environmentalist and author
Founder of the global climate campaign 350.org, distinguished scholar at Middlebury College in Vermont, and author of The End of Nature; former staff writer for the New Yorker magazine
PROFILE
Bill McKibben
Guest
FROM Bill McKibben
To the Point
Harvey raises questions of global climate change Tropical Storm Harvey is being heaped with superlatives: most rain, worst flooding, most economic damage, highest toll in human misery. It may be the worst storm in this country’s history--but it’s dwarfed by storms hitting the rest of the world—even India, the land of the Monsoon. 1200 are dead there and in Bangladesh. Millions don’t have homes—and help is not on the way. The elephant in the room is Climate Change. As Houston dries out and Congress raises funds for relief, is it time to plan for the future--in case Harvey becomes the New Normal?
To the Point
Energy and Independence from Kiev to Keystone Ukraine’s Army is on the move with pro-Russian forces still digging in. As the crisis continues to build, there’s the prospect of a “natural gas war” pitting Russia against the European Union and NATO. Energy supplies could be affected worldwide, with the US on the verge of an oil and gas boom that could mean energy independence. Some Democrats are pushing the President to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline. There’s pressure to increase fracking and to export natural gas. But what about renewables, and the environment? Yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called President Obama to discuss the growing crisis in Ukraine. The White House says Putin was urged to ask “all irregular forces to lay down their arms.”
Which Way, L.A.?
The Consequences of Climate Change and the Cost of Denial July was America’s hottest month since 1895, and the past year was the hottest ever recorded. Temperatures, droughts, ice-sheet meltings and floods are setting records all over the world. Recent polls show renewed concern about climate change among American voters. Even some oil companies have given lip service to the need to develop alternatives to fossil fuels. But, so far, that’s not an issue in this year’s political campaigns. We’ll hear the numbers, sample public attitudes and ask about the chances of action before it’s too late.
To the Point
The Consequences of Climate Change and the Cost of Denial July was America’s hottest month since 1895, and the past year was the hottest ever recorded. Temperatures, droughts, ice-sheet meltings and floods are setting records all over the world. Recent polls show renewed concern about climate change among American voters. Even some oil companies have given lip service to the need to develop alternatives to fossil fuels. But, so far, that’s not an issue in this year’s political campaigns. We’ll hear the numbers, sample public attitudes and ask about the chances of action before it’s too late.
Which Way, L.A.?
Future Hazy as Climate Talks Continue The UN's Conference of Parties on Climate Change has been meeting for 17 years. In 1997, it produced the Kyoto Protocol , supposedly to hold industrial nations accountable for the impact of greenhouse emissions. But two years ago in Copenhagen, heads of state, including President Obama, could only produce a two-page, nonbinding agreement to help poor nations cope with climate change, and details are still being debated. The Kyoto pact will expire at the end of next year. This week, 195 countries are attending the latest so-called Earth Summit in Durban, South Africa. Will they save the Kyoto Protocol or allow it to expire even as the impacts of climate change are being felt all over the world?
To the Point
Climate Change and Low Expectations The UN's Conference of Parties on Climate Change has been meeting for 17 years. In 1997, it produced the Kyoto Protocol , supposedly to hold industrial nations accountable for the impact of greenhouse emissions. But two years ago in Copenhagen, heads of state, including President Obama, could only produce a two-page, nonbinding agreement to help poor nations cope with climate change, and details are still being debated. The Kyoto pact will expire at the end of next year. This week, the latest so-called Earth Summit is underway in Durban, South Africa.
Which Way, L.A.?
Weird Weather and Climate Change This year — and the past decade — have seen an increase in human catastrophes caused by unusually "extreme weather" of different kinds. Arizona's wildfires are the result of a drought, while late snow in the western mountains has led to predictions of massive flooding. This is the kind of thing climate-change scientists have predicted, but public skepticism that it's caused by human activity is on the increase and efforts in Washington to take any action are on the decline. We look at the science and the politics.
To the Point
Weird Weather and Climate Change For years, scientists have predicted that global warming would lead to extreme weather. Sure enough, extremes have become what some call the "new normal." The past decade has seen an increase in human catastrophes caused by unusual weather of different kinds. Arizona's wildfires are the result of a drought, while late snow in the western mountains has led to predictions of massive flooding. But scientists have a hard time saying that a given weather event is evidence of climate change. What's overlooked is that they also have trouble saying it's not. In any case, special interests seize on scientific uncertainty to avoid regulation of greenhouse gas emissions, and the public is very confused. Is the real "hoax" climate change or the denial of climate change? We look at an issue that's become as political as it is scientific.
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To the Point
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?
To the Point
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
To the Point
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.
To the Point
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.