12/12/18 12/12/18 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from the u.n. climate summit in katowice, poland, this is democracy now! just answer the question, what is the u.s. doing since president trump said he is pulling out of the paris agreement. can you talk about president trump saying that climate change is a chinese hoax?

chasing the story. a top energy adviser to president trump at the u.n. climate talks tries to run away as democracy now! questions him. if you could just answer a few questions? >> maybe we could do some questions, but you are harassing me. amy: a reporter asking a question, sir, is not harassment. this came a day after protesters adviser,he same trump wells griffith, who chaired a u.s. panel promoting the use of coal and other fossil fuels. but first, we're from a filipina climate activist who lost much -- five membmbers of her f famiy fiveve years ago d during typhon haiyan.. >> for those who experienc the strongest phoon ever recded, it was apocalyptic.

i would lose my mother, father, brother, sister-in-law, and three-yeyear-old nephehebeing swept away by thetotorms surge. it lefeft my brotherer and me to search for families bodies in the aftermath. amy: joanna sustento is now focusing her fight against climate change on the world's biggest polluters, the carbon majors, the 47 fossil fuel companies responsible for nearly a quarter of all greenhouse gases emitted. plus, we will speak to the indian climate activist harjeet singh of actionaid. all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. president trump threatened to shut down the government during a contentious and openly hostile meeting with democratic

congressional leaders nancy pelosi and chuck schumer in the oval office tuesday. the meeting, which took place in front of reporters and television cameras, centered around the ongoing dispute over funding fofor trump's border wa. >> the fact is, we don't have the votes in the house. tomko i do. we need border security. coax of course we do. pres. trump: people are pouring into our country including terrorists. we caught 10 over the last very short period of time. >> we want to do the same thing we did last year this year. that is our proposal. if it is good then, it is good now, and it won't shut down the government. pres. trump: if we don't get what we want, whether it is through you or military or anything you want to call it, i will shut down the government. and i will tell you what, i am proud to shut down the government for border security, chuck. amy: president trump and

congress will have to agree on a spending bill by december 21 in order to avert a shutdown. in britain, prime minister theresa may is facing a leadershship challenge after members of her conservative party triggered a vote of no confidence. conservative lawmakers are set to vote today. if may loses, she would have to step down immediately. the vote comes as may is facing major hurdles in trying to pass a brexit deal. earlier this week, she halted a parliamentary vote on the deal after she failed to garner sufficient support within her own party. in france, a gunman shot and killed three people, injuring at least 12 others, at an outdoor christmas market in the northeast city of strasbourg. the gunman is still on the loose and it is believed he may have fled to nearby germany. france has issued the highest level of security alert. the e subject was reportedly unr investigation by french authorities. in brazil, a gunman opened fire

in a cathedral in the southern city of campinas tuesday, killing four before turning the gun on himself. police say they do not know the motive of the killer. brazil's incoming president, jair bolsonaro, campaigned on loosening gun laws. gun deaths in the country reached an all-time high last year, with more than 63,000 recorded homicides. in more news from brazil, two men belonging to the landless workers' movement, known as mst, were killed over the weekend in the northeast state of paraiba. the group says armed men entered an mst camp on saturday night and shot the two men dead over a land dispute. california congress member ro khanna responded to the news by tweeting -- "brazil's bolsonaro has referred to land rights defenders as terrorists. and now over the weekend, two of their activists were assassinated. the u.s. must call on bolsonaro to stop inciting violence and for brazil to bring those guilty of this heinous crime to justice."

in environmental news, a new report released this week warns of the devastating effects of illegal mining for gold and other minerals in the amazon. the report found over 2300 illegal mining sites in six countries. mining activity has devastating social and environmental impacts, displacing indigenous communities, and exposing people, wildlife and plant life to extremely high levels of mercury. scientists have issued a new warning on arctic warming. a report released this week finds the arctic has been w warr over the last five years than at any time since 1900, the year record-k-keeping started. the reregions warmrming at t twi the rate of the rest of the planet. in san francisco, 300 climate activists fromhe sunrise movement dononstrad atat t californiaffice ofonongres member a l likelincocomi housese spear r nanc pelosi, one day after over 1000 titivist flooded capitol hi, , callg

for congreresso form areen n n deal select committe >> we are seeing the impacts of climatchchange ifou ask a, the e mpfires were making a hard to breatat antook ove85 livives we need to be treaeating cmate change like a crisis, because it is a crisis. as young people, w have a lot s staken ththis amam the number of congress members supporting the grere new deal propod by incing new york congrs s memb alelexaria ocasio-cortez has jumped to 35, up from 22, since the start of organizing actions this week. newly released data shows that immigration and customs enforcement has arrested 170 people since july who had offered to sponsor unaccompanied migrant minors who were being held in government custody. sponsors are most commonly relatives of unaccompanied children who would be able to take them into their care. in the majority of cases, those arrested had no criminal record. in september, ice confirmed it

was arresting potential sponsors for possible immigration violations. in november, there were more than 14,000 immigrant children in government custody, a record high. in more immigration news, an arizona judge has issued a deportation order for well-known immigrant rights and reproductive justice leader alejandra pablos. earlier this year, pablos was detained by ice for more than 40 days after reporting to a routine check-in. many believe she was targeted for her activism. she appeared on democracy now! in april. >> trump has his own versatile police force, which is nice. people are being deported, especially working people. and like you said, activists. i was simply detained because of an arrest at a peaceful protest in virginia. i haven't even been convicted.

amy: alejandra pablos has vowed to appeal her deportation. in texas, a judge accepted a plea deal from a former baylor university fraternity president who was indicted on four counts of sexual assault, allowing him to avoid prison time. under the deal, 24-year-old jacob walter anderson will receive probation and counseling and has to pay a $400 fine. he will not have to register as a sex offender. after news of the plea deal broke, the survivor of anderson's attack wrote -- "this guy violently raped me multiple times, choked me, and when i blacked out, he dumped me face down on the ground and left me to die." "when i woke up aspirating of my own vomit, my friends immediately took me to the hospital am co-she said. meanwhile, public outrage is growing over the case of cyntoia brown, who is currenently servig a life sentence after being convicted of firir-degree murder

afafter shooooting herer rapist. brbrown was sexually trafficked and repeatedly abused and drugged. the shooting happened when she was just 16 years old, but brown was tried as an adult. last week, the tennessee supreme court ruled that brown must serve 51 years of her sentence before she becomes eligible for parole. tennessee governor bill haslam said monday he is considering clemency for cyntoia. in charlottesville, virginia, a jury sentenced self-described neo-nazi james alex fields to life in prison for killing anti-fascist protester heather heyer at last year's white supremacist "unite the right" rally. fields was convicted of first-degree murder by the jury friday. a judge will formally sentence fields on march 29. he can impose a less severe punishment than the jurors, but is not allowed to increase the sentence according to virginia law. in new york, demonstrators gathered in front of the office of the anti-defamation league to protest what is known as the deadly exchange between israi and u. l law eorceceme

agagcies. the l l has me u und fire e om activis s for onsosori exchange.ement th i is onof t theroteststs at moay nigh's gaering, ornized by jewish voice fo peac >> whave caldd for adl to end -- ififinds d organizes exananges tweeeen s. police. this is an exchange of forced prpractices, p profiling,, surveieiance, anand violencece. which claims to be a civil rights organization, has no right training police. amy: and celebrated documentary filmmaker bill siegel has died. codirirected "the weather underground" and the emmy award-winning "the trials of muhammad ali," which examines the struggle muhammad ali faced

after he converted to islam and refused to fight in vietnam, and his following years in exile before returning to the ring. you can see our 2013 interview with bill siegel at democracynow.org. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we are broadcasting from the u.n. climate summit in katowice, poland, just an hour's drive from krakow and about the same distance from auschwitz, the largest nazi concentration camp of world war ii. nearly a million jews died in the camp. here in katowice, world leaders are gathered for the final few days of the 24th annual u.n. climate conference. officials from nearly 200 countries are here to negotiate how to implement the 2015 paris agreement. but three years after paris, countries appear no closer to curbing global emissions and halting catastrophic climate change. new studies show global carbon

emissions may have risen as much 3.7% in 2018, marking the second annual increase in a row. one recent report likened rising emissions to a "speeding freight train." as the u.n. intergovernmental panel reports that humanity has only a dozen years to mitigate climate change or face global catastrophe, we begin today's show with a woman who has already felt the harrowing effects of climate change and is dedicating her life to climate activism as a result. joanna sustento's life was turned upside down in 2013 when typhoon haiyan, one of the strongest cyclones i irecorded history, devastated the ilippinenes, killing five memberers of her family and thousands of others. this is joanna tliling her stoty to greenpeace philippines. the biggegest of tragedies, hope can be found.

.y name is joanna susteno i had a happypy lifif a good jo, great frfriends, and a wonderful loving family. but t in a matter r of minutes,l of tha changed. for those who experienced haiyan , e strgest typho ever corded, itas acalyptic i witnsed my mother,ather, brother,ister-inaw, andy the year oldephew being ept awaw by the stormurge. it left my b brother and m me to searchch for famililiesodies in the aftermath. we neverer found our fatheher ad our nephew.w. itit is difficult to be the one left behind. we have e to deal wiwith all ofe ququtions, the griri, the paini, and the r regret.

typhphoon haiyan k kille more n 10,0,000 people anand left over4 million n people homeleless. s statisticsot just and numbers s in a news rerepor. thisis is aboutt us,s, the peop. amy: that was climate activist joanna sustento. since typhoon haiyan, she has focused her fight against climate change on the world's biggest polluters. they're called the carbon majors, the 47 fossil fuel companies responsible for nearly a quarter of all greenhouse gases. she says they are legally responsible for the death of her family members. she is here in katowice, poland for the u.n. climate summit. joanna, welcome to democracy now! >> thank you for having me. vividly fiveer so years ago when we were actually here in the same country, poland, in warsaw, when yeb saño , who is heading the philippines

doesn't -- a delegation, spoke to the world. we will play that in a moment. but if you could talk about where you were on that day and tell us what happened. >> five years ago, i was actually at home with my family. there were seven of us living in that house. as early as 5:00 a.m., we were already awake because of the strong wind in the rain. in the philippines, we experience an average of 20 typhoons per year, but this was the first time we felt such intensity to the point that we could feel our house vibrate because of the pressure. there was a distinct howling in the wind that was -- we had never experienced that before. --t was also the time when it was the first time we experienced storm surge.

the height was like 15 to 20 feet. we had no choice but to go out of our house. amy: and you were with -- two of my older brothers, my sister-in-law, and my three year old nephew. there were seven of us in that house. basically, we did not have a choice but to just go out of the house because if we stayed there, we would be trapped inside. we got separated from each other while battling the strong wind, the rain, and the storm surge. everything hours, was damaged. everything was taken away from us. amy: had water risen? about 50 to 20 feet. amy: who were you with outside? >> my whole family. my whole family, we decided to go out of the house.

amy: you're holding onto each other? >> we were holding on to our window grills. the strategy was we would wait for the storm surge to rise up to the roof so it would be easier for us to go up. but since there were plenty of , like floating -- animals birds, frogs, snakes, rats were floating with us in the surge. it was helping us as well. we could not see what was really happening because everything was so hazy. it was as if crushed ice were being thrown at our face. us werepoint, all of separated from each other. but i was together with my parents during their last minutes of their lives. i saw my father -- while we were

floating and we were holding my father drowned. and then he surfaced. then i saw him drown again. and then he surfaced. in then he drowned and i never saw him again. that is when i focused myself on my mom. there was a refrigerator floating in front of us. so i decided to grab onto the refrigerator so we could stay afloat. so my mom held onto it as well. and the waves were so strong, it was crashing onto the refrigerator. i was being pushed under the tresses of a building nearby our house. it was up here on my head. water all the way to your nose.

>> i was being trapped. i decided to push the refrigerator away from the building and hold onto it. i looked for other things to keep me afloat. and that is when my mom and i got separated from each other. spunt like i was being inside a washing machine. it was very hard for me to surface again because there were plenty of debris blocking my head. i tried to surface that i could not. it was very exhausting for me to felt whenvive, but i i pushed my head, i felt there. i just used both my hands to push all of the things that were blocking my head. i actually used -- i think it was a door, i'm not sure. i used the thing that was blocking my head to float.

and then i saw my mom. i drifted toward her. her. i held her arms and i tried to lift half of her body so she could hold onto the wood i was using to stay afloat. but when my hands slipped to her fingers, her body splashed into the water. there was no sign of her struggling to survive, so -- i and kept onher calling her, but she did not respond anymore. that is when i realized that my mom was gone. just held onto her and let the storm surge take us. at some point, it was very exhausting to be carrying her lifeless body and that i had to make a decision. if i am going to hold on to my

becauseould also die the current of the water was very strong. go, i would her live but will i ever be able to live with that decision, that i wasn't able to save what was left of my family? amy: but your mother was dead. that -- i wasd able to survive that storm. my karen's would want me to continue and to choose to be alive despite all of that. i hahad no choice e but to justt her go. and stayedclimbed up

until the wind and the water receded, and then someone helped the steelwn f from frame. i asked what time it was, and he said it was about 9:00 a.m. then i remembered the water at our house, it was 7:00. so it was two hours. in fact, 10,000 people died in that two hours. >> more than 10,000 people. amy: and your other family members, your brothers -- >> nephew. brother, his wife and his son, they were not able to survive the storm, either. so right now, it is just me and my older brother. amy: at that time that you are struggling for your life, the u.n. summit was taking place

right here in poland. yeb saño was beside himself. yeb saño, the philippines top, negotiator five years ago. this is yeb addressing the 2013 confeference just afteter the typhoon devasastatee philippipines. a sobering reminder to the international l community ththae cannot afford to wait on climate action. warsaw must deliver and should muster the political will to address climate change and build that important bridge toward peru and paris. it might be said that it must the poetic justice that the typhoon was so big that it span the distance within warsaw and paris. mr. president, we ask if not us, then who? if not now, then when?

if not here, then where? bubut here in warsaw, we may vey well ask these same questions. what my country is going through as a result of this extreme climate event is madness. the climate crisis is madness. mr. president, we can stop this madness right here in warsaw. amy: that was yeb saño speaking as the lead climate negotiator for the philippines in 2013. through that u.n. climate summit, he wept, he fasted. the next year, the u.n. climate summit was held in lima, peru. and just before he was headed to peru, he learned he would no longer be on the delegation. our guest is joanna susteno, climate activist. what yeb did not know

happened to our families. your family knew yeb's family. brothersbrother is my friend. he was supposed to stay at our house the night before the typhoon struck, but he decided to stay in a hotel. i could not imagine if he was in our house and he would also extent of the same the struggles to survive. amy: in fact, we spoke with both yeb and his brother and they described their own experience. au have called typhoon haiyan violation of human rights. talk about that. why. >> typhoon haiyan and all of the other storms that passed after result of climate

change, it is a violation of human rights because whenever extreme weather events happen, especially in my country, the philippines, we lose the basic human right to a safe environment. we lose the right to live. we lose our right to livelihood. we lose ouour right to education because schools get damaged. and whenever there are typhoon warnings, our classes get suspended. can you imagine students having to go through that? dignity, tohuman have -- to just have mental health. because after the storm, we did not have the space to breathe and to just feel what we want to

feel. we did not have that space because we were so busy for survival. we were busy looking for food, for water, for family members. amy: talk about how you went from this climate catastrophe, a climate survivor, losing five members of your family, to becoming a climate activist, coming to global gatherings like these and now taking on what is called the carbon majors him of the 47 fossil fuel companies someare responsible for quarter of the fossil fuels emitted through history, fossil fuel emissions. >> i can say that what we have experienced back home, typhoon that turningcame point. because a year after the onslaught of haiyan, we were

again anticipating another super typhoon. i remember as i was packing my things -- because we were preparing to evacuate to a safer place -- and i felt so exhausted. i thought, is this the life i'm going to be living from now on? are we just going to wait for another catastrophe to happen? are we just going to count casualties, the injured, the missing? are we just going to wait for relief and aid from foreign countries every time we are met by these catastrophes? and i cannot imagine living a life like that. it is exhausting. it is a great injustice because we are not responsible for this. family, want my future my future children to go through what i have been through because no one -- no one deserves it. no one deserves that.

realized that everything was taken away by that storm, but i was able to survive that for a reason. and i promised myself i would never stop finding what that is. that despite everything, our community, we have gained a powerful story to tell because our experiences, our stories -- it could put a human face on the numbers come on the statistics of climate change. and i believe that this global haverence, human stories that power to change the current system. amy: right now a human rights commission in the philippines is trying to determine if corporate

polluters should be held accountable for the loss of life linked to their business model. can you describe this investigation that is underway, and also a lawsuit against carbon majors? well, this petition was filed in 2015 by survivors, fisherfolk, farmers, and other environmental organizations at the commission of human rights on the philippines to companies into their responsibility for human rights violations resulting from climate change. it is already the sixth public hearing and the philippines. scientists and researchers who have the facts, backed by simon signs. amy: and to those who say you

can never prove anyone hurricane is related to climate change? >> of course. amy: yet, the intensity, the frequency. >> yes, it has been getting more extreme, getting more frequent. communityelp of our in the philippines, there also -- they have the chance to share how climate change impact of their lives, their livelihood. amy: have companies try to shut down the investigation? >> so far, none of them have showed up. so they are ignoring, blatantly as what they have been doing for the past decade. because they knew. they knew of the consequences of their business practices, but

they did not -- they did something about it, they paid billions of dollars to denyiduals so that they climate science. deceived they whole world. amy: have you been anticipating and some of the protests? and also, protests taking place, yet those who protest in this conference center in poland -- this is part of the u.n. deal. a conference center, by the way, that is shaped like a coal mine and sits on an old coal mine area. protesters are not allowed to name names of corporations they are protesting. participating in the climate march.

i have also seen plenty of activists who -- with whom i share the same philosophy. amy: can you name some of the names of the companies, the 47 carbon majors? >> shell, bp, chevron, exxon mobil. bige are actually 90 companies all over the world, but 47 companies are present in the philippines. amy: we just have 30 seconds left. what do you want to see come out of this conference, and talk about your life's dedication at this point, your life's mission. >> honestly at this point, i am not expecting anything from the cop. journeyed with fellow

activists here, i see that there is so much power in the people out there. there is so much power for them to create that pressure to our government, so our corporations change the current system. and through their stories -- our stories, we can change that mindset. amy: i want to thank you for being with us. our condolences for your family, for the philippines, and for so many other countries. countries. we're going to talk more about this author this week as we broadcast from the u.n. climate summit. joanna sustento, climate activist from tacloban, philippines. typhoon haiyan survivor. lost five members of her family and so many more in her community. when we come back, chasing the story. democracy now! tries to question a top climate advisor to

president trump. stay with us. ♪ [music break]

amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we are broadcasting from the u.n. climate summit here in katowice, poland. protesters on monday disrupted a trump administration-hosted event promoting fossil fuels. it was the only public event hosted by the united states during the summit. the event featured wells griffith, , special asassistanto the president for international energy and environment. griffifith is a longtime republican operative who served as d deputy chief of staff to reince priebus when priebus was chair of the republican national committetee. climate actitivists disruptedd griffith's speech minutes aftftr he began s speaking. >> over a year and a half ago, president trump p announced the united state - -- the united states intend to withdraw from the e paris agreement. we s strongly believe that no country y should have to sacrife ececonomic prosperity or r enery

security in pursuit of environmental sustainability. the united statas is s the numbr one combine oil and gas producer in thehe world. if w we are serious about eradicating povoverty and providing universal access to affordable, , reliable energy, t is clelear that energy innovatin and fossil fuels will continue to play a leading rolele. >> [indiscernible] we must keep it in the ground! keep it in the ground! keep it in the ground! poison with radioactivity. we won't allow it. >> my mother called me on the

phone to say our home has flooded multiple times in the next year wewe are living in a drought. do you know what this feels like? it is hahard. no one deseserves this kind of sufferining. >> these folks are in illusion ists. they have smoke and mirrors. they come here to sell. are climatethey deniers and carbon and nuclear energy profiteers. shame on you. >> shame on you! shame on you! shame on you! shame on you! >> we're going to contininue going. i think that is anan example of all too ofoften we can't have an openen discussion about rereali. it was fititting that we began - interruption began during the

enenergy a access portion that e were discussing. inin addition to economic c gro, energy security and eradicating energy poverty, all energy sources are important and they will be utilized unapologetically. >> i and from oakland, california. i am one of the leads this year. this action, we basically wanted to make a m mockery of the trump administstration promotingng fol fuels here at cop24 this year in poland, so we made a display. everyone in the audience laughed. we did a walk out. we chanted ended speeches featuring frontline and indigenous community members who are pushing for real solutions to climate change, which involves cutting -- keeping fossil fills in the ground and focusing on community led solutions. >> my name is monica. i am an activist from costa rica, which has witnessed

something very b backwards, whih talking about something that doesn't exist. they talk about clean fossil fuels, but we know that does not exist. that is something that makes you scratch your head. the other thing that was remarkable is they talk as if science doesn't exist. they talk as if the burning of those fossil fuels doesn't have impacts. in essence, they are optimizing their own industry. it was all about optimization of an industry that we know has to say goodbye. amy: the voices of protesters here at the u.n. climate talks in katowice, poland, disrupting an event held by the united states remote coal and other fossil fuels.

protester started laughing at one of the speakers, the chair of the event, trump adviser wells griffith, a longtime republican operative who serves as special assistant to the president for internanational energy and environment. he served as deputy chief of staff to priebus when priebus question of the national -- republican national committee. i ran into wells griffith on tuesday here at the u.n. climate talks and attempted to ask him about the trump administration's climate policy. griffith immediately began walking and then running away. hi, i am amy goodman. we came to your report -- >> i'm sorry, have to go to another meeting. amy: can you tell us what you think about president trump saying climate change is a hoax? are you not speaking to the press here? >> i'm sorry, i'm running late. amy: but you were not running late when you're just standing there. just answer the question, what

is the u.s. doing here since president trump said he is pulling out of the paris agreement. about -- can you talk about president trump's saying that climate change is a chinese hoax? can you -- are you not talking to the press while you are here? something upan set later. amy: who would i talk to? can i ask if you agree with president trump calling climate change a hoax? you're definitely giving me a run. can you talk about why the u.s. is here since president trump is saying he is pulling the u.s. out of the paris climate accord? can you talk about why you are pushing coal?

no answer on any issue? can you talk -- can you talk about why the u.s. would not welcome the u.n. report saying catastrophic climate change is imminent in the world has to win itself off coal of coal by 2050? >> i will connect you with our press folks if you want to give me a card and i will reach out. amy: we could have spoken this whole time. if you could answer the question about whether you agree with president trump calling climate change a hoax? can you explain why the u.s. is

even at the climate summit, given he is pulling out? >> give me your card and i will reach out. amy: can you explain why the in. joined with saudi arabia watering down language around the u.n. report? wells griffith begins to climb a set of stairs and so the reverses course, comes back down, and darts past the various country pavilion exhibit. wells griffith, can you talk about why the u.s. is pushing coal at this u.n. climate summit? can you talk about the u.s. role here at the u.n. climate summit? why the u.s. is present at all?

can you explain why you won't comment on any issue -- >> if you give me your card, i can do it. but you're really -- i can have -- on amy: if you would just answer a few questions. >> i can have our folks reach up and maybe we can do some questions, but you are kind of -- you are actually harassing me. amy: can you explain why you won't answer any questions on the issue of climate change or why the u.s. is here? >> if you would like to set up an interview, i just need your contact information. amy: the reporter asking you questions, sir, is not harassment. why not answer a few simple questions? >> i can set something up if you give me your contact information. amy: so you're saying you will

do an interview? >> i will -- me your don't you give card and we will set something up. >> i asked for yours. i would be happy to get you in touch, but you are following me around. and go yeah. i just want to get a few answers. it would take a few minutes. amy: wills further -- wells griffith takes two steps at a time. mr. griffith, can you explain why the u.s. joined with saudi arabia to not welcome, to demand the word "welcome", out of -- oh, thank you. ok. i thought you wanted to get the contact information. well, we are standing in front of the united states of america

delegation office. we followed wells griffith, who is a representative of the trump administration, formally a top aide to reince priebus, to ask u.s. side program yesterday, were they pushed coal and fossil fuels at the u.n. climate summit. i went up to him and asked him what he thinks of president trump saying climate change is a hoax. i asked about why the united states is here at the u.n. presidentmmit, given trump -- i have to catch my breath. can you say who you are? let me take the card. you're not going to give me the card? he said someone would give me the card. you're not when you give me a card? u.s.representative of the

government was about to hand me a card and then decided against hae min lee a card. wells griffith said they would allow us to get a contact, so we'll just wait here and see what happens. a formal request for trump adviser wells griffith h to do n intervrview, his office jujust responded, sorry, but due t to time conststraints, , mr. grfith is not availilable for this interview." one question many, activists have is about wells griffith's qualification to advise president trump on climate and energy issues and in march, the publication e&e reported -- "griffith's time at his dad's gas station is about all the energy experience he had until this past year, when he landed a top political job at the energy department after working on the trump campaign." in 2013, griffith filmed a campaign ad at his father's shell l statioion in mobile alaa in hisaiailed tempmpt rufofor coressss.

>> my parents taughmeme to ok to the bible, the constitition for guidce. but thi document, obamaca, th i is whi amam rning f f congress. amy: wls griffitdid not wn hicampaignor congrs, but he has bome a toenergy advisor preside trump. when we come back, we will talk about what the united states is doing behind the scenes here with a top climate activist. stay with us. ♪ [music break]

amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. there broadcasting from u.n. climate summit in katowice, poland. we end today's show looking at how the world's worst emitters are hindering negotiations at the u.n. climate summit here in poland, even as countries from the global south warn that they could face annihilation without drastic action to confront climate change.

on tuesday, the island of bono what to -- vanuatu's foreign minister ralph regenvanu criticized the united states and other big polluters for obstructcting climate talks. to watchns me deeply the people of the united states and other dedeveloped countries across the globe suffering devastating impacts of clement-induced tragedies while professional negotiators are here at cop24 putting red lines any mention of loss or damage in the paris guidelines in brackets around any progress against humanity's most existential threat. to see those me countries historically responsible for climate change causing -- refusing to opererationalize the legal obligations to assist countries in the effort to achieve sustainability and adapt, change. amy: that was the foreign vanuatu.of

what is the u.s. during her since president trump said he is pulling out of the paris agreement? can you talk about president trump saying that climate change is a chinese hoax? amy: our next guest has been observing how the u.s. and other big polluters are hindering climate talks here in katowice. harjeet singh is the global lead on climate change for actionaid. he's been working with climate migrants in several countries. he is based in new delhi, india. welcome to democracy now! i tried to get an answer from one of the top u.n. so-called climate advisers to president trump. he would not answer what they are doing here because they are pulling out of the talks, but in fact, they are very active behind the scenes. is that right? >> absolutely. it is very frustrating to see the u.s. having a seat at the table and using every single opportunity to destroy the paris

agreement. they are colluding with australia, canada, japan and friends like saudi arabia to make sure we don't make any progress on increasing our ambition on emission reduction. they are making sure not a single penny goes from their side to developing countries who have to transition their economy , make them greener, and also tackle climate impact. -- thenot going to see way we expected. amy: explain what happened. joinedekend, the u.ns. with saudi arabia. many congress members, republican and democrat, senators, are deeply concerned about its involvement with the murder of a journalist, jamal khashoggi, but this weekend they joined again with saudi arabia, their ally, in saying they would not welcome the u.n. report on catastrophic climate change, they would only note it. is it just language semantics or

does it really make a difference? >> imagine these parties had commissioned support to ipcc, then you kind of don't welcome at? you just know it, which means we're going to ignore the findings? it is a political message that we don't accept these findings, and it is not the first time. , when some of the policy makers were being developed in october, so it is not the first time it joined the u.s. the world has accepted the seriousness of this report and is beginning to o act, but somew saudi arabia and the u.s. are trying to undermine the importance of this very important report. the when you talk about global report, what does that mean for a global community that does that understand u.n. speak? >> in paris, we came up with his agreement that largely talks about what we're going to do to

keep the temperature below 1.5 and help developing countries to adapt, which means building dikes and he been people save, to put it simply. we have to katowice, talk about how and who does how much. it is about making rules so we are able to move forward on reducing emissions but also help developing countries tackle climate impact. be fundamental in determining whether paris is real or not. amy:'s of the was is pulling out of the paris talks, but it takes a few years, not until 2020. meanwhile, they're here, actually, not absent, but very active. specifically, what are they targeting behind the scenes? >> the u.s. is changing the rules of the game it is that when a play at all. it means the rule book is going to be much weaker of providing finance for developing countries . let us understand that finance

has to be the center of everything we're talking about. developing countries have put their plan on the table. it may cost trillions. we're demanding just $100 billion a year by 2020. that money is to leverage trillions. if that amount of money is not going to be made available, all of those plans the developing countries have put on the table are not going to be implemented. amy: in this last minute, talk about climate migrants. we just talked to a survivor of hurricane haiyan. not in her family did survive. what is the scope of this problem? >> it is a very dire situation. justort came out in 2017, -- 18.8 million new displacements. these migrants are increasing. imagine this is just one degree warmer world, and paris agreement is taking us to a

three degree warmer world. the recent report from ipcc talks about how even 1 1.5 degrs is goioing to be so devaststati. 1.5 degrees celsius, 2.7 degrees fahrenheit. >> that writes -- that's right. marine ecology come half of the plant and animal species are going to be extinct but in of century due to climate change in the port natural spaces like the amazon. what does that mean? it means people are depending on the ecosystem. people are going to lose their lives. if i talk about bangladesh, it will lose 20% of its land to the sea. it is one of the most populated countries. where are those people going to go? there is no protection mechanism in place in the country, nor internationally. they have refugees, no protection system in place. amy: we're going to do part two of this discussion and post it online at democracynow.org. harjeet singh, global lead on climate change at actionaid. he's been working with climate

migrants in several countries. he is based in new delhi, india. that does it for our show. we have an immediate job opening for a full-time social media manager here in new york city. resumes should be sent to democracynow.org.