When talking about people. Here is the book, the yards between us a memoir. Rk russell is the author. You think your publisher in this book as well. This is the first book by this publisher. Rk i am on the first lead of imprints. You will see a little more of him a little later live at the National Book festival but right now, here is an author discussion on environmental activism. Doug brinkleyi am kevin butterf. Im one of the sponsors of this years conference. The quinn be association helps us do our work. Waukomis live on cspan. History is heating up Climate Change denial. His most recent book is silent spring revolution. David is the author of two New York Times bestseller and our moderator jen white is supposed of one in from w amu please join me in welcoming them. Good morning everyone and thank you for coming out for this conversation. As youre listening i hope you will form your own questions because we will have time at the end of the panel you can step up to td i tell you and start the process. Its always exciting to speak to people as accomplished as david and douglas but more exciting when you get on phone call plan this conversation and their fans of each others work. They were absolutely delighted to speak to one another. I wanted start this discussion by giving us a brief overview. Minus silent spring revolution. As the great environmental awakening and i previously had written about theater roosevelt and conservation called the wilderness warrior about the 200 million acres that were saved through national lands, parks, reserves reservations, the forest service. I consider that the first year first wave of environmentalists that i wrote about fdrs error who he was the tree planter. When he filled out a form he wrote tree farmer as a job. He was a scientific farmer. Eleanor roosevelt said he knows every flower, note, create any hudson river valley. And i can rattle off National Parks. He created big bend on dd. The normandy invasion was going on. He created 800 state parks and planted the civilian conservation corps trees. The first two waves, the third wave is this book. Its about three president s, no roosevelt. It happened after 1945, the atomic age. We started blowing up Nuclear Weapons in nevada. We detonated 1054 Nuclear Weapons between 19461991. There became an antinuclear Testing Movement which Rachel Carson was a part of and many others. Khairat asked scott king, norman cousins, albert schweitzer. Under kennedy we stopped testing with Nuclear Weapons and made a deal with khrushchev in britain so we dont test those weapons. In my book i ended with kennedy who loved cape cod. Point raise in california, padre island texas. He was trying to save shorelines before he was killed. I deal with things like the first big Clean Air Act of 1963. Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson had a ranchers of conservations. Lady bird was about beautification and antibillboards and help save places like redford national forest. There is much more i can tell you about the job and the books in the mix and environmentalists. What is your walden pond . Kennedy was hyannis, atlantic seaboard. Johnson and the hill country of texas. Nixon did not have one. It was not his thing, the environment. But the public demanded clean air, clean water to the point that nixon was forced into his credit to create the National Environmental act. Which gave us like Clean Air Act. He didnt want to but got it done. Created the epa in 1970 and put a great woman, in charge of it who busted polluters. We are all meeting here at the book festival. It was 50 years ago that the endangered species act passed. We sent the bald ego, manatees, california condors, whooping cranes, alligators. Alligators came back with a vengeance. 50 years ago we were successful but without passed in 1973 920. It was that bipartisan because after silent spring came out and walt disney was showing how to protect wildlife and their movies and ralph nader and others were talking about consumer advocacy and had a group of environmental senators. Linden johnson side the wilderness act because that we have millions of acres of protected land that roads will not penetrate to give species a place where they can replenish and survive with all of this helterskelter of the industrial law that we seem to be helping out are propagating in north america and destroying our scenic places. Jennifer explain the title. When you mention endangered species as a celebration of books it makes me anxious as a reader. One of the things that douglas was saying is should fdr been focusing on National Parks on dday . Jennifer he was the birdwatcher and fdr went to charlottesville and they did not want to give the media clue. So when he was out birdwatching that was the military approach. He kept whatever his days agenda was. If you canceled it they would think Something Big was happening. He happened to have booked that day an appointment with eamon carter who grew sated in texas to save big band park and roosevelt wanted a park between mexico and the United States with the rio grande creating one big bio along the border. He said he was going through with his meetings to not give anyone an idea that there is something going on. David my books are soft nixon comes in. When we were talking on the phone and it seem like you can think of our books as godfather one and godfather two. [laughter] he is a fascinating purpose of love what doug was saying about what the Environmental Protection act showed that how our action as voters and people take polls. Nixon did not care about the environment at all. The famous thing is when he went to the beach she wore a dress shoes. He would think i was showing too much skin if i was on the beach. He was forced to because everyone in the country really wanted their environment cleaned up. The year that he signed it as one of the Bright Moments in an otherwise dismal year. That same year, president nixon told executives from four that environmentalists what they want to do is go back and live leg dam, dirty animals. They wanted to destroy the system. Since we want a air and water and sky he had to sign in as president nixons coast calling in today. But because we demanded it, he was known to improve more environmental legislation than any president in history. My book is about ironies like that. The quickest way to describe it is to say with the title is. In 1956, american climate scientists began speaking with american reporters and said we have been tracking an issue about Carbon Dioxide. There is a good chance it will begin to heat our atmosphere. One of the most prominent climate scientists gave it a year. He said around 50 years from 1956. It could have a violent reaction to the earths climate. This was covered in the times. The times said, in the far future, if Carbon Dioxide warming effect, the polar regions will change to tropical jungles where tyler tigers will run through the underbrush and paris will squat from the trees. We had an astonishing head start which is one of the stories i wanted to tell. In 2010, after the work of tremendously effective move musicians, people who decide what mood they want your opinions to play and find a way to make sure of that in your head. In 2010, one of the great senators built an igloo on the mall and see because there had been heavy snowfall. He put a sign on top that said al gores new home and honk if you love Global Warming. The story my book tells is how we went from the parent to the say glue two that igloo. One of the things i am always curious about is when we look at history, what lessons can we take . David, give us a brief look at an example. David listen to scientists. [applause] in 1977, the most famous warning came in the 70s and it is because pure get most famous warning since the 70s, in 1979, the academy of National Sciences did the first big report. It was 270 pages. Around half the length of this. They said we have to start acting now and cannot wait until we are sure. Because it takes a whole generation to change energy sources. For all practical purposes the die will be passed be cast will be cast. To your point, in the 1960s, they chose it. There was a motion that we listen to the experts. There was a warning about pesticides being detrimental to your health. There was a warning about effects on animals and humans. Kennedy was asked, what about Rachel Carsons article in the new yorker. He set i will put in an advisory panel. He came up with a pretty quick report that proved carsons research was accurate. Yet, it took a decade to ban ddt. It was not until 1970 two. Rachel carson dies of Breast Cancer in 19 60 four. There was a silent spring revolution. The big turning point was to convert the environmental wall in the 60s. Even as late as 1960 five and 1966, it was called conservation. Environment started kicking in due to commoners and scientists using the term environments which took hold and ddt got banned by nixon in 1972. It is the people. We have to speak up. These reports are all there. I deal with them in my book like david. Ravel in the 50s and the Kennedy Administration had a loose document going on around Climate Change. Johnson in 1965 try to give a speech about it. He had medicaid and medicare and vietnam and civil rights so it got buried in the media. I print, almost verbatim, a memo. Does anyone remember Daniel Patrick moynihan . Brilliant. He writes john ehrlichman, the domestic advisor for nixon, that he has done an investigation and scientists are saying we are in big trouble to admissions. In the letter, it says, what does this mean . It means goodbye. Verdict unknown. In the white house. Then, jimmy carter trying to put solar panels on the white house and get glory warts 40 get gl obal reports. The truth is, we failed. There is no climate hero president for the reasons david marks in his book. The oil and Gas Petroleum industry started in 1973 with the arab oil embargo. Gas prices went up and they had their own groups to start attacking environmentalists. In the famous powell memo, they said it would take 30 years to undo all the wind from environmentalists in the early 60s and 70s. If you are a mining company, you do not want to be regulated. You dont want the federal government. This movement in the 60s, as david brower said, not only did they win, they had fun. They put dams in the grand canyon and the Environment National monument. William douglas, Supreme Court justice, hides 106 156 miles to stop a highway from coming in. Win after win after win. But in 1973 and certainly by 1980, the revolution kicks in. Now if you are an environmentalist, you are seen as a democrat and vilified by republicans. Republicans are seen as captains of the oil and gas industry, and new foundations that were born like the federalist society, cato institute, and heritage foundation, whose goal it was to undo Rachel Carsonism. It makes the wonder what you discovered about how the American Public viewed the governments role in addressing Global Warming. Whether our protection of the role the government should play changed . David it did not which i find reassuring. It is a story that is all irony. I always left it to doug. How odd that republicans are seeing this way. What a terrible ministry they would be seen as working with the also fuel industry and help continue to make profits. [laughter] it is mystifying. The game has been to make us change our minds like what doug was saying. Was it was clear as the people demand that we get environmental regulations so even, then governor reagan, who have such a room effect. Hope i am not offending anybody who that report. In 1967 or 1968, he said if you have seen one redwood, you have seen them all. But then, we had a motherhood issue, the idea being, who is against motherhood . As governor reagan was saying, we need an all out war to stop the debunking the debauchery of the american government. When his administration saw this , those human beings who resemble a ir saying, here is the best way to see it do it who resemble ai were saying, here is the best way to do it. Then in 1997 after a First International climate warning protocol, when they said, it is not fair. China will have will not have to kick in. Russia will not have to kick in. It is not global, it will not work. They pulled americans and 65 said we want to control our Carbon Dioxide a matter what other nations do. Then after and other tenures of the fight when the ipcc says, just like scientist told you in 1956 and 1979, this is what is happening. Across the board, republicans and democrats all wanted action to be taken, because everyone have to go outside, even if it is just to get in your car. It is something that unites everybody. The astonishing action done by people and their fossil fuels was just a stand in the way of our opinion. Douglas sometimes environmental and natural disasters wake people up. As we are here this afternoon, our hearts go out to maui, hawaii and 80 dead. It is the largest disaster in history and we can almost feel more of these coming. You can just feel it. The reason we had an epa in 1970 was the Santa Barbara oil spill. In color, in your living rooms, for the first time, you were seeing in paradise. Tar and goo. Nixon first minimize it. His first instinct was it was not that big a deal that he listened to his interior secretary, went to the ground in who went to the ground in Santa Barbara and said, do not minimize it. It is bad. Plus, we have only been in office for seven days. Plan blame it on johnson. [laughter] but then the rivers were on fire and then gaylord nelson, a senator from wisconsin who saved 22 beautiful islands in wisconsin, and did so much work, came up with the idea on the first day. Then nixon started planning out earth day. But he was suspicious because at every College Campus, there is an earth day office. Nixon asked the important question, who is paying for this . How did he spring up on every College Campus . Where is the money coming from . He got a big bill. April 22, richard, from united automobile workers because there was a green labor alliance. His view was working people may not be able to go to yosemite or yellowstone. They will be living in flint, michigan or somewhere and need clean areas, clean fish, clean picnic areas. That is why he was talking about Environmental Justice issues. In american history, we take our industrial debris or toxins or poisons and dump them into neighborhoods of color. You get cancerous clusters and spikes. In the 1960s, you start seeing the birth of the Environmental Justice movements with people like cesar chavez and where to and huertta huerta. Mexican American Children walking working in field. Dr. King getting killed. Drinking said what good does it do to integrate a lunch counter like greensboro, North Carolina if the book we are drinking has something bad in it. The environment has to grow to become seen as a civilrights issue. Andy said he looked at the montgomery bus boycott as an environmental issue. The black diesel of the buses in hot day in alabama was coming through the back. That is not where you want to sit because of the air. So there was a linkage to it. John lewis, one of the leaders in the Environmental Justice movement in the 60s also in the 80s, pushed through this issue to clinton. He started addressing, how do we do mediation remediation and cleanup and help, not poison lower income people, whether they are latino, native american , living around uranium mines, or black americans in urban centers where local neighborhoods are becoming dump stones. Jenn i am a detroit native and was in flint, michigan during the water crisis. I lived through and watched the results of the industrial dumping. Years and decades after the Automotive Industry have left flint, the effects still remain. When we look at the overarching history of Environmental Movements, have there been missed opportunities . Have there been people who were left behind or had we had parties come together, we might have been able to maintain policies . David i just had a memory. Hearing him speak. [laughter] [applause] there were huge missed opportunities. One funny when i forgot when i was researching was in 1977, there was a huge fight to try to get the first global treaty where europe, australia, and the u. S. Would all regulate their Carbon Dioxide. It took so long to get people to that meeting at the rio summit in 1991 and 1992. It would be the center piece that president clinton and president gore would run on. President clinton, after it passed at the 11th hour, the delegates were out at tables. It was right down to the last minute. When it was forwarded for adoption, these hardened diplomats were applied in curing it came. Were applauding. Then it came down to america because america wanted to take the lead on things. So president clinton was giving interviews to the times, saying it would take a huge amount of president ial energy and focus but we can get this done. Then 17 or 18 days later, there was a report about an error president clinton had been making for a long amount of time with monica lewin ski lewinsky. That became a very different use of president ial