California’s former governor Jerry Brown explains how the U.S. can help countries like China and India address climate change through global cooperation. For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/gov-jerry-brown-on-president-elect-biden-and-climate-equity/
For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/gov-jerry-brown-on-president-elect-biden-and-climate-equity/
Ethan: How can countries be better at cooperating on climate action? This is Ethan Elkind of Climate Break. Former California Governor Jerry Brown joined us recently to talk about a “planetary realism,” a new kind of approach he advocates for climate action on a global scale:
Gov. Brown: I have a different, international philosophy and I call it planetary realism, based on the recognition that countries have national interests, but outside of that there is something called a shared interest, shared vulnerability. And that is quintessentially what climate entails.
Ethan: This mutual vulnerability with climate change is something the governor says has no precedent in our history. He encourages President-Elect Joe Biden to work with other countries on climate change.
Gov. Brown: It doesn't matter whether you're in the China sea or in the Gulf of Mexico, climate change is still working its effects. So in that respect, China, California, and America are one. We are on one planet with one atmospheric system that we need to understand and we need to respect. And we need to alter human behavior, and human activity, so we can be on the side of nature in a way that won't keep the carbon emissions going up.
Ethan: For more information on Governor Brown’s approach to global climate action, and for more climate solutions, go to climatebreak.org or wherever you get your podcasts.