 Aloha and welcome to Cooper Union what's happening with human rights around the world and today we're in Washington DC it's fossil fuel free future we're honoring indigenous peoples and mother earth and right now thousands of people are in DC at the people versus fossil fuels indigenous led action and it's a whole week of action in DC and the main thing is fossil free futures exploring what's being planned by NGOs committed to renewable energy and regenerative governance honoring indigenous peoples on the front line and demanding new directions for our democracy very very excited to welcome event event why did you what's going on in Washington DC this week we have organizers throughout our nation who are coming together and demanding answers from this administration where the promise is the focus was environmental justice on his platform the we jack the the White House Environmental Justice Council was created so where's the action to follow all of the structure where the results for for communities on the fence line like ours and what is the remedy really good and of course we know yesterday that President Biden did sign into law indigenous peoples day and we know that's important but i think what you're calling for is where is the action looking at things such as stop number three go ahead John maybe you can share sure well where we are right now is i'm basically on the Gulf Coast there and the problem that we're having is that the gas is being tracked in those native lands and those other areas are being shipped to the Gulf Coast for export and we say that if you're going to build back fossil free you cannot continue to expand having more export facilities more refining capacity and more LNGs so we're here to protest that to ask President Biden to be as good as his word he said he was going to be the environmental president and we expect that he do those things so he wants us to build back fossil free build back better well then let's do it let's put some action behind those words those are really good points and there is a lot of peaceful and prayerful participants in DC they're sharing their commitment to non-violence civil disobedience and new energy models for our nation going forward and this week of action DC is building the national consensus going forward to the UNF triple C conference of parties 26 in Glasgow if we look at indigenous rights and that was a really important point that you brought up we have so much work that we need to do a vet would you like to say why you came from Texas and what are some of the issues that are facing the community where you're from? Of course being from the Gulf Coast and Houston Texas we share borders with Louisiana what we've seen the administration and the Department of Energy due to our region is release 1.5 million barrels of oil from the strategic oil reserves is move forward on desalination projects for the sake of petrochemical refining and production we see the expansion of export terminals so if we're really trying to reach a goal in stopping the climate crisis as the COP requires by you know over a hundred different nations what is our nation what is the US doing in order to curb the climate crisis and because this year it's so important to to really address the finance part to to address the fact how are we giving security to nations that are falling because of sea level rise how many displaced people from island nations are going through this so where does the US stand are we going to keep on on a path by releasing strategic oil reserves by building expansions to fossil fuel projects by continuing fracking and increasing the rig count every single year or is this president going to finally declare a climate emergency which is what we're all here to ask for we need this administration to declare a climate emergency which is something Biden can do on his own oh it's really good and indigenous peoples have really led the resistance to get center colonialism and this new climate colonialism and we know there are over a thousand separate indigenous nations and pop and populating the land before each with their own unique culture language and traditions and one of the sad parts is with the climate crisis as you raise up the situation example of what's going on inside small island states or we call them large ocean nations such as Tuvalu and Marshall Islands this is once again really another wave of colonization really destroying their basic human rights and dignity back to Susan who's on the front line now the police station Susan can you say what's going on this week we know it was led by indigenous water protectors activists and tribal leaders from across the country and hundreds and thousands people joined the first day what's going on today right well yesterday was indigenous people's day so that was centered and today it's um that fossil fuels are fueling the climate climate crisis crisis now I was carrying a banner that said said stop fueling the fire so it makes the point that the fossil fuels that we're burning are the main source of climate change and that is right up my alley thank you so much John do you share a bit about why you came to dc this week and what you're able to see and what's going on back home sure I came here because I like to say that Port Arthur Texas is at the forefront of climate change we're subject to those hurricanes everyone hears about that are in the Gulf and the Caribbean we've had five major hurricanes the last 15 years the largest flooding event in the history of this country 60.58 centuries happened in Port Arthur's immediate vicinity so we see this every day and then we have air quality issues and pollution issues and those air quality and pollution issues have caused a drastic change in the health of people matter of fact Port Arthur is twice the state and national average for cancer heart lung and kidney disease all of these things have contributed to a situation where we believe that it is imperative that the president call this a climate emergency we can't continue to go this way and as you spoke about the indigenous peoples what has happened to them and their area is simply a matter of genocide it's simply a matter of the promises that were made to share the wealth you took the wealth right from beneath their feet in their lands and you impoverished them and you oppressed them and that oppression goes on in communities of color all across the country like mine so we want to be here I'm here to emphasize that point and to drive home the point that we must build back Port Arthur free that he has to declare a climate emergency and that we have to move in a new cleaner resilient different direction with this so that there's fairness equity and justice for all really appreciate your points John and we also know also in st. james parish the risk for cancer is almost 50 times the national average and what you described and what's going on there definitely illustrates the environmental racism that still haunts this country and we look at as you brought up most recently about indigenous if you're looking at line three that tar sand pipeline that's in direct violation going back as you pointed to treaty rights but also to the pledges and promises that were made when running to seek the presidency event right what do you think we should do next to then demand a new direction for this nation we need to as a nation join back the UN FCCC we need to make sure that this administration declares a climate crisis we need to respect treaties that have been set forth and we need policies to protect island nations that are going through sea level rise and climate disasters being from Houston and the Gulf Coast we are all very familiar with hurricanes increased storms rain dumps what's going on at our borders with you know so many climate refugees because that's what we have we have climate refugees who no longer have a place to call home because we have fully developed nations with more than enough resources consuming more of the resources that are still in the earth continuing to extract and pollute and kill our communities at the fence line but also not trying to address what is the financial safety net what are those migration policies we need to have intact do we need to join the climate accords yes we do and do we need to defund fossil fuel industries by removing subsidies and redirecting them to communities in order to invest in a future when he jogs economic stability in a safe environment and we can do that now is the time that is what building back better and this entire week is about this is why it was led by an indigenous resistance and why communities like in corpus christi with an indigenous people of the coastal bend are continuing to fight conglomerates like exxon mobile chevron shell why we're fighting lined elba cell dow chemical uh velero refining the number of refineries and petrochemical facilities is countless so what we need to do is start removing those safety nets implementing them into cleaner energy sources so that our communities can transition those jobs over to renewable sustainable jobs we do offshore drilling we can do offshore wind we have so many super fund contaminated sites that are pleading to be solar fields can we do it yes we can and we're here to show solidarity across the nation putting our bodies and our health at risk during a global pandemic because we are suffocating in our environments and we're trapped in our homes and it's making the toxics in our communities more susceptible to our bodies that's why we're here dc quota exactly and that was so important i love how you connected our domestic policies here at home and then connecting to the foreign and that's what really creates the global crisis we are forgetting that we're all on one blue planet and when we look at the people coming from the south it's because the climate crisis that john also shared as well it's not something in the future today it's to value we used to say tomorrow it's you but now it's so many people and it's texas today and that's why you're coming to show and to share what's going on so if we have better domestic policies that actually do not fuel the climate crisis then there would be fewer people coming the whole aspect people don't understand is also place-based indigenous peoples love their sacred homeland would never want to leave but it's because of the climate crisis that then they're forced to try to find and survive and to even thrive and so you really did bring that home susan would you like to share some aspect of what you've seen this week and why it's so important to be there in person at the people versus fossil fuels rally i just love that this movement has been indigenous but i'm going to walk around because other people are talking i'm in front of the park police station where people are getting their tickets processed really getting arrested here in bc is uh one of the least uh life-wrecking places you could go and get arrested but um if juan monseo's for the crisa comacrido tribe are here and i hope he does show up later he's fighting that fight all along the border i spent the first half of my childhood uh in brown spill from when i was an infant to around seven and so i fell in love with padre island and boca chica beach on the coast there at the very tip of texas and these places are being ravaged they're being industrialized they want to put in too many all these uh liquid natural gas plants for export and you name it not to me even mentioned spacex and it's the place where i grew up with in that very multicultural space of brown spill at the border and our family loved it and so it breaks my heart to see people from mexico and farther south driven by the climate crisis um suffering at the border and suffering to try to get into this country thank you so much it all goes together into one thing that i must resist it on many levels and i'm willing to come here and be let away and ticket just ticket it basically is what it amounts to thank you john continue the conversation can you share a bit yes uh once again i'm here to bring home the point of what's happening on the gulf coast in port art particular but also to show just as you said that it affects other communities across the country and that we expect the biden administration to keep its word i think the biggest issue we have right here now is america's own hypocrisy america's own inability to see beyond profits and start looking at people uh there's an old indian saying that when you lose the land when you lose that that's the end of life there's no more life and we talk about the waterkeepers and others and we have to have water and land to sustain life but if we destroy the very thing that is the basic fabric of life then there will be no more people there will be no place for man here and this is the only earth we have so we're here to send a message to the administration to the president and to others that we expect you to be true to your word to do the things that you said you're going to do to make a difference so that we have a future and six generations after us have a future that's viable that's equitable that's safe and clean excellent points because we do look at equality at equity and ecology and what all of you are really bringing together is that broader picture so it's building back better but in beauty and in balance and including the indigenous cosmology and worldview that have been ignored since colonization so as it's indigenous peoples day it's very important as susan said that's indigenous led and it's pulling all the pieces together that have been ignored for too long and john you really did summarize so succinctly what many people forget but maybe also in this time of covid people understand you do need water you do need land and just last week at the un human rights council there were two landmark decisions made in geneva one was the right to a clean healthy and sustainable environment was globally recognized and that was very significant but also a brand new special repertoire on climate change and human rights you think these actions and other actions taking place in september and october will be enough to then change it not break down as a country or a world but break through to a new future with what's going to happen in glasco next month event one thing we have to understand is that countries participating at the cop have the ability to that and in a time when vaccinations are rare and scarce so as global north communities we have a privilege of vaccination access to medical attention resources not every country does especially indigenous nations we've seen how this pandemic has ravaged communities not only in the us but in indonesia we've seen it in africa so one thing to remain considered of is that there is a solidarity movement that so many countries will not participate because they do not have access and so while countries like the west maintain space we need to keep the fact that climate change will there ravage the most vulnerable the least resourced communities of color throughout our entire country and so that's something to keep in mind as the glasco conversations continue also to hold our countries accountable because it's not just a matter of signing a piece of paper into law or making agreements with other countries but stations and environments like the cop have a lot of corporate influence tied into it so how will our global leaders respond in this time to false solutions like carbon capture like nuclear waste that other countries have already faced will we go towards false solutions or will we go towards a more attainable natural solution when it comes to climate change clean energy without all of the backlash without the human crime that's caused following it really good points you're talking about a decolonization but also a decarbonization event if we might continue just a little bit in the last element you shared so much about the future that already is here and the clean solutions that exist could you maybe share a little bit more how we could transform texas but also transform our world with these alternative renewable energies which are also even affordable and it's no longer one of these aspects as john brought up of choosing profit over people we can choose planet and people and everyone could have renewable clean energy you're done of course you know we have so many legacy contaminated sites not only in our country but around the world and one positive feature of lethal in texas is that beginning in 2022 at least in houston a former incinerator landfill site in houston will be converted to a solar farm because there is no no human contact can sustainably live on that contaminated land but it will be used for renewable energy states like texas lead our country when it comes to wind energy and we saw how valuable that was during the february freeze that texas faced that killed crops farmland devastated our communities froze our population stiff and this is the the path we need to go towards we need to go towards what is that's a sustainable future texas's energy grid can't stay isolated from the rest of the nations we can be promoters of wind energy on our offshore platforms and decommission those rigs and make sure that we're not just capping something that can leak in the future but really remove and restore our lands because restoration and remedy are necessary we can't just plan forward without looking back that's really excellent because it also brings up to you and guiding principles on business and human rights that are celebrating a decade of existence and remedy is that third piece so it's really important that we look at that susan what do you see as well as the future for texas with regenerative energy and and also forming a more clean future well it's tough we are a state full of sunshine a small corner of it could power the whole country we're very blessed with wind energy we have a natural system that could power all of texas because we can get wind energy from west texas we can get wind energy from the coastline during that time of day when it's needed in the grid to distribute the power so we're very blessed a little bit of connection to other grids would help but uh but we have to fight a system that's very skewed towards the also fuel interests that own the capital building and everybody in it that basically uh you know we're the sort we have in our state and also uh lapping over into mexico the permean basin which is one of the world's greatest uh oil reserves so there's a great deal of wealth to be had there and we have the texas coastline with many ports and that's why they're building out there as best as they can and the pipelines all across texas which are carrying up you know uh if honor here he talked about all the burial sites and native uh sites that they're aware of all over texas that are being destroyed and you get that out there and you get it exported and it makes the rich people richer it's not about energy independence and we um us allies here in austin are trying to do what we can at the capital but we need a transformation because the regulatory agencies in texas just wherever stamp everything so that's why we're here talking to biden because he can overrule what's happening in texas there's no friction from where the oil is to where the coast is except from the federal government and we need that from biden thank you so much for connecting all the dots and the important aspect also of our democracy that this is really also when we vote and when we share our voice that represents our values and also the vision of what we desire for this country but for the world john would you like to build on that yes i would and you're exactly right with the stroke of his pen with an executive order that he would sign biden could change the course of history america loves to talk about being a leader but to lead you actually have to do the hard work the hard things i think president kennedy once said we don't do these things because they're easy we do them because they are hard because they are the right things to do and we're faced at a critical juncture in history whether we're going to continue to do things that are going to destroy the very earth we do which we all live and depend on or whether we're going to seek a different path and a different and better way and it's going to be incumbent upon each and every one of us to support those kinds of efforts to uplift each other uplift our voices and move this country forward and push our president we have to get behind him and push him uh i think it was something that was dr king was doing once and uh he went to speak to one of the presidents and that president told him he said you basically have to make me do this to sign to do the civil rights bill so what he did and he left out of the office he was in there so so not very long they said well what did you say he said what are we going to do is if we're going to go home we're going to push and that's what we have to do we have to push in every way and always possible at the ballot box in our neighborhoods in our communities collectively and individually if we want to see change we have to be the change we seek and that's where a better world begins with each and every one of us so we're going to have to roll up our sleeves and go to work and i'm eager to do so and this is prime opportunity to talk and share with others and encourage each other and move forward in that progression to build back fossil free and to change this thing from being money and politics over people it's the people versus fossil fuels and the people are going to win we have the power to do it excellent and push i just thought about could actually stand for planet unity sustainability and human rights so we will pull all those forces together moving forward and we have a couple more minutes on in our final aspect see that what's the goal for glasco as we're on that human rights road to glasco do you think we will make it and what will the actions this week do to make sure that it is a possibility to protect our planet glascal this year will be all about building back better will be about how can we talk about transportation jobs the economy and the environment and maintaining a sustainable lens through that entire process our goal in glascal is going to be to uplift the global south and nations that are scarce with covid vaccinations and make sure that they have access to not only vaccines but have access to resources to deal with the climate crisis because we cannot forget that just because we're here as a collective unit we're not going to stop the inevitable and the inevitable is extreme temperatures is extreme weather and so we need to make sure that those safety nets are in place i believe we have a strong chance to show unity people power and put ourselves in the line of fire once again to continue those conversations because having a global conversation is necessary to address a global issue like the climate crisis thank you so much john any closing words looking towards glasco yes glasco is going to be a signature moment not only for the world before this country we're going to have to decide and make the decision of where we're going to go from here are we going to continue to expand the petrochemical industry or are we going to look toward a cleaner brighter renewable and a just future for all so glasco in my view is going to be the tipping point and america has to step up to the plate and do what's necessary to be the leader it claims to be to take the measures that he claims it's going to take and that biden has to be true to his word he has to not just do it in word but indeed he has to do it here at home and if he does it here at home it will encourage other nations to do the same so i'm looking forward to glasco very much as being a signature moment in history and how we're going to address climate change and the future of this world thank you so much all of you for taking time out from the people versus fossil fuel week of action in washington dc we hope you have a safe return home to texas and look forward to continue through glasco and going forward mahalo mahalo here make a point mahalo