Environmental activist Bill McKibben appeared on Moyers & Company to talk about the controversial Keystone XL pipeline and his hopes that public pressure will lead the Obama administration to stand up to big oil. Below are some highlight clips from the episode.
On Why the White House Wants to Approve Keystone
In this clip, McKibben says the reason why the State Department concluded that the proposed Keystone XL pipeline would basically have no impact on climate change comes down to money and power.
On Obama’s “Shameful Speech”
In this clip, Bill McKibben criticizes Obama for a speech he gave on the 2012 campaign trail and says he is on track to go down as the “president who produced more carbon than anybody thought possible.”
On Why Big Oil is Getting a Great Deal
Companies like Exxon, Chevron and Peabody Coal are making record profits and don’t have to pay for damage that their carbon causes in the atmosphere, McKibben says.
On the Urgency of Climate Change
McKibben says if we don’t solve climate change soon, we won’t solve it. An increased temperature on Earth of 1° Celsius has already been enough to melt the Arctic and trigger “crazy” weather, including the drought in California.
On Pressuring Universities to Divest From Fossil Fuel Stocks
Taking a page from the anti-apartheid movement, McKibben is urging students to push their universities and colleges to change their investment strategies.
