tavis: good evening. from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. tonight a conversation with joseph stiglitz. howlatest details agreements between nations including the partnership with japan's prime minister are actually undermining workers rights and their livelihoods. holder is known the vampire in diaries, but he is currently part of a new series for showtime, which explores the human impact of climate change. we are glad you joined us.

♪ >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. tavis: on president obama's agenda is the 12 country free

trade agreement spearheaded by the united states. isfessor joseph stiglitz warning these are exacerbating global inequality. in his most recent article he talks about this recent issue and joins us from new york city. good to have you on this program. right in.p this is on the president's agenda, this transpacific partnership. what's your take on it? formulated,s it is i am skeptical. one of the problems is that the administration has not been very transparent. withshared the language

business executives and foreign governments, but they won't even let the u.s. congress see what they are asking for. they are asking congress to give them a blank check so that whatever they agree to will be put to vote up or down, and congress is saying, we want to see what you're asking for before we give you the blank check. i don't understand secrecy unless you are up to no good. >> what do you make of the ?landestine approach to this >> i think what is going to be done is risk compromising american interests in general. it used to be that trade agreements would have one itstry would give up tariffs. the other one would. consumers in each country would

benefit from the lower prices, but terrorist -- tariffs are down to a low level. when they are not at that low level there is strong special interest groups that are not going to give in. the current trade negotiations above a large extent regulations. regulations that protect workers , protect consumers, protect our environment, and what i worry about is that on both sides of the pacific they can get together special interest and get the regulations down at the expense of our environment, our workers, and our consumers. we know that is partly true because there are similar provisions in other agreements. for instance, these agreements are called pre--- free trade

agreements. they are not free trade. they are investments. there is a prohibition in these agreements called investment agreements. they ared like protecting investors. we are insisting upon these. they passed regulations to try to protect their citizens against the dangers of smoking. they were applauded by the world health organization, but they were being sued by cigarette companies who want to strip away these regulations. just one example of how these trade agreements can undermine the interest of our society. that seems pretty bold. i want to be charitable and generous to the extent i can, but pretty bold for an american

atizen to decide as if country doesn't have the right to set its own laws. how does the u.s. corporations to a country under this provision? >> there is an investor dispute. it's even worse than that. corporation can go down to one of these other countries, set up a subsidiary claiming to be a foreign company , and then sue the american government. there indirectly giving right of american corporations to sue our government if they don't like the regulations. >> how deep in the pockets is the administration to be hiding

the details from congress? >> let's be clear. this is bipartisan. $1 billion for both parties. when we have an electoral system that is so dependent on money, it's not a surprise that both parties go out and -- i don't want to say sell their souls, but certainly advocate agreements that may not be in the interest of american citizens. as our hearts bleed for poor people in other nations, we do want to know what the impact is going to be on our own people. what impact does this have on the americans? besides the lack of protection for our regulations there is a lot of uncertainty again.

they are not being transparent about what is going on in these agreements, but what we do know do not work.ere is new sectors will grow as old sectors die out and we will to theour economy relative strength, and incomes will rise. that theory has been discredited. jobs, butlose their new jobs are not being created. when they are created they tend to be lower paid jobs. the fact is medium income is lower today that it was 25 years

ago. trade has played a role in that. beencan citizens have not benefiting from the growth we have had over a quarter of a century. income was lower than it was 40 years ago. this says something about the way our economy has been working. trade has played a role. tavis: the talk of academia and the entire eastern seaboard of late has been this book that suggests income inequality is going to get worse, not better. >> that's right. it doesn't have to be this way. from the end of world war ii to around 1980 were the economy grew faster than it did after 1980, when the economy grew together. grew,part of our society

but the bottom grew faster than the top, so we were coming together. since 1980 we have an growing apart and growing more slowly. one reason for this growing inequality, most economists are beginning to agree it has to do with trade. it doesn't have to be this way. up, haveen ourselves progressive taxation, provide better education. there are other things we could do, but that's not what we are doing. in the absence of these other things, there's a problem. move ontoave to another conversation, and the conversation is about earth day. i want to move to a conversation about climate change. i know you have done some significant work on trying to deal with climate change. i don't want to color the question too much before i jump to the next guest. your thoughts on earth day 2014

and what we are doing or not doing to take these issues seriously. >> i think this is really important. a reality.nge is i was on the intergovernmental panel that looked at the evidence way back in 1995. we saw the dangers then. we didn't anticipate how fast you were going to change. now we know we are being afflicted just like every other country. we are one of the largest warming.ors to global it really behoves us to do something about it. we cannot escape our responsibility. tavis: the latest text is the price of inequality. an honor to have you on. thanks for your time. coming up, actor and

environmental activist ian somerhalder. stay with us. it's always fascinating to find out what prompts individuals to become actors in the first is. was seeingomerhalder what the bp oil spill did to his hometown in louisiana. he has dedicated so much of his time to finding solutions that he is one of the celebrity correspondent for the showtime years of living dangerously. his episode is called ice and brimstone. >> he is part of a new generation of evangelicals trying to change the climate debate. she sees no conflict between her faith and the science of climate change. churchesshe thinks have a moral responsibility to

take a stand on this issue. why would you say evangelicals sothis country have been skeptical about climate change? >> i think there is a general skepticism around science. many evangelicals don't believe in evolution. or me it is personal. here is this community that raised me, and i want to believe they could be on the right side of history on this one. tavis: i thought it was just members of congress who wanted to debate climate change. hashis whole experience been so mind blowing. deal,lly bonded a great but i think because politics and religion are so late and so -- linked in prohibitive in many ways, this show, particularly the idea is that

it really opens up a conversation. you are aunderstand man of faith, and you are an but theman of faith. calls himself he a steward of god. i said, don't you find it your take theility to science and information that israel and out there now and give that to your congregation as opposed to denying -- that is giveand out there now and tha that to your congregation as opposed to denying it? if you have a platform, you are ultimately responsible to provide information that is real to people, particularly when it involves something that deals with all of us. climate change is not just happening to you or to them or . it's happening to all of us.

tavis: you have a massive following on social media. >> they are amazing. tavis: they love you. >> and i love them. tavis: i am trying to find out how it is -- i assume a whole bunch of them are young people. >> they are young. a great deal of them. tavis: how do you make this issue of climate change sexy, attractive? >> that's an incredible question, and i asked myself that years ago after the bp oil spill happen. i am from the gulf coast of louisiana, so watching my home he destroyed. how do you make it cool? how do you make it sexy? one cool thing is the most underdeveloped, undervalued group of people in the world is our youth. a make up half the population, and they are going to be running

the world. why don't we give them tools to be able to do that? by virtue of the fact that most of them are very young, if they would not typically be watching the show years of living dangerously, if it take something like a vampire soap aera, which has been such great five years of storytelling that really resonated with this audience and build this audience, my whole thing is i don't know how to do much in the world, but leveraging entertainment value and using social media to create quantifiable global change, that i know how to do. exciting is if a 16-year-old is watching this they become empowered by that information. the biggest thing missing in life, the reason we don't necessarily look through life in a more holistic dream work is

there is a lack of compassion for anything. -- framework is there is a lack of compassion for anything. if it takes me being the face of this one episode or component of this show to get young people watching it, then so be it. nots: in a perfect world, to be confused with the one we inhabit, what do you want them to use their agency to do? the young people you are talking to? >> it's very, very simple. once you have empowered them with information and education, they are activated evil. -- people. woulds i would hope that create a scenario where these young people start living their lives out of this compassionate, holistic viewpoint because it's

the only thing that's going to change. it all comes from a collaborative spirit. whether it's for profit nonprofit, governmental bodies, it has to be collaboration, so when you empower someone with this information, they are activated. a want to go out. their dad might be the ceo of some company, or they might be the mayor of the small community. these people are going out. they are starting recycling programs. they are building animal sanctuaries. they are building things to better their community. people are starting recycling programs in places like kabul anduse of the foundation how much compassion empowers people is really powerful. tavis: what i am trying to juxtapose against the energy and passion and examples you just saw of what people are doing, you have to juxtapose that on with a sense this

is an intractable issue that we can't make rugrats on this, that -- make progress on this, that we have passed the point of no return, and you don't feel that. >> there is a doomsday feeling out there. to makeone thing i want possible, because it is so broad. have no idea how they can change it. there are a million things. like -- we ares about to run into a massive water problem. you know you brush your teeth and people are used to hearing the water running when you brush we wasteh. we rate --

600 million gallons a day. we are in a water crisis. people don't understand that. directly,the question it's not so broad. it happens right here. there is a rain forest in brazil that grows palm oil for your girl scout cookies or these silly snacks you fill your bodies with, and we don't need that. there is good palm oil and bad palm oil. we need people to become better consumers. the power of the consumer dollar is going to ultimately create seachange. corporations are going to have to deliver what their customers want. tavis: you think young people are more open to that kind of message than those of us who are set in their ways? >> it's not you are a me. this generation it's not going to happen.

-- it's not you or me. it's the ones coming after us. they are empowered. they want to be better consumers. this generation wants to be better. that's what's so inspiring about it. do is we i want to have to turn all this negativity into a positive. you have to do it. it's the only way this is going to get done. just to throw out some numbers, for the sierra club there is a woman named marianne who heads that. they are responsible -- i want to say the 158 coal-fired power which basically is like taking 45 million cars off the road, preventing all that carbon from going into the air.

this greenwe started energy company. energyproduce so much and power using led technology in remote or non-remote areas. it's preventing tons of carbon from going into the air. if these innovations that are going to set the course for the future. one more thing i want to throw out there. basically for more than 50 years 36% of all species will be gone. this is generation extinction. this generation is going to see the greatest mass extinction since the dinosaurs. -- stop thatt that train right now.

i am curious as to whether or not you are hopeful we will figure this out in time. beyond hopeful. all we have to do is empower activate information, them, and let them go out into the world as incredible individuals who are a little -- literally going to lead the charge. the great thing i like about my situation is i am not a politician. i will tell you this generation is going to change it.

>> for more of my conversations, visit my website. there is much more of this conversation you will want to experience courtesy of our guest. >> thank you for having me. >> all this stuff i appreciate it. >> we will call it again. >> its years of living dangerously starring ian somerhalder. that's our show for tonight. thanks for watching, and as hey,s, keep the faith. >> tavis, you are getting your star on the walk of fame. i love you so much. that means you are at the top of

your game. god bless you, and congratulations. you are so beautiful to me ♪ ♪ you are so beautiful to me ♪ your everything we hoped for ♪ your everything we need -- you are everything we need ♪ to me ♪e so beautiful congratulations. >> for more information on today's show, visit tavis smiley on pbs.org. >> join me next time for a conversation with nas on the anniversary of his release, illmatic. that's next time. we will see you then.

♪ >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪

>> welcome to "film school shorts," a showcase of the most exciting new talent from across the country. experience the future of film, next on "film school shorts." >> "film school shorts" is made possible by a grant from maurice kanbar, celebrating the vitality and power of the moving image. and by the members of kqed. [ slow klezmer music plays ]