And next, more from a 2023 library of Congress National book festival. Im Kevin Butterfield john w center at the library of congress. The centers were the sponsors of this years festival. We are proud to help bring americas most beloved writers here. The center works among scholars and residents work on the collections of the Worlds Largest library. And to do work of the sort she will be hearing about today. Welcome to everyone for joining us live on cspan as well we are proud to partner cspan again this year this Panel History is heating up environmental awakening versus Climate Change denial injures douglas brinkley, david lipsky and janet white sent New York Times bestsellers six have been chosen as New York Times notable books of the year. His most recent is silent Spring Revolution. David is the author of two New York Times bestsellers an andartist in residence at nyu. Our moderator jen whitest host whiteassociate daily to our prom when apo from National Public radio. Please join me in welcoming them. [applause] good morning everyone thanks for coming out for this conversation. As you are listening i hope you will form your own questions we will have some time at the end of the panel to step up to the mike i will let you know when to start that process you can ask questions of our authors as well. Its always exciting to speak to people as accomplished as david and douglas but it gets even more exciting when you get on a phone call with them to plan this conversation you wrote is there such big fans of one another book they are absolutely delighted to speak to one another. I want to just start this conversation by having you each give us a brief overview of your work for people thought read the books yetiv. My book is silent Spring Revolution into john f. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon and the great environmental awakening. I have previously written a book on Theodore Roosevelt and conservation called the wilderness warrior. That is about tr saved 234 million acres of wild00 america a public lands through National Monuments and National Parks and federal bird reservations created the National Forest service on and on. I consider that the first wave of environmentalism. Second wave i wrote a book called rightful heritage about fdrs era how fdr was a tree planter whenever he would fill out a form for occupation roosevelt would write tree farmer it like that is my job. As a scientific farmer on the hudson river Eleanor Roosevelt said he knows every flower, note, cranny of the hudson river and i can rattle off National Parks fdr created many like a big bend on dday. He did not cancel the meeting said he was designing roads and how to visit Big Bend Park in texas while the normandy invasion was going on. That is how deep he was at all this. He also created 800 state parks. They planted civilian conservation corps 3 billion trees. The first two waves the third wave is thiso book it really is about three president s note roosevelts but i really had to begin at 1945 after the bombing of hiroshima and nagasaki. The birth of the atomic age of us are blowing up Nuclear Weapons willynilly in nevada we detonated 1054 Nuclear Weapons in america between 1946 and 1991. There became this big and tight Nuclear Testing movement which bristle carson was part of and many others norman cousins, Doctor Albert Schweitzer on a global way. But what is exciting is john f. Kennedy had the vision and temerity to sign the Nuclear Test Ban treaty. Candace astute diplomacy and ecological act of great importance occurred. We stopped testing Nuclear Weapons and made agreement with the soviet union and Great Britain today we cannot test those weapons. In my book i do with kennedy who loved cape cod. Cape Cod National Seashore point raised in beautiful california. Padre island, texas he was trying to save shorelines before he was killed i deal with things the first big Clean Air Act of 1963 in the followup one in 1970. Lady bird johnson had a ranchers view of conservation but as you know lady bird her whole life was about beautification and anti billboards and really help save places Like Redwood National park and create the wild and scenic trail system and our National River system. Much more i could tell you about the johnsons are in the book and nixon the unlikely environmentalist. I always say what is your walden pond . Whatat place in the audience nature speaks note most you . Hellenic seabird, johnson that river would be if the whole a wholecountry of texas. Nixon did not have one. [laughter] it was not his thing, the environment. But you guys the public demanded clean air demanded clean water to the point that nixon was forced into his credit did it. The National Environmental policycy act which Environmental Impact statements, did the Clean Air Act and 72. He did not what to but he got it done. Mainly create the Environmental Protection agency in 1970 put a really great man in charge of it who went after busting polluters and ill end my little talk and say you guys we are all meeting at the National Book festival it is 50 years ago the endangered species act to past where we have saved the bald eagle. We have saved manatee. We have forever protected california condor and whipping cranes in sandhill cranes and alligator taunts back with a vengeance. Who were reallygo successful but do you realize what that passed in 1973 with the vote was in the u. S. Senate . Ninetytwo nothing. That is how bipartisan that was because the public after Rachel Carsons book silent spring came out people at walt disney were showing how to protect wildlife on their movies and how this ralph nader and others were talked about consumer advocacy and had a group of environmental senators mainly whom i admire most is frank church of idaho who was an original thinker of wilderness and Lyndon Johnson signed the wilderness act and 64 and thank god he did now we have millions of acres of protected land that roads will not penetrate so it givess speciesa place they can replenish and survive with all of this helterskelter of the t industrl that we seem to be hellbent on propagating in north america in the stringer scenic places david your book is a little bit different. Explain first the title. The title is the parent and the egli but before i do two things. You mentioned endangered species at a celebration of books it makes me anxious as a reader. [laughter] and the second thing from one of things doug was saying is should fdr have been focusing on National Parks on dday . Toxic dont know if i was the only person question. Because they were trying not to deflect he was a birdwatcher fdr went to charlottesville for they did not want to be worried they did not to give the media a clue. He was out birdwatching in charlottesville with some military friends of his roosevelts not doing much. So when he came in he kept whatever his days agenda was. If you cancell that the immediae would think Something Big would be happening he happened to book a long time meeting with carter if you go to ice the Amon Carter Museum is one ofin the great art collectors a rich guy who had been crusading in texas to save Big Bend Park. Roosevelt wanted it to be both a park that was between mexico and the United States with the rio grande in the middle creating one big a biosphere down along the border so he simply was going through with his meetings to not give anybody an idea there something going on. [laughter] that couldve appeared in the igloo . Nixon also there is a beautiful bridge between the two books. My book really starts right after it nixon comes in. So when we were talking on phone you can think of our books as godfather one and godfather two. [laughter] nixon is a fascinating person i love what doug was saying but what the Environmental Protection act shows about our action as voters and as people who take polls. Nixon did not care about the environment at all. The famous thing is when he went to the beach she would wear dress shoes. He would think i was showing too much skin if i was on the beach basically. But he was forced too because everyone in the country really wanted their environment cleaned up. He was saying the year he signed in the epa the New York Times said thats one of that really the reallybright moments and ote dismal year that same year president nixon was telling two executives from Ford Motor Company the environmentalists but they really want to do is go back and livehe like a bunch of dirty animals who what theyre interested in is destroying the system. But since we want to clean air, clean waters and clean skies he had site is as president nixons ghost calling in today. s chrysler wasnt Ford Motor Company. [laughter] because we demanded it he is improve more and significant environmental than anyone inl history. My book is about ironies like that the departed igloo the quickest way to describe it is to say what the title is. In 1956 american climate scientist began speaking with american reporters and they said we had been tracking this issue about Carbon Dioxide on theres a really good chance it will begin to heat our atmosphere. Roger ravel is on the first really prominent american climate scientists gave it a year. He said and about 50 years from 1956 it could have a violent effect on the earths climate. This sort of thing was covered by the times the times that october and he said that inmate they were working different seasons. The times said in the far future if Carbon Dioxide warming takes effect the polar regions will be changed to tropical jungles were tigers will run through the underbrush and gaudy parents will squawk 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 mood musicians the people who decide to and they want your opinions to play and find a way to make you hear that in your head so would you say harmonizes with the effects they want. In 20101 of the great denial senators senator James Mountain and half of oklahoma built an igloo on the mall here in d. C. Because thered been the heavy snowee fall he put a sign on top that said al gores new home. And honk if you love Global Warming so the story my book tells us how he went from that. Too that igloo. [applause] one of things im always curious about will be look at history is what lessons we can take. Especially lessons doesnt seem we have quite learned yet. David, give us a brief example of a lesson we should have taken away from prior Environmental Movement. Listen to scientists. [laughter] [applause]te in 1977 the most famous warning that came in the 70s its because of the warnings ini begn reading about when i was deciding to write this book. The most famous warning from the 70s 1979 but two years earlier the National Academy of sciences did the first big report on Climate Change is 270 pages. About half the length of this. What they said is we have to start acting now. We cannot wait until we are sure because it takes a whole generation to change Energy Sources if we dont actho now fr all practical purposes the diet will ber cast. So listen to scientists. And it to your point david in 1960 Time Magazine shows scientists as the person of the year. And candidate have the first year at white house like a 70 plus approval rating. And so there was this motion we did listen to the expert so for example when Rachel Carson wrote silent spring in 1962 warning about pesticides being and detrimental to your health, having a carcinogenicth effect n animals and potentially humans kennedy was asked at a press conference but about Rachel Carsons article in the new yorker . He said im going to put in a Scientific Panel and Advisory Panel and look into a research if it holds up he found the best scientists and came up with a pretty quick fashion a report thatam proved carsons research was accurate. And yet at took a decade to ban ddt is not until 1972 Rachel Carson died of Breast Cancer and 64. Kennedy of course is dead and 63 but there became this movement i called silent Spring Revolution the big turning point in my mind was the birth of environmental law on the 60s. Even as late as 1965 and 66 it was called conservation Lyndon Johnsons program was the new conservation. But environments are kicking and do to Barry Commoner and scientists reduce the term environment it really kind of took hold and ddt got banned by nixon on in 72. The mid and all of this its the people we have to speak out. On Climate Chaos these reports are all there. Ideal for him and my book mike david. With ravel in the 50s talking the Kennedy Administration had a loose document going around about Climate Change and johnson and 65 tried to give a speech about it as early as 65 but he had a medicaid and medicare in vietnam Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights act they got. In the media flow i print almost verbatim in the book a memo i dont know if any of you remember Daniel Patrick moynihan new york sent a brilliance, he writes john of domestics advisor fort nixon hes done in aninvestigation said the scientists are saying we are in big trouble due to co2 emissions. And the letters has what does this mean . It means goodbye miami and new york city forever verdict on the seattle unknown. Truly, there it is in the white house. Well fight other president s, jimmy carter trying to put solar panels on the white house andrt get Global Reports for 2000 2000grade the truth is we faile. We are sitting here today theres no climate hero president for the reasons that david marks in his n book the ol and gas the Petroleum Industry started organizing in 1973 with the Arab Oil Embargo gas prices went up and they had their own groups and start attacking environmentalists. They said and the famous and memo it will take about 30 years to undo all the winds of the environmentalists of the 60s and early 70s. They do not like the companies with federal regulations. If you are a Mining Company you do not want to be regulated you do not want the federal government. This movement in the 60s David Broward said they when they had fun. They stop dam in the grand canyon and dams were stop through protest hikes. Canyon ant 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 revo luand if youre and youre vilified by the republicans and the republicans are seen as attractive oft the oil and gas industry and these new foundationsand role was l carson. In your research of your book, what did you discover of how the American Public view the governments rolee in addressing Global Warming whether our perception of government should play change . It didnt which i found really reassuring and heartening because it is the a story thats pretty much irony. I just pretty much want to say thatll i always loved talking to doug. How odd that the republicans are seen that way. Its mystifying. [laughter] the game has been to make us change our minds basically. Just what doug was saying. Once it was clearik as of people demand that we get environmental regulations so that even then governor reagan who had ruinist effect. I hope im not offending anybody who likes the report. Inff about 67, 78 he was saying when the movement was started seen one red seen them all. By 69 and 70 the environment became what the rep