PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN AND THE CLIMATE GREG DALTON: I [will full-throated the effort of begin] by asking Gina Mcaddressing climate, in his Carthy what lessons can engagement in it, and I’m the nations’ biggest environmental organizations be drawn from the failure really excited about it. It is respond to a year of race and health crises? ? From of Barack Obama and Joe by far and away the most the September 22, 2020, online Climate One program Biden to get a national cliaggressive climate plan of “Climate Ambition, with Gina McCarthy, Annie Leonard mate plan in place when any presidency. Can it get and Tamara Tolds O’Laughlin.” they were in office. better? Sure. You’re sitting GINA MCCARTHY: One with three women advoANNIE LEONARD, Executive Director, Greenpeace USA of the things that thankcates who are going to deGINA MCCARTHY, President & CEO, NRDC Action Fund fully I think Joe Biden did mand better, but we’ll alwhen he really was getting ways do that—because it’s TAMARA TOLES O’LAUGHLIN, North America Director, the nod for his nomination never going to be enough, 350.org and before that happened is because we got to act to do he spent a lot of time with it all now. GREG DALTON, Founder and Host, Climate One environmental justice advoDALTON: Tamara Toles cates. He really is a person O’Laughlin, you say that who was engaged somewhat in climate, but ground improvements. So my hope is that when Joe Biden is fighting for real people I don’t think it was as yet sort of ingrained instead of running to new big solutions that he’s gutsy. How do you rate the Biden-Harinto him. Well, it is now, because they per- don’t dedicate real benefits to Black and ris plan for climate action? sonalize this for him. And he’s a very per- brown, Hispanic, Indigenous communities TAMARA TOLES O’LAUGHLIN: I’d say sonally wonderful human being, [which I first and foremost, that those are no longer it is the most ambitious plan to date. That know] just from knowing him. The lesson the thing to shoot for. We need two-fers. I actually says much more about the kind of for me has always been, Don’t talk about cli- don’t just want greenhouse gases; I want president than it does about this particular mate as a planetary problem. Don’t actually fossil fuels gone. I want fossil fuels out of moment that we’re in, to be fair. But I do dissect it from all the other systemic chal- products. I don’t want to help fossil fuel in- think there has been a real responsiveness to lenges we have with conventional pollution dustries to extend their life. I want them to what our demands are. and with systemic racism that has led to so recognize that this is bringing down comI’m here on behalf of young people, on many communities having disproportion- munities, most important, environmental behalf of people who wouldn’t consider ate impact. And then make sure you talk justice communities. And the best thing themselves young in any space. On behalf about it in relevant terms. about Biden’s plan is he senses justice and of that multiracial, multigenerational orgaI think way too much green groups really equity, and he indicates and commits to 40 nizing that really pushed us to this moment. just talk about the only thing we care about percent of the investments that we need to Recognizing that the establishment is not is birds and bunnies, who are lovely, but re- make to boost us out of our economic dol- going to get to where it’s going if business ally, we’re all talking about human beings drums are actually going to be invested in as usual is what’s on the menu. So it really does feel like we’re in a conversation about and human lives and [it] needs to be related environmental justice communities. We [will] have a president I believe has climate ambition, because it was job one for to families. It needs to be related to on-the-
HOW DID THE LEADERS OF SOME OF
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