:16what do you what would you say to that 15:18young student well I i am optimistic as 15:21a matter of fact I'd say climate science 15:24has gotten a lot more interesting you 15:29know one of the vices in the spiritual 15:33life is called stupidity 15:36we've had a lot of tepid climate 15:38fighters or cut climate the climate 15:43people who are not really telling the 15:45full truth and it's been trimmed and it 15:48hasn't been as sharp and there is a 15:51paradoxical benefit when someone takes 15:56to an absurd lengths a completely 16:00erroneous position because that then 16:02unmask the error in such a vivid way 16:05that allows everyone else to refute to 16:10join together and to be embolden to move 16:13forward so no I'm not discouraged i 16:16can't think of a table where else to be 16:18that in climate science today 16:20fights are fun and this is fight is big 16:23and it can be attractive and takes a lot 16:25of smart people and i would say there's 16:27a lot smarter people in this room there 16:30on the climate denial community so I 16:33have great confidence 16:35Thank You Governor Brown 16:38[Applause]