04/23/21 04/23/21 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! pres. biden: this is the decade we must make decisions that will avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis. amy: president biden hosts a virtual global clima summit and pledges to cut u.s. emissions in half by 2030. but enviroental groups say global leaders are not being

enough ambitious enough to address the climate emergency. we will speak to former amnesty international head kumi naidoo in south afra. >> leaders injured climate action explicitly addresses inequality, poverty, injusti with the traition to green and inclusive economies fully take all. amy: we also look at the link between climate change and migration in central american and speak to a leading climate activist in mozambique. author of the book "overheated: how capitalism broke the planet -- and how we fight back." all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the quarantine report. i'm amy goodman. the white house convened a

virtual summit on the climate crisis thursday, with 40 leaders representing the world's major economies pledging cuts to greenhouse gas emissions. president biden said the u.s. wouldslash greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% below 2005 levels by the end of the decade -- nearly double the target set by the obama administration six years ago. biden this is a moral and economic imperative, apparel but also extraordinary possibilities . amy: chinese president xi jinping called on wealthy nations to do more to help developing countries face the climate crisis. he repeated a pledge to cut emissions in china, which recently passed the u.s. as the world's biggest carbon polluter. >> china will strive to peak carbon oxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. amy: the climate summit continues today with a focus in

part on the role of big business. speakers include billionaires mike bloomberg and bill gates. on capitol hill, the house subcommittee on the environment heard testimony thursday on the role of fossil fuel subsidies in preventing action on the climate crisis. swedish activist greta thunberg spoke of a widening gap between what countries are doing and what actually needs to be done in order to keep global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees celsius. meanwhile, native american lawyer and environmental activist tara houska said indigenous people should be front and center in any debate over the climate. >> the reality is we are just 5% of the population, indigenous people, and we hold 80% about diversity. with the last holders of the sacred spaces all mother earth. despite this, our voices are almost entirely absent from the climate crisis and we have to protect commities ke my own. we are affected first and worst

fight the climate crisis but yet those who contribute the least to climate crisis. amy: new york city has filed a lawsuit charging some of the world's biggest oil companies with systematically and intentionally deceiving new yorkers about the dangers posed by their products. new york mayor bill de blasio said thursday the industry has for decades spread false advertising that violates new york's consumer protection laws. >> there has been a consistent effort by the fossil fuel industry to tell as they are making things safe and greenlee just is not true. the city of new york will be filing a lawsuit against big oil in state supreme court, more specifically, targeting exxon, shall, bp, and the america petroleum institutinwhich is the trad group for big oil. amy: after headlines, we'll spend the rest of the hour on the climate emergency. india has reported the world's highest-ever one-day tally of coronavirus infections for the second straight day with nearly a third of a million new cases

reported. covid-19 deaths also jumped to a new record daily high for india at nearly 2300. hospitals across india's northern and western states are rapidly running out of beds and running low on oxygen. mass cremation sites have been operating around the clock. meanwhile, at least 13 covid patients were killed early friday after a fire broke out at the intensive care unit of a hospital near mumbai. it was the second hospital disaster in india this week. south africa has resumed use of johnson & johnson's single-dose covid-19 vaccine, ending a temporary pause that followed reports of extremely rare but severe blood clotting in patients. fewer than one in a million recipients of j&j's shot developed the disorder. here in the united states, a panel of vaccine experts meets today to discuss whether to

recommend resuming use of the shots. daily coronavirus infections continue to hold steady at a relatively high level in the u.s. with 67,000 new infections and more than 900 deaths reported thursday. meanwhile, a new study in the journal of the american medical association conference -- confirms pregnant people have an elevated risk of complications due to -- and death from covid-19. the disease raised the risk of preeclampsia, pre-term birth, and icu admissions with pregnant patients 22 times more likely to die than those who did not become infected. the house voted thursday to make washington, d.c., the 51st u.s. state. the new state would be called "washington, douglass

commonwealth" after abolitionist frederick douglass and would exclude federal buildings and monuments. the measure would give over 700,000 d.c. residents one representative in the house and two senators. the biden administration has backed the bid for statehood, but it faces a stiff battle in the evenly divided senate where it would need 60 votes to pass. the senate passed a bill targeting anti-asian hate crimes, which have seen an exponential rise since the start of the pandemic. the measure would create a justice department position focused on the issue which would review hate crime reports. a single "no" vote was cast by missouri senator josh hawley, the trump ally who helped incite the deadly january 6 insurrection. hawley called the bill too broad. the bill will be voted on by the house before heading to biden's desk. the house passed the no ban act wednesday, limiting a

president's ability to impose discriminatory entry bans like the muslim travel ban ordered by president trump in 2017. this is indiana congressmember andré carson. >> we know this was never about keeping america safe. it was all about enshrining islamophobia and xenophobia as the law of the land. president biden lifted these bands, our bill will ensure history does not repeat itself in this way again. amy: indiana congressmember andré carson. one of the first two muslim congressman. the house also passed legislation ensuring u.s. citizens and residents who are detained at ports of entry have access to legal counsel. a new report finds the government of haiti may be complicit in crimes against humanity. harvard university law school researchers found haitian president jovenel moïse has sanctioned attacks against

civilians in impoverished neighborhoods in port-au-prince, with targeted assassinations and threats against government critics carried out with impunity. this comes as the biden administration has deported more haitians in a few weeks than president trump did in all of 2020. a group of democratic congressmembers introduced the "honduran human rights and anti-corruption act" this week. the bill imposes sanctions on honduran president juan orlando hernandez and suspense u.s. security assistance and weapons for the honduran police and military. this comes as hondurans continue to flee the dire social and economic conditions at home. but many are not granted the opportunity to apply for asylum if they reach the u.s. on wednesday, 85 honduran migrants were deported from the u.s. >> yesterday, i was deported at 5:00 p.m.

i was not told i was being deported. nothing. i was suddenly asked to get ready in five minutes. i was told i would be picked cap but i was taken to the airport at 3:00 a.m. and then i was reported. amy: in colombia, indigenous governor sandra liliana peña was gunned down in the cauca region. days before her murder, she publicly condemned the increasing amount of illicit crops being cultivated locally. rights groups say she was at least the 52nd social leader killed this year and that over 1100 activists and land defenders have been killed since the 2016 peace deal was signed. a warning to our audience, the next story contains graphic descriptions of violence against women. in kuwait, women rallied thursday to demand safety and justice after the brutal murder of a woman earlier this week. the woman had filed against her murderer for harassment after she refused to marry him, but he was released on bail and went on

to kidnap and stab her to death. this is a protester in kuwait city. >> it is very scary and very sad in my own country when i get into my car, i feel i need to lock the doors immediately. it is very scary and depressing have way while walking to the car or asking someone to accompany them from their place of work or study to their vehicles. it is very scary this is what our country has come to. amy: in new york, a woman who had to go through labor while her wrists and ankles were shackled by police has settled for $750,000 with the city and the new york police department. the woman, who is african american, went into labor the day she was arrested and gave birth while handcuffed to a hospital bed without her family or her doctor present. she sued for emotional distress, and a violation of her civil rights.

the u.s. supreme court rejected imposing limits on sentences for life without parole for juveniles. the 6-3 ruling reverses a trend towards more leniency for children and teens convicted of a crime and highlights the supreme court's strong conservative advantage. justice sonia sotomayor was joined by the two other liberal judges in her dissent. she wrote -- "the state must consider whether a juvenile offender has demonstrated maturity and rehabilitation sufficient to merit a chance at life beyond the prison in which he has grown up. for most, the answer is yes." in north carolina, protesters took to the streets of elizabeth city for a second straight night to demand justice for andrew brown, jr., a black man shot dead by police officers serving an arrest warrant wednesday morning. eyewitnesses described an unlawful, unjustified killing by multiple officers who opened

fire as brown tried to flee in a vehicle. this is brown's neighbor and long-time friend. >> my neighbor across the street , killed. my baby comes running in my room with fear in his face. how do i keep him safe? the people were supposed to protect and serve are the ones taking them out? amy: a family lawyer said brown was unarmed and demanded the release of police body camera footage. and in minnesota, mourners gathered thursday for the funeral of daunte wright, a 20-year-old black father who was shot dead by a white police officer during a traffic stop in the minneapolis suburb of brooklyn center. daunte's mother, katie wright, fought back tears as she remembered her son. >> i never imagined i would be

standing here. i sent should be burying me. -- my son should be burying me. my son had a smile that was worth a million dollars. when he walked into the room, he lit up the room. he was a brother, a jokester. he was loved by so many. he is going to be so messed. amy: a number of prominent politicians attended daunte wright's funeral, including minneapolis congressmember ilhan omar, state attorney general keith ellison, governor tim walz, and u.s. senator and clover shark. this is attorney benjamin crump. >> before i give the plea for justice, let me have you in joining me in proclaiming that daunte wright's life's matter so

his mother will know that we believe it when we quote it. upon your feet, if you would. daunte wright's life matters. >> daunte wright's life! matters amy: daunte wright's funeral came just two days after a jury found former minneapolis police officer derek chauvin guilty of murdering george floyd in killing that set off the largest protest in u.s. history. this is the rev. al sharpton who delivered the eulogy at da unte's funeral. >> the time has come to stand up

and bring a new day where we do not have to explain to our children what to do when the police stop you. it is time to bring a new day where we don't have to videotape when we see a badge, when we know they are there to serve and protect not treat us like we have been convicted. the time has come for police to understand they are not above the law, they are to enforce the law. amy: and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the quarantine report. when we come back, we spend the hour on the global climate emergency. stay with us. ♪♪ [music break]

amy: trumpeter keyon harrold and

artist ange hillz painting a portrait of daunte wright. in december, keyon's 14-year-old son was attacked by a woman at a new york hotel while he was with his father. the woman falsely accused him of stealing her iphone and got security to go after the father and son as well. this is democracy now, democracynow.org, the quarantine report. i'm amy goodman. sign up for our daily news digest email by texting democracynow -- one word, no space -- to 66866 today. the white house is continuing to host a virtual summit on the climate crisis today with 40 leaders representing the world's major economies, including china. on thursday, president biden pledged to cut u.s. greenhouse gas emissions in half below 2005 levels by the end of the decade -- that's nearly double the target set by the obama

administration six years ago. pres. biden: the united states sets out on the road to cut greenhouse gases in half by the end of this decade. that is where we are headed as a nation. and that is what we can do if we ke actn to build an economy not only more prosperous, but healthier, fairer, and cleaner for the entire planet. these steps will set america on a path of zero emissions economy by no later than 2050. we know how critically important that is. because scientists tell us that this is the decisive decade. this is the decade we must make decisions that will avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis. we must try to keep the earth's temperature to an increase of 1.5 degrees celsius. amy: the european union has pledged to cut carbon emissions by 55% compared to 1990 levels.

chinese president xi jinping repeated his pledge for china to cap emissions by 2030 and be carbon neutral by 2060. he also vowed to phase down china's dependence on coal. despite the new commitments, environmental groups warn more action needs to be quickly taken. greenpeace has called on biden to reduce u.s. emissions by 70% by 2030 and to phase out fossil fuels. the climate summit continues today with a focus in part on the role of big business. speakers include billionaires mike bloomberg and bill gates. we begin today's show with kate aronoff. she is staff writer at "the new republic." her new book is titled "overheated: how capitalism broke the planet -- and how we fight back.” can you respond to the earth day seven of at least 40 world leaders called by president

biden, what he has set as goals for the u.s. and what others are setting for their own countries? >> yeah. i have been to a lot of these types of summits before. they're not so strange in the realm of global climate policy making. leaders coming together, making pronouncements, and generally feeling good about one another. it is good this happened. but biden announced yesterday, 50% below 2005 levels by 2030, this is fulfilling a basic requiremt of the u.s. -- they needed to date this target which joe biden is a lot of minutia top. what happened yesterday with the u.s. -- again, basic requirements of being in the paris agreement. it is good we have done that. as you mentioned, this is well

below what the united states really owes the rest of the world based on the mr. cole responsibility for csing the climate issue and to transition quickly off fossil fuels. there is still no plan really even to fill that basic requirement and even to fulfill the lobar target that biden laid out yesterday. china has come to the table. this is a good step toward for concrete action but also these summits tend to play out in similar ways. there is not a plan that, in the u.s. that says, make good on this. we have not passed any climate legislation yet. what is on the table does not get to that low bar goal, silly not to the 7% reduction needed. -- certainly not the 70%

reduction needed. there should be $800 billion as a down payment efforts of their pointed out and many other groups looking at the concept of the fair share of the united states responsibility. it is way too little, way too late. amy: in your new book, kate, called "overheated: how capitalism broke the planet -- and how we fight back." you argue that the pro-business politicians on both sides of the aisle, as well as organizations like the u.n. world economic forum, mistakenly believe capital and world market have best solutions for climate change. today, for example, bill gates and mike bloomberg will address the global summit. >> and even amid -- to be fair, pretty ambitious commitments from the biden administration, far more than anyone would have expected amid the democratic

primary in which he has the least ambitious climate plan based on joe biden's career as a real centrist who is never been upont on these issues. he surprised a lot of people, including me. so we see built into these plans, which are much too small, including the american jobs and he put out a couple of weeks ago, a real fos on really spraying on the private sector to do this work. the theory is if you put a little bit of money into the private sector to spur on research and development through things like tax credits, that that will catalyze the action necessary. having people like bill gates and michael bloomberg be positive as a sort of heroes, putting corporations on a pedestal is protagonist to determine as they should is --

decarbonization. we have never seen the private sector take the action despite years of rhetoric, not just the u.s. but in the u.n. from work on climate change. the language is to catalyze private-sector action. we just have not seen it happen. there is a real reticence in particular to go after the fossil fuel industry which we know is the problem in which has been for years and years and years delaying action and -- people denying it exists at all. amy: at the same time the global climate summit was happening, there was a house hearing led by ro khanna on fossil fuel subsidies. california covers person katie porter grilled frank macchiarola. this was the exchange. >> why do i have to paper you --

paid for you? why do taxpayers have to pay subsidies to the oil and gas industry? >> thank you for your question. the federal leasing of oil and for oil and gas development produces a significant amount of funding for the treasury. >> reclaiming my time. >> i would like to explain. >> the evidence is clear, we subsidize. we taxpayer subsidized the oil and gas industry. we did it this year alone in the world greatest pandemic $15.2 billion in direct pandemic relief alone to fossil fuel companies. and the fossil fuel industry turnaround in 2020 and spit 139 billion dollars on political donations and $111 million lobbying. i get it. you drill in the arctic refuge.

you take up oil and gas. but why should taxpayers have to subsidize that activity? it is a bridge too far. amy: that is congressmember katie porter. kate aronoff, explain these subsidies and significce of this interaction. >> katie porter lays out the case pretty well. there is a range of subsidies the fossil fuel industry takes in, and it is really depending a lot of ways on support and it has been prolonged time whether it is the drilling tax credit where they can write off the expense for oil or drilling for new oil reserves or preferential land leasing they get to take up land leases on public land for oil and gas drilling even things like railroads. the transfer order of coal -- transport of coal,expo permitsr

tot send fossil fuel abroad. profits are entirely dependent on a huge amount of this support. i think the industry likes to make the case that, well, this creates jobs, this is a key part of our economy stuff as katie porter pointed out, the fossil fuel industry got a lot of support for the pandemic, in particular emergency relief funding. 77 oil and gas companies cap $8.2 billion in support. they laid off percent of the workforce. the idea that these companies are job creators and interested in creating a middle-class life for big parts of this country is just wrong. they are interested in a firing as many people as possible to bring down production cost. when the fossil fuel industry comes out and says they do --

climate action is a big position of government to the lights that u.s., that we should not pick winners and losers in the energy sector -- u.s. government has not been picking winners for a very long time. it is time to pick new winners. it is not a matter of subsidies are bad. we are subsidizing the wrong thing. amy: i want to turn to 18-year-old swedish climate activist greta thunberg who also testified at the ro khanna house hearing at the global summit was taking place at the white house. click sign i'm not the one who supposed to ask questions here, there is something i really do wonder, how long do you honestly believe people in power like you will get away with it? how long do you think you can continue climate to ignore the climate climate crisis without being held accountable? you get away with it now, but

oner or later, people are going to realize what you have been doing all this time. that is inevitable. you still have time to do the right thing and to save your legacies. but time is not going to last for long. what happens then? we, the young people, are the ones were going to write about you in the history books. we are the ones who get to decide how you will be remembered. so my advice for you is to choose wisely. thank you. amy: that is now 18 euros swedish climate activist greta thunberg testifying before the house oversight subcommittee on the environment around the issue of the role of fossil fuel subsidies and preventing action on the climate crisis. kate aronoff, your final thoughts on a call for a nonviolent economy and other

wa to transition to economy that you argue should not be centered around fossil fuels another capitalist solution to the climate emergency? >> like i said before, the call for a nonviolent economy is really about redirecting the amnt of state support we pour into violence in the form of fossil fuel subsidies but also our enormously bloated military budget, foreign presence in all corners of the earth, and aching about what@a is the foundation f a good life? not just in the u.s., but of ourselves as really -- everyone on the planet as we have seen through the pandemic. if there are missions coming from one part of the world, that hurts all of us. i think we need to redirect that enormous amount of state support currently fueling the things that are killing us into the type of world we need. not just scale up clean energy,

but to do this was a valuable work that private sector does not think are valuable from curing for the elderly to health care jobs, which we have found out are a real crisis at a big source of low carbon, often unionized work. it is really about reorienting our priorities and thinking about what goals -- in my mind, to bring down carbon emissions as quickly as possible, create an orderly decline of the fossil feel industry which puts workers first and allows the democrats essay over with the transition looks like and make people's lives better in the short term so we can really have the source of society we need that is cleaner but also more democratic. amy: kate aronoff, a staff writer at "the new republic." her new book "overheated: how , capitalism broke the planet -- and how we fight

back." we will link to renew article as well. as we continue to discuss president binds climate summit, we continue, this is this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the quarantine report. i'm amy goodman. we look now at the link between the climate emergency and migration. studies have estimated climate change could displace over 200 million people by 2050, including many in central america including guatemala, el salvador, and honduras. last year, two hurricanes devastated the region forcing thousands to flee north. we go now to camila bustos, human rights associate at the university network for human rights. of the co-authors of a new one report titled "shelter from the storm: policy options to address climate induced displacement from the northern triangle." it was recently published in collaboration with experts from harvard law school and yale law school. camila bustos, welcome to democracy now!

it is great to have you with us. why don't you lay out your findings. >> thank you for having us. as you explain, our findings indicate climate change is already acting as a driver of migration in the northern triangle. we know people leave for multiple reasons. we know it has to do with social conditions, economics, politics, violence. climate but we know is exhilarating -- but we know climate is accelerating many of those factors. we have to plan around migration. we cannot expect it just happened. at those lives of bended and at risk. we are asking the biden administration to plan ahead. every year there is an executive order does the first of its kind oncoming migration which we applied and it is a great first step of many more to come

because as i said, and you have discussed on your show, climate change disproportionately affects bugs in the global south, particularly in places like central america. vulnerable because of the geography, economy, current violence and political instability. we are telling the biden administration to take that data, think creatively about solutions and revise immigration policies. amy: among other demands is a climate visa. explain. >> there are existing agnes sums thatave allowed -- mechanisms that have allowed people to come to the u.s. with dignity after a hurrane. for instance, hurricane mitch. there are programs in place that allow people to come but those are limited for many reasons. they may only target things like hurricane, the disrard long-term impacts le trout or

coastal erosion. in that sense, the existing programs are not enough. they tend to protect folks who are already here who enter without status and now can return to the country because of a particular disaster. think the climate crisis in many ways is unprecedented. our immigration system which advocates have said for years is broken is not enough. it needs reform. especially from climate change. it is to integrate climate change falls with a new climate visa, we are asking congress and the biden administration to take the climate crisis seriously and think creatively about how to provide, facilitate a way for folks to come either permanently or temporarily that allows them to do so with dignity with the work permit, eventually perhaps -- i think a lot of the details are

still to be determined but that is why we are putting the idea out there. it is new but a piece of legislation was introduced on this idea of climate legislation in the creation of a new category of people. they are new ideas but -- the crisis is at a moment we are in calls for. amy: on thursday during a virtual global climate summit, the mexican president andres manuel lopez obrador proposed the united states offer work visas and citizenship to participants in mexico's vast tree-planting program. this is what he said. >> united states government could offer those who participate in this program that after sowing the land for three consecutive years, that would have the possibility to obtain a temporary work visa and after another three or four years they could even obtain residency in the united states or dual nationalities. the migratory phenomenon as we all know is not resolved with coercive measures that justice and well-being.

amy: that is the mexican president. respond to his proposals. >> i think all proposals deserve consideration of current proposals are not enough. the emissions and the correct immigration framework. workpieces are good but they're not the end-all solution. this crisis requires steps on all front. it is not just mexico. we're talking about central america, really, the global south. we argue -- moral and ecological debt because of the role the u.s. has played not only in contributing to climate change but also in destabilizing many of the economies in central america through foreign intervention, foreign policy.

the fact this has been discussed is a good step but not enough. we need to think creatively not just on workpieces but other vehicles for relief that would allow people -- respect people's lives and allow them to migrate with dignity. amy: can he talk about how u.s. policy in central america drives people north? particularly the issue of central america being so dangerous for land defenders for environmentalists, for example, pretty cass rest was gunned down in her home -- berta caceres, who was gunned out in her home. how minds and dams have made the region were deadly for those who are fighting to save the planet? >> it is tragic what is happening around the world but especially in central america. it ione of the most dangerous

to be an environmental activist but an issue we have to confront , particularly because they are fighting for land and water. and because of that, we want to call attention to the impacts of climate migration and the fact climate change is happening. on mitigation is needed, there is already a level of warming. even if we were to stop emissions today or tomorrow, there is already impacts being felt and will be continue to be felt around the region. in terms of u.s. policy, books and articles and much history has documented how use intervention, particularly in the last decade, the 1960's, 19 70's, 1980's, the way we destabilize government supported coups across the region -- again, other foreign-policy measures that have read,. we are not saying clime change is the only factor but it aggravates many of those that

have been there. amy: your own country, colombia, pena was just gunned down in the cauca region but she is among hundreds of rights activists -- well, 52nd social leader killed just this year and over 1100 activists and land defenders have been killed since the 2016 p still was signed. let's and with colombia. >> it is a sad story because it could have been prevented. we knew it would happen. we knewfter the 2016 peace agreement was signed, there would be a spike in violence, espeally right-wing criminal bands. people defending their water and land and peace for tickets would be targeted. the government knew what was going to happen.

it has gotten much worse. we must take it seriously. amy: camila bustos, thank you for being with us, human rights associate at the university network for human rights. she's one of the co-authors of the new report "shelter from the storm: policy options to address climate induced displacement from the northern triangle." when we come back, we go to africa. we will be joined by two leading african climate activists. stay with us. ♪♪ [music break]

amy: this is democracy now, democracynow.org, the quarantine report. i'm amy goodman. by the way, you can watch, listen, and read transcripts using our ios and android apps. download them for free from the apple app store or google play store today. as we continue to look at president biden's climate summit and the state of the climate

emergency, we end today's show with two leading activists from africa. joining us from mozambique is dipti bhatnagar, the international program coordinator for climate justice and energy at friends of the earth international. she alsoorks on climate justice with friends of the earth mozambique. and kumi naidoo joins us from johannesburg, south africa. special advisor for the green economy coalition's social contract initiative. also a global ambassador for africans rising for justice peace and dignity and the former secretary general of amnesty international. also the former header of greenpeace international. here in washington, d.c., president biden just -- is holding this today global climate summit. what do you think has to happen now? your assessment of happening there and what do you see happening in the continent? >> firstly, we have to recognize

we are playing catch up. because of foot dragging, particularly in the part of the united states, not only with trump but even with previous administrations, we have ended up wh the situation that we are basically sort of one minute to midnight in terms of the climate crisis. we have to be very clear when we judge the summit, this summit must meet this criteria. does what comes out of the summit reflect this reality that the decade we are in is the most urgent and most consequential decade in community's history? and the changes we make in this decade could determine what feature we have whether we have a future at all? what we need to be looking at from the summit to judge understood, the urgency sufficiently is really baby steps in the right direction or

rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic or we get the real understanding that we need structural and systemic change with regard to our economic system, our energy system, rfid system, our transport system, and so on. the only thing that is going to get us out of it is not baby steps in the reg direction, it will be big, bold, structural and systemic change. right now whi the summit is moving in the right direction from where trump was, i think it still needs to go a long way before, for example, it links climate change and the question of inequality, which more and more people are recognizing is -- amy: during the summit, south african president president

cyril ramaphosa called on wealthy nations to provide more aid to developing nations to address climate change. this is what he said. >> it is important aid on climate change should be provided separately and should not be a part of conventional development assistance. whether it is given in the form of loan financing, the debt burden of developing countries -- we call on developed economies, which historically bear the greatest responsibility for emissions, to meet the responsibilities for developing economies. amy: can you comment on your president's proposal? >> just to be very clear, when developing countries or countries in the global south, when we are asking for support, whether it is asia, africa, latin america, middle east, caribbean, we are not asking for

charity. we are simply saying, let's recognize the history of this problem that europe, north america, other countries built economy on dirty energy. now we are saying to poor countries, no, you cannot do the same. we are saying, you cannot make the same mistakes the rich countries have made. therefore, we are not asking for charity. what we are asking is for redress asking for basically rich countries to pay their climate debt. it is clear statistics are clear in terms of historical omissions and so on. at the bottom line is, this is not an act of charity in two ways. one, it is doing the right thing. but also, it is in the self-interest of rich countries -- unless rich countries and poor countries get it in their heads now that we get it right

as rich and poor countries acting together which might secure -- and i say "might." let me be clear. we are acting so late, it is a question about whethern fact we can avert catastrophic climate change. that is the spirit in which i think we need to be having the conversations right now. amy: i want to bring dipti bhatnagar into the conversation. as you watch the global summit in washington, your thoughts on what is being proposed? a lot is being made of president biden saying he would cut carbon emissions of the united states, what of the historically biggest polluters of the world, by 50%, 52% by 2030. what are your thoughts? >> thank you for having me. as kumi said, iis interesting

the summit is definitely going in the right direction and sending a signal the u.s. is willing to work on the catastrophe of climate change, but the pledges until now are woefully insufficient. the number you quoted just now, what he was pledged on the table on earth day is about 50% to 52% reduction based on 2005 levels i 2030. many groups put together what should be the u.s. actual fair share. when we talk about fair share, we're talking about the historical responsibility and the u.s. is the biggest histical emitter of greenhouse gases. so we are calling on the u.s. to do its fair share of emissions reductions. and what that means ifour times of what the u.s. has put on the table on earth day. so the u.s. actually needs to be committing to about 195%

reduction in emissions based on 2005 levels. obviously, that is not really physically possible within a single country. what that translates to is about 70% emissions reductions in the u.s. itself, a domestic effort, and at the same time, this has to come with a sense of solidarity. the only way the u.s. can actually meet its fair share is to support our countries in the global south. undertake this very essential energy transformation that we need will stop the system change we're going to need. we are calling on the u.s. along with u.s. organization for the u.s. to meet its fair share of emissions reductions. that is just one part of what u.s. has put on the table yesterday. there is also an element of climate finance to put forward, which is willfully low.

and at the same time, there is another element, which is fossil fuel financing, ending fossil fuel financing. what the u.s. has said is the development finance corporation is going to go to zero by 2040. if you don't mind, i would just been a few minutes talking about this concept of net zero and just how dangerous and damaging it is. net zero, basically, is a corporate strategy. it is a smokescreen. it is put forward by the most polluting corporations in the world. and all of these corporations suddenly have stepped up with these net zero targets. you wonder, why are they suddenly so eager to come up with the target where they have actually squashed climate science for decades? it is becaus no zero allows them to get away with continuing

to pollute, continuing business as usual. what net zero says is we can suck the carbon back out of the e atmosphere. this is about offsets. and whose land and force are they going to soquel use for the offset? whose rivers and lakes are they going to use to sequester this carbon? it is coming to our countries in the global south. it is coming to communities who are using their land, forest rivers to stay alive. what net zero will do is trigger a huge landgrab, more than is happening already in our countries of the global south. when the development finance corporation of the uss, we will go net zero by 2040, that means the signal they are sending as they want to continue polluting and they're going to go after people's land and forests to

offset their emissions. this is extremely damaging. that is something we need to see real change coming out of the u.s. and our own countries. i will stand up to our governments under the global south to g say, don't accept ths because your people's lands and forests are going to be really grabbed for capitalistic expansion. commodified nature is the next market. that is something we are fighting against. amy: i want to get both of your comments on china's role. chinese president xi jinping addressed the summit, repeating his pledge for china to cap emissions by 2030 and be carbon neutral by 2060. also about to reduce china's dependence on coal. >> we need to give full recognition to climate action and accommodate a particular difficulties and concerns.

developed countries due to increase climate ambition and action and make concrete efforts to help developing countries accelerate the transition to green and low carbon developmen amy: talk about china's role, but in africa and its effect on the planet, the u.s. and china of course the largest carbon emitters. >> i thought the trendy sort of signal on coal was very interesting because this opens up space for chinese campaigners and for all of us to really push back against the coal china's pushing. i want to be really clear that china is not a historical emitter. they do not bear historical responsibility the climate crisis and that is something we do need to remember, that the countries that their historical responsibility and have been the largest emitters need to do more and need to do it first.

at the same time, china is a force in many parts of africa including mozambique where i am right now. the type of dirty energy projects, the land grabbing and plantation projects they're pushing is extremely damaging and it is also grabbing community lands and destroying forests. we need to be able to hold china accountable for its actions while at the same time understanding not a historical polluter. it is real about the system change we need to bring about, amy, which is told everybody responsible that is contributing to these oppressions that are deepening and that also means challenging china as a new sort of colonizer in the continent and also continuing to challenge -- and india as well, also challenging those who have historical colonial extractive

leisure chips with africa. we need to be challenging all of that and calling for system change in order to be able to stop the climate crisis. amy: and the difference between the approaches of china and the u.s., why it matters for africa? describe the effects of climate change in south africa. >> i think the differences that we see right now between u.s and cna in the end result, i wonder whether it will be substantially different. driven by the language of hate and generositynd so on. but as she said, we have to be extremely vigilant to ensure whatever investments are coming we can manage it the best weekend and limit the damage. let's be clear. things coming in right now, some of the example she gave from china, are causing a negative effect as historically we have

been having from the western world. i think with china, beyond what dipti said, let's be very clear. the 2050 target is good. the 2060 needs to be brought back in terms of completely carbon neutral. the reality is, whether we like it or not, when china decides to do something at the top, they can deliver and make it happen because of a different political reality. i think it is time that china does recognize, as the united states needs to, that it is in their self-interest to make these changes as fast as possible. let me just say in fairness to china, historically -- i think now is the time for action. we must evaluate the summit not in terms of vague promises. we need to see what the

limitation plan is quit make sure this is not just another talk show host of amy: kumi naidoo, thank you for being advisor for the green economy with us, special advisor for the green economy coalition social contract initiative, a global ambassador for africans rizñññññ