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]