11/04/21 11/04/21 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> if we cannot havan understanding, a lally binding agreement where countries agree not to push global temperatures above 1.5 degrees, if we cannot do that, we will die as a

community, as a nation. amy: as carbon emissions rise worldwide, we speak to the former president of one of most pourable -- vulnerable island nations, mohamed nasheed of the maldives. lesshan six mohs after h survived an assassination attempt outside his home, he ll join from glasw, where wwill also eak to therominent btish climate lawyer farhanaamin, who lped negiate thearis clime accordnd was once arrested for gluinboth of r hands to the ground outside a shell's london headquarters as part of an extinction rebellion action. plus, we will look at how the united states and other wealthy nation should help poorer nations. >> there are some rich nations and corporations who are holding the power and they do not want developing countries to have access to justice which could be

in the form of vaccines or climate action we have been demanding for decades now. amy: we will speak to harjeet singh who is pushing for a fossil fuel nonproliferation treaty. all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. new data shows global carbon emissions have returned to near record levels after a short dip due to the covid pandemic. emissions from coal, gas, and oil all rose over past year. the findings by the global carbon project came as a critical united nations climate summit known as cop26 continues in glasgow, scotland. on tuesday, the president of the pacific island state of palau

warned without immediate and dramatic action to curb greenhouse gas emissions, his nation will be swallowed by rising seas. >> there is no dignity to a slow and painful death. leaders of the g20, we are drowning and our only hope is the life ring you're holding. amy: on wednesday, indigenous leaders from across the world marched on cop26, demanding the protection of their lands. police arrested least five people as hundreds of extinction rebellion members held a protest against corporate greenwashing at the cop. after headlines, we'll go to the u.n. climate summit in glasgow for the rest of the hour. new jersey democratic governor phil murphy has won a second term after surviving a surprisingly close reelection bid against republican jack ciattarelli.

murphy had been heavily favored in new jersey, which has more than a million more registered democrats than republicans. it was the latest indication democrats could lose ground during critical midterm elections next year. on wednesday, president biden said he hoped to reverse the democratic party's fortunes by passing his 10-year, $1.75 trillion green energy and social safety net bill. pres. biden: people are absent and uncertain about a lot of things, from covid to school to jobs to a whole range of things and the cost of a gallon of gasoline. so if i am apple to sign into law by build back better initiative, i am in a position where you will see a lot of those things really are rated quickly and swiftly. amy: in buffalo, new york, democratic socialist mayoral candidate india walton has conceded to incumbent mayor

byron brown, who ran a successful write-in campaign after losing the democratic primary to walton. in minneapolis, mayor jacob frey has won reelection. frey opposed a ballot measure to replace the minneapolis police with a department of public safety. that measure failed to pass. in detroit, voters passed ballot initiatives to form a reparations task force and to decriminalize some psychedelic drugs, including magic mushrooms. similar drug ballot initiatives passed in oregon and washington, d.c., last year. on wednesday's broadcast, we mistakenly said those votes took place on tuesday. meanwhile, in tucson, arizona, voters have approved a city-wide $15-an-hour minimum wage by a two-to-one margin. for the second time, republicans in the united states senate have used the filibuster to block a bill to restore parts of the 1965 voting rights act gutted by the supreme court eight years ago.

on wednesday, alaska senator lisa murkowski was the sole republican to join all 50 members of the democratic caucus voting in favor of opening debate on the john lewis voting rights advancement act. the 50 to 49 majority was not engh to overcome the 60 votes needed to break a republican filibuster. the united states recorded nearly 1900 covid-19 deaths on wednesday, pushing the official u.s. death tolfrom the pandemic past 750,000. that's three-quarters-of-a-million confirmed coronavirus deaths, more than any other country on earth. and researchers at the university of washington estimate the true u.s. death toll is even higher at over 860,000. the white house urged parents to get their young children vaccinated as the first child-sized doses of pfizer shots were administered around the country. surgeon general dr. vivek murthy warned against the spread of misinformation about kids and vaccines. >> need parents are already seen

in accurate claims on social media, text threats, and in their inboxes. i believe every parent has a right to the facts so they can make decisions for their children based on accurate, scientific information. misinformation robs them of this freedom. amy: russia continues to battle or see coronavirus weight, setting a new daily record thursday with nearly 1200 deaths. russia is in the middle of what authorities are calling on nonworking week in an attempt to keep people home and curb infections. cases are surging across much of europe. in the netherlands, prime minister mark rutte has reintroduced face mask requirements for public spaces and will expand the "corona pass" program requiring proof of vaccination for museums, gyms, outdoor terraces, and other public spaces. the world health organization has granted a vaccine for india.

it is easily stored and showed 78% efficacy against symptomatic disease in a clinical trial. the eighth, 19 vaccine approved by the who. the u.s. has added the israeli firm nso group to a trade blacklist following reports its pegasus spyware was used by governments to target activists, journalists, and government officials. nso's spyware has been used on phones belonging to family members of assassinated saudi journalist jamal khashoggi and reporters and dissidents from the united arab emirates and mexico, among others. you can see our full coverage of this issue at democracynow.org hundreds of protesters marched to the streets of mexico city wednesday carrying crosses bearing the names of murdered women and demanding strong government action to end femicide. mexico's government reported at least 762 women were murdered between january and september of this year. but a recent report by amnesty international found the true

toll is likely much higher, with more than 10 women and girls killed daily across mexico. meanwhile, trans women held a ceremony in mexico city tuesday, marking mexico's national holiday, the day of the dead. this is trans activist kenya cuevas. >> historically, transgender women have been invisiblized. there will never be a picture of us. that is why it is crucial to place this altar to vinicate trans women who die. amy: mexico is the second highest rate of the murder of tradespeople just after brazil and ahead of the united states. in immigration news, president biden responded to reports his administration was considering compensation of up to $450,000 for families separated at the u.s.-mexico border under trump's zero tolerance policy. >> $450,000 per person.

>> separated from a family member under the last administration. >> that not going to happen. amy: anthony romero, executive director the aclu, which is representing the families, said biden's refusal to remedy the trauma and other psychological harm caused by family separation would be an "abandonment of a core campaign promise." a new report from the transnational institute finds some of the world's most polluting countries have spent over twice as much on border enforcement than on combating the climate crisis. the worst offenders are canada, the u.s., australia, and the u.k. additionally, the world's largest fossil fuel companies are employing the same companies that receive government contracts to militarize their borders. activist kumi naidoo responded -- "it's unacceptable that rich countries are building a 'climate wall' and spending more on arming their borders than on tackling the root causes that drive climate-linked displacement." to see our interview, go to democracynow.org.

in georgia, the judge overseeing the murder trial of three white men who hunted down and killed black jogger ahmaud arbery last year, found intentional discrimination in the jury selection after a single black juror was chosen. the 11 other jurors are white. the judge nonetheless is allowing the trial to go ahead with opening statements expected friday. and in labor news, new york city taxi drivers are celebrating a major victory after the city agreed to restructure medallion loans, which could eliminate millions of dollars in devastating debt. under the agreement, individual debts will be maxed out at $170,000, down from an average of about $500,000. the city will also give the main lender a cash payment for each indebted driver and guarantee every loan. taxi drivers had been on hunger strike for two weeks before the deal was announced. this is bhairavi desai of the new york taxi workers alliance,

speaking wednesday. >> this is a historic moment. these terms mean over 4000 to 6000 families can get their lives back. these terms mean that our brothers and sisters will no longer have a lifetime of debt. amy: you can see our recent interview with bhairavi desai and with two people who joined the hunger strike at democracynow.org. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i am amy goodman joined by co-host nermeen shaikh. hi, nermeen. nermeen: hi, amy. welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. amy: we go now to the u.n. climate summit in glasgow as new data shows global carbon emissions have returned to near

record levels after a short dip due to the covid pandemic. emissions from coal, gas, and oil all rose over past year. we turn now to one of the world's leading climate advocates, mohamed nasheed, the former president of the low-lying island nation of the maldives, which is located in the indian ocean. in 2008, he became the first democratically-elected leader of the maldives. he once held a cabinet meeting underwater to highlight the threat of global warming and pledged to make the maldives the first carbon-neutral country and installed solar panels on the roof of his presidential residence. mohamed nasheed's story was told in the 2012 documentary "the island president." >> if we can't stop the seas rising, if you allow for the rise in temperature, you're

actually agreeing to kill us. in go while president nasheed is recognized as a global climate champion abroad, at home his political fortunes have taken many turns. in 2012 he was overthrown in a coup and later imprisoned. but his political career did not end. after time in jail and exile, he returned to the maldives where he now serves as speaker of the parliament. in may he survived an assassination attempt when his home was bombed. he was left critically injured and needed 16 hours of surgery. police arrested several militants linked to the islamic state for the attack. president mohamed nasheed joins us now in glasgow, where he is taking part in the u.n. climate summit. again, speaker of the parliament of the maldives. welcome back to democracy now! i want to ask since we have not spoken since the assassination attempt, how are you feeling?

talk about why you are back in glasgow at the u.n. climate summit. >> thank you very much for having me. i am much better. i spent over five months getting better. i am not on any medication. i can do my exercises. my left side is very scarred. there is some numbness in my fingers. but i can get around and do my thing. thank you very much. it is lovely to be on your show again. amy: it is great to have you with us. if you could talk about why you are in glasgow, what you want to see from this u.n. climate summit. you have been to a number of them. what makes this one different? >> i know work is the ambassador

for the climate vulnerable form. this is a forum of 48 countries. currently, the prime minister of bangladesh chairs the forum. we have four specific asks from the cop26 26. what is to see global temperatures do not climb above 1.5 degrees. we now live on a planet that has already heated 1.2 degrees. as you can now see the win ared stronger, the waves are highers reef is bleaching. we are losing biodiversity. there is rampant coastal erosion. our water is contaminated. spending more than 30% of our budget on adaptation measures. we are challenged from all sides. we come to cop to ask countries

to make a 1.5 degrees. we also want to remind countries that in 2009, they pledged, developing countries and climate-vulnerable countries, to pay $100 billion a year. we want to see that contribution again on track. we also like to see countries submit their nationally contributions. that is what countries think how much they will in the carbon in the next year. we would like to see countries do that every year. the climate-vulnerable countries are also very desperate. most of our countries pay 20% of our budget for debt repayment. we would like to see a debt swap

to climate-related projects and restructure of our debt. we had these very focused things that we are asking, and i'm hopeful that these issues would figure in the outcome of cop26 in the decisions that the country makes at the end of this conference. nermeen: president nasheed, what responsibility do you think developing countries that are now among the biggest emitters, some of them, have with respect to cutting emissions? you said the argument of historical admission cannot be used as an excuse for developing countries to keep polluting. he said "it is like saying the west has brought us to the brink and the new big emitting countries have a right to push

us off the cliff." president nasheed? >> well, that certainly is the case but that is no reason why historical big emitters, countries that have amended carbon for the last 500 years, and spent a great prosperous living because of that, should not help other countries who are in need. for instance, let's say india's ambitions. recently, they have come out and protested they would make 50% of their energy from renewable sources in 20 years. that is a huge ambition. i think developed countries must understand these efforts of other countries and play a bigger role in it. if none of these people should

be emitting carbon and poisoning the air, they mustind new strategies and these strategies are available. the developed countries must contribute to the developing countries in put medication and adaptation. -- both in mitigation and adaptation. nermeen: russia and china have not sent representatives to the cop. does that have a huge effect and do you think it says anything about their commitments with respect to reducing emissions? >> well, and seems very, very sad that china and russia ignored here. it is -- if countries think they can use the climate negotiations as strategic leverage on their

other disagreements and differences. i would like countries to set climate differences to be climate differences, and not to mix them with their other strategic differences. china must come, russia must come to the table. they cannot not come here and to business as usual. that has a very big impact on other countries. it is very worrying they are not here. i hope they still send their golden boy and make a contribution that would maintain global temperatures below 1.5 degrees. russia and china must do that. amy: i want to go back to october 2009, over a decade ago, we held the cabinet meeting underwater when you're president to bring attention to the dire consequences of climate change. you and 11 government ministers wore scuba gear and plunged nearly 20 feet into the indian ocean. >> we are letting the worw

what might happen what will happen to the maldives if climate change is not checked. this is a challenging situation. we want to see that everyone else is also occupied as much as we are and would like to see people do something about a. amy: wouldn't this be amazing if this were the image we saw of the world leaders like the prime minister of india, the president of brazil, russia, china, the president of the united dates all in scuba gear having a meeting. since that time, president nasheed, you have been tortured, detained, imprisoned, and now there was an attempt to

assassinate you. this latest attempt do you think because of your climate activism? have a capture the people involved with it -- had they captured the people who were involved with it? >> the prosecutor general has charged 12 people and the police think these people are linked to extremist ideology, but they have not found who paid for it and who schemed it. unless a proper investigation is done and these perpetrators are found, it is very worrying and difficult for me to live a normal life. why did they try to murder me? i think that depends on a bigger and more in-depth investigation. we still have not gotten that. i will continue my work.

i cannot stop it. i will not stop it will stop i refuse to relent. we came to this cop with global temperatures protected to rise to 2.9 degrees. now with the new submissions from india and the understanding and the forest agreement, is looking like the temperatures can be around 1.7 degrees, 1.9 degrees. i think 1.5 is doable, and we have to advocate for it and work for it. we will not stop. nermeen: president nasheed, could you say in 2009 you held that beating underwater, -- meeting underwater which received a lot of attention. what has happened since then?

what has happened -- what would you like to see happen at all of the negotiations that have happened since in the last 12 years? >> well, see level has been rising for millimeters a year in the maldives. our water is contaminated. that is very expensive. we would like to see countries clearly agreeing to 1.5 degrees. the coral reef is bleached, therefore, we are losing its biodiversity. when we lose that, there is a cost to the ocean. when the weather is bad all the time, it is very difficult to travel from one island to the other as well. our livelihood is disrupted. we want to see countries agree

that this is an emergency, and we want to see countries two things that they do in an emergency. when countries decided it was an emergency, they found a vaccine for it. it took 70 years to find a vaccine for malaria. this is probably because malaria is more rampant in africa and asia. richer countries who have the science and money don't have -- when it has an impact on them, there are solutions. with the climate, i suspect the same thing would happen. but it is very sad there are 200 people dying in germany last month, the same in belgium. greece is burning. serbia is burning. there is water everywhere. hi winds everywhere.

we must understand and we must get a grip on the situation. you cannot bury your head under the sand thinking it is not happening. it is happening and it is happening now and it is happening to you. amy: finally, president nasheed, as you had back from glasgow to the maldives, have you ever considered simply not putting back? you almost lost your life several times. tomorrow we will be talking about endangered environmental activists around the world. why do you return? what message do you have for the world leaders, particular president biden, who has just left there? >> well, i have a job to do and i have a purpose in my life. there must be a reason why i survived.

god has a purpose. this is god's creation and we are all hereby the grace of god, and you cannot destroy it. you cannot destroy the planet, neither should you be killing other people. i will go back. i do not want to live elsewhere. i like my country and i want to live in the maldives. fish cannot survive out of water. i know it is tough and i know it is dangerous and i know it is difficult, but i want to live there and i want to continue doing what i d which is advocate for climate change action, advocate for human rights, advocate for democracy to see our people have a better living, to see our rights are defended. i will go back. amy: mohamed nasheed, former president of the maldives and climate justice champion.

recently survived and recovered from an assassination attempt in may. he is now speaker of the parliament of the maldives. as he talks to us from glasgow, there is a large slowly rotating globe that is suspended over the climate u.n. hall. coming up, was due to the prominent british climate lawyer farhana yamin. she was arrested after gluing both of her hands to the ground outside the shell building in central london. stay with us. ♪♪ [music break]

amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with nermeen shaikh. as closed-door negotiations continue at the u.n. climate

summit in glasgow, climate activists are taking to the streets outside the cop demanding united states and other large polluters agree to drastic cuts in carbon emissions to save the world from a climate catastrophe. on wednesday, police arrested at least five people as hundreds of extinction rebellion members held a protest against cporate grnwashing athe cop. turn now to one of the most prominent imate lawyers in itain who s been dply involv in internatial climate gotiationsor decades, but has also engaged in direct action to affect change. faana yamins in glasgow where she is working with the climate-vulrable form, group that represents 48 of the countries most threatened by the climate crisis. we last spoke with her in 2019 e was arrested for super gluing her hands to theund outse sll's headarters in london as part of an extinction

rebellion action. >> lobbying governments to delay action amy: that was farhana yamin in 2019. she is joining us now in front of the rotating globe suspended over the u.n. climate assembly in glasgow, scotland. welcome back to democracy now! it is great to have you with us. as we watched you in that action , talk about what it means to be out on the street super gluing yourself, protesting the fossil fuel giant shall come in then being inside. you are passing, i assume, many of the same fossil fuel lobbyists, but your two-pronged approach from inside and outside, as you helped to negotiate the paris climate

agreement. >> thank you for having me back. i really salute all of those who are taking the action in the streets and demanding real accountability, demanding climate justice. my nerdy legal self, climate justice in the preamble, we are trying to make good on that paragraph and we are trying to hold corporations and countries to account. the net zero emissions goal was for the very important goal, not just green washed, it has to be made good. it has to have an missions that are real. those cannot be bought at the expense of vulnerable people and countries. they must have strong accountability for their actions, which must result in actual changes, not just greenwashing and buying offsets from others. nermeen: as we mentioned,

extinction rebellion members have been protesting against corporate greenwashing at the cop. could you explain what historically the role of corporations has been in these climate conferences and the fact some of the largest oil, gas, and coal producers have yet to outline how they intend to decrease fossil fuel use? >> well, the role historically of the large oil and gas companies have been to lobby countries to delay action come to stop the science being acted on. that is what has happened for 30 years. the frustration i had back in 2019 was how well organized, well orchestrated that lobbying marketing behind the scenes manipulation was that has

resulted in the delays here. so i'm very happy that groups like extinction rebellion and many others are outing these companies, and we are learning more and more through investigative journalism of the role that has been played in signing actions by these companies. i really welcome a torch being shown on their very clever orchestration. it is time also advertising companies, the pr marketing and other professions that are aiding and abetting this obstruction, it is time they realize those delays resulted have also resulted from their own actions. you cannot accept clients who are basically putting the earth in peril as clients and still say you support sustainability. nermeen: in august, the ipcc report was quite staggering in

s warning aut what the world will face if extremely swift and large-scale actions are not needed. the u.n. secreta-general called this report code red for humanity. you have attended 23 of the 25 cops. what have you seen change as the urgency of the situation has so manifestly grown? >> it is 24 out of 26. what has changed for me is a huge amount of energy, a huge appetite for change and demand for action coming from our young people, from our indigenous people, from women, from workers from around the world. and that is being stymied, stopped, and it is not coming

into the energy that is needed -- today is energy day. the energy we need is political energy because it is really the politicians who are behind the science. the politicians are listening and in the pocket sometimes of the vested interest that i spoke about, the fossil fuel industry, large agribusiness. i think that is what has shifted here is that realization that we have to act together, and these corporations, those who are most powerful, especially the g20 countries, they have to act and they cannot hide behind any more excuses. amy: farhana yamin, in 2015, help negotiate the landmark paris agreement. president biden when he was at cop this week apologized for the previous president trump, pulling the u.s. out of the paris climate agreement. what message do you have now for the u.s. congress where you see

this major division within the democratic party, let alone the republicans, around the issue of a green new deal and providing enough money to transition the u.s. o of fossil fuels? what message do you have for them right now, among those senator manchin who is the largest oil, gas, coal recipient of campaign funds in the u.s. congress, who has almost single-handedly stopped the climate of court in congress from moving forward? >> well, we can ly appeal to all of those in congress, including the senator who must listen to his conscience, must not only put his constituents'

short-term interest, but listen very much to the hearts and please have all of those who are gathered here, help the u.s. retain its credibility. we know the u.s. wants to do the right thing, but we would like the u.s. government to be more joined up here and to deliver on the financial pledges and to deliver on action at home. the u.s. is an incredible leader and it needs to regain the trust and work as an ally with others. so i appealed to his constituents directly to lobby him instead of him being lobbied by the fossil fuel industry, receiving this money, i would urge all of those citizens in the rest of the u.s. to pilot and put the pressure on because it really matters. the u.s. matters and its delivery on its promises and pledges really matter here. nermeen: farhana yamin, before we conclude, talk about the work you're doing with the climate

vulnerable form. we were speaking to the former maldives president and the maldives were one of the founding members. can you explain the work you're doing with this group? >> we have been working to get the whole of this conference to adopt the climate emergency packed, framing that delivers on an annual year-by-year ambition said of that five-year cycle we had in paris, to deliver on the 500 billion, which is the total sum if you add up what was owed from 2020 22024, we want the money to go to adaptation, which is basically a cinderella, and for the money to go 50/52 mitigation and adaptation. and lastly, find and recognize the harm that is happening. to fulfill the promise of article 8 here on loss and

damage. the earth is requiring us to repair the harm done, and we would like this conference to acknowledge that harm is happening and to fund and support the pillars of the paris agreement that are about loss and damage. amy: farhana yamin, international environmental lawyer who helped write the landmark 2015 paris agreement. next up, we remain in glasgow and speak with harjeet singh of the climate action network who is helping to lead a campaign for a fossil fuel nonproliferation treaty. stay with us. ♪♪ [music break]

amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with nermeen shaikh. we continue our climate countdown come here for two weeks, glasgow and new york, bringing you conference of coverage inside the cop, outside on the streets, and around the world for people who could not make it to the u.n. climate summit but are active in their own community's. as we continue our coverage of negotiations at cop26 and the push to address the growing climate crisis by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and funding the transition to renewable energy. critics note the paris agreement, the legally binding

international treaty from the 2015 u.n. climate summit, does not mention the words coal, oil, or gas once. momentum is now building for a complementary international mechanism to manage a global just transition. this is a video produced by the campaign to establish a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty. >> generation that grew up were told to hide under their desks in case of attack. this generation faces an even greater threat,he climate crisis. again, they have nowhere to hide. all citizens, cities, countries are working to rduce their emissions, behind our backs, the al, oil, a gas industry continue to rapidly expand fossil fuels, driving catastrophic warming. surviving the climate rices requires a bold new idea. introducing the fossil fuel nonproliferation treaty.

why he treaty? years ago, the wod signed a nonproliferation treaty to avoid nuclear war. i1987, the montréal protocol protected -- the paris agreement begins to limit emissionsut does not mention coal, oil, for gas. we need a global plan to end the proliferation of fossil fuels and fasttrack solutions company fossil fuel treaty would phase out coal, oil, gasaster, more fairly, and forever also party workers -- while protecting workers. amy: this comes as securing money for poor nations to help cut emissions and adapt to the effects of climatehange, so-called "loss and damage," is a key focus at cop26. british prime minister boris johnson and indian prime minister narendra modi co-chaired an event this week to launch a fund to help small island developing states build infrastructure to cope with rising sea levels. this is modi speaking in glasgow.

>> excellencies, the infrastructure for resilient eyelid states launch gives a new, a new trust, a new chance vulnerable countries to do something. amy: india is the world's third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after china and the united states. for more, we are joined from inside cop26 in glasgow by harjeet singh, senior advisor with climate action network and with the fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty. based in new delhi, india. welcome back to democracy now! the fossil fuel -- >> hi, amy. amy: if you can talk more about the fossil fuel nonproliferation treaty. what has to be done to prevent the climate emergency from devastating the world even further? >> this is a huge challenge that we are talking about, cutting

emissions and mitigations, but we're not putting enough focus on fossil fuels. we're not even mentioning fossil fuels in our discussions. how can you not talk about the elephant in the room, the one that caused the crisis? the whole negotiations are avoiding the term "coal, oil, gas" but it is there the outside but not in the tears agreement. unless you target fossil fuel directly, not continues to enjoy the taxpayers money a subsidies to the tune of $11 million a minute. $11 million a minute. we have to target fossil fuel industry headlined, and that is exactly what this treaty idea does. we want a treaty that is complementary to the paris agreement. the paris agreement has talked about what the very little about how. this treaty talks about ending fossil fuel expansion, facing outcome and just transition --

which is important because many developing countries are stuck with fossil fuels. there economy depends on that. there workers depend on the fossil fuel industry. how do we face that out in a manner that promotes social and economic justice and that is how the pillar we have in this treaty, it is an extremely important aspect particularly for developing countries but also for the developed world. nermeen: one of the things that the 2015 paris accord called for was net zero emissions by 2050. can you explain what that means and what would be required to do that? what countries have pledged to do that? >> well, we call it carbon neutral are now the fancy term of net zero. technically, it means the amount of emissions we are putting into the atmosphere are then either removed or balanced.

so the net emissions are zero. while technically it is a correct term, but how many rich companies and countries have started using it to delay action because they're talking about net zero target of 2050 without any near-term goals on how emissions are going to be reduced or how they're going to move away from fossil fuels. if we only look at the 2050 targets -- and many countries have pledged and take this as a headline thing that if companies come into net zero -- it cannot be a success unless we look at near-term targets. science tells us we have to have the emissions by 2030. just nine years. where is the plan? we don't see the plane being discussed except hampel of countries talking about near-term targets, and that is

not going to make us meet the target of the paris agreement. it is really concerning to put so much emphasis on net zero with such longer-term time plan not looking at near-term targets. nermeen: you have also said just to go to other big polluting countries now, you've said in another interview there's a lot of pressure on india to commit to a net zero target whout recognizing comparing india and china is not fair. and if india were to commit -- if it agrees to a net zero goal by a particular year, it will only be an imaginary exercise and not based on empirical studies and analysis on how it can be achieved. explain what you mean by that. >> well, that is exactly the problem with net zero. you just push for a number.

scientist told us we need to be carbon neutral by 2050. but when it comes to locating targets, and that is where the discussion of carbon budget becomes important, you cannot expect all countries to become net zero or carbon neutral by 2050. if you want the common finish line coming up to go back and look at the start line. rich countries have been polluting for more than 100 years. for 50 years they knew climate change was going to be a problem. whereas if you talk about a country like india when industrialization began only in the late 1990's, you want india to have a common finish line without recognizing 100 million people still do not have access to electricity, without realizing a quarter of the population is still poor. comparing with china is absolutely not fair because china emissions and economy are four times to five times of india's. you have to understand india comes with a target, it will need more time unless you

provide sufficient resources. for india, which was until the last moment was not agreeing to a net zero target, had to proceed to the pressure because negotiations have been difficult for india. india would have just become a punching bag. what they have done, relieved the pressure, come up with a date -- rich countries are saying 2050, china says 26 to come india says 2070. these studies have not been done. coming to this space, so much pressure, just on net zero, they had to put a finger on a particular year and they chose 2070. amy: you operate inside and outside the cup, at home, and glasgow, i wanted to ask you about the comments of researcher transnational institute who said

cut 26 has become a big finance or for the corporate financiers and polluters derailing a historic opportunity to achieve co2 emissions and disinvestment from also fuels while global popular demand to governments has urged a decisive pullback from the brink of climate change disaster, corporate financiers and polluters have pursued a strategy of privatization of the u.n. system and are now position to derail any substantial disinvestment from fossil fuels, instead, such implement a big corporate green wash bonanza. harjeet singh, can you talk about what is happening inside the cop and how you can derail them? >> i go back to the same problem at its core of negotiations when you don't talk about fossil fuel industry, when we don't talk about the interests of corporations and how they have

been trying to manage these negotiations. until this point, there were also finding the cop process itself. after a lot of advocacy and civil society, they have backed off, particularly for this top, but that is not enough. as the comet clearly says, they have increased the power and now they're using numbers of trillions of dollars to say they're on track. but in reality, they're getting a lot more power and that is exactly the reason developing countries and civil society have been saying we have to talk about public finance. even the $100 billion is supposed to attract trillions is not public finance. if we rely on such private finance where profit motive is at its core of their interests, then how are we going to achieve the kind of transition which should be seen as a public good? we're talking about people who are already facing climate

crisis. we need to talk about the interests of workers if we're going to move them from fossil fuel industry to clean energy industry. how are we going to support them? do we think private capitalism is going to help them and take care of the interest of these workers and communities? not at all. they will just make profits. that is the challenge we have right now. nermeen: could y talk re, explain the issue of a climate finance and what has been happening? scotland's minister just pledged one million pounds to help developing countries deal with loss and damage. do you expect other rich countries to follow suit? and the significance of her having done so? >> well, scotland, indeed, has broken the taboo of loss and damage finance. when we talk about loss and damage finance, we mean helping people who are facing the

climate crisis now, are being battered by floods and storms. they need to rebuild their lives. countries need to rebuild their economies. there is no stream of finance on loss and damage under this u.n. system, and we have been fighting fortnite would say for 30 years. the first time it was in 1991 when the issue is brought about how are we going to help countries who are being affected or who are going to be affected by climate change? here we are, there is no stream of lending and the u.s. has been blocking at right from the beginning and not even allowing it to be on the agenda of even this particular cop. due to our lobbying and scotland government advised this is a massive gap in this is how they have pledged one million pounds, which is great. him out may not be that big, but it is a major breakthrough puts many countries to shame that you

should have done it. at some point millions of people are going to be displaced and they're not getting any help. this should put pressure on other rich countries to follow suit, and that is exactly what we are doing. amy: harjeet singh, we want to address the issue of migration and its connection to climate. coming i do kumi naidoo talks about walls as the climate wall. and report from transnational institute finds some of the world's most polluting countries have spent over twice as much on border enforcement than on combating the climate crisis, the worst offenders are canada, u.s., australia, an e.u. k additionally, the world's largest fossil fuel companies employing the same companies that receive government contracts to militarize their borders. your response? >> the reality is people are getting displaced because of

climate change, that number is increasing. when policymakers should be alarmed with those numbers and coming up with the responses so we can help people, there is a business opportunity. they are using it in a very divisive manner just to make money, whereas these people who are being displaced -- and the majority of them stay in their own country. a fraction of that population crosses borders and a fraction that population and crosses international borders. in those circumstances, we first need to talk about providing support to people so they do not have to cross borders. crossing borders means they are living in a real desperate situation. that is why they leave everything and cross borders and take so much risk. so instead of -- amy: 10 seconds.

>> providing opportunity to the -- we should be showing solidarity to these people who are getting displaced and support them. amy: harjeet singh,

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