Transcripts For LINKTV Democracy Now 20151214 : vimarsana.co

Solve the Climate Crisis. Amy thousands from around the world take to the streets of paris this weekend to say the agreement doesnt go far enough. [chanting] deny Climate Change on one hand on the other hand they find billions to the pentagon in order to plan for Climate Change because there is a clear plan, it is war. Every day, delay, means sentencing millions of people to death. Now they have crossed the red line. Amy we go to the streets of paris and we will host a discussion on the climate accord with guardian columnist and environmental activist George Monbiot and Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Nearly 200 nations agreed in paris saturday to a global accord to rein in rising greenhouse emissions that are warming the planet. The deal involves voluntary commitments to begin cutting emissions as well as billions more dollars to help poor nations cope with the transition to a greener economy powered by Renewable Energy. President obama hailed the deal even while of knowledge and it is not enough to stop Global Warming. Even if all the initial targets set in paris are met, we will only be part of the way there when it comes to reducing carbon from the atmosphere, so we cannot be complacent because of todays agreement. The problem is not solved because of this accord. It make no mistake, the Paris Agreement establishes the enduring framework the world needs to solve the Climate Crisis. Amy many scientists and them terminal groups say nations need to be far more ambitious to rivet Global Temperatures from rising. Thousands of people took to the streets of paris saturday to demand further action. We will go to the streets and hear more about the Paris Agreement after headlines. France, thes from farright antiimmigrant National Front has failed to win a single region in the second round of elections. The National Front won six of 13 regions in the first round last week. But in a tactical move aimed at defeating the front, the rival socialist party withdrew from the contest in key regions, urging supporters to back the more mainstream conservatives instead. Despite the National Fronts defeat, french Prime Minister manuel valls said the threat is not over. Tonight there is no place for triumph, no messages of victory. The danger posed by the far right has not gone away far from it. I wont forget the results of the first round and previous elections. Amy in germany, police said 69 officers were injured and 50 damaged after leftwing demonstrators took to the streets to protest a neonazi rally. Police did not say how many protesters were injured in the clashes in leipzig. 23 people were detained. In saudi arabia, voters have elected 20 women to local government posts after women were allowed to vote and run in elections for the first time in saudi history. The winning female candidates make up about 1 of the municipal seats at play in the 2100 elections. In the east african nation of burundi, at least 87 people were killed friday in some of the deadliest violence since unrest erupted earlier this year. The violence began after president Pierre Nkurunziza announced plans to seek what many say was an unconstitutional third term in office, winning reelection in on friday, july. Officials said attackers hit three military sites residents , accused Security Forces of rounding up people and killing them in retaliatory violence. A coalition of 17 countries led by the United States and italy have backed the formation of a unity government in libya and called for an immediate ceasefire. Libya has been engulfed in chaos following the u. S. Backed ouster of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, allowing the selfproclaimed Islamic State to claim swaths of territory. Secretary of state john kerry said he is confident libyas rival governments will sign the unity pledge later this week. Speaking in rome, john kerry said the rise in libya of isis which he called daesh threatens the world. We came here today, members of the libya support group, neighbors of libya, international organizations, theuse we cannot allow status quo in libya to continue. It is dangerous for the viability of libya. It is dangerous for libyans. Now because of the increased purposefullyaesh degrading there, it is dangerous for everyone. Amy Doctors Without Borders has raised the death toll of the u. S. Airstrike on its hospital in kunduz, afghanistan. It is saying at least 42 people were killed, including 24 staff members. The organization has called for an independent investigation into the attack which it calls a possible war crime. Hundreds of Syrian Refugees have arrived in canada, where they have been immediately granted permanent residency. Prime minister Justin Trudeau has pledged to resettle 10,000 Syrian Refugees by the end of this month and another 15,000 by march 1. Trudeau and canadians have welcomed the refugees with video messages of support. He greeted the first batch of more than 160 refugees who arrived around midnight on thursday. Tonight they step off the plane as refugees, but they walked out of this terminal as permanent residents of canada with social and search insurance numbers, health cards, and with an opportunity to become full canadians. Amy in germany, meanwhile, chancellor Angela Merkel has said she wants to drastically decrease the number of refugees entering germany amid pressure from within her party. More than 340,000 refugees are expected to enter germany this year. British resident shaker aamer has spoken out about his imprisonment in guantanamo, following his release in october after more than 13 years behind bars. Shaker aamer had been cleared for release since 2007, but the United States kept him locked up without charge. He says he was subjected to torture, beatings, sleep deprivation, and starvation, doused with freezing water and forced to stand for 18 hours at a time. In a series of interviews, aamer said a british official was present during one of his beatings. Aamer also condemned extremism, saying any extremists living in the u. K. Should get the hell out. And speaking to itv news, aamer described reuniting with his wife and children. There are some you have never seen . Just the sun. 14 years. My oldest daughter was 4. 5. For them i am a stranger, a total stranger. Amy in california, Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies shot and killed an africanamerican saturday man on they say was saturday armed with a gun and refused to drop it. Sheriffs Officials Say Nicholas Robertson fired several shots into the air and was behaving erratically. Deputies opened fire and video shows them continuing to shoot as robertson crawls away on his stomach. The two deputies fired 33 shots. On the campaign trail, a new poll of Republican Voters in iowa shows texas senator ted cruz leading over business mogul donald trump. The Des Moines Register Bloomberg Politics poll found cruz had a 10 point lead over trump with 31 support compared to trumps 21 . Retired neurosurgeon ben carson appears to be plummeting in the polls. The shift comes ahead of the next republican president ial debate tuesday in las vegas. In Southern California, police and the fbi have launched a hate crimes probe after two mosques were vandalized. Worshipers at the Islamic Center of hawthorne arrived sunday to find the words jesus is the way spray painted on the mosque. At another mosque in the same town, the word jesus was spray painted on the outside and a plastic hand grenade replica was left in the driveway. The incidents came after Police Arrested 23yearold carl dial, jr. , friday on hate crime and arson charges over a fire at a third Southern California mosque, the Islamic Society of coachella valley. Alisa shabazz, a member of the mosque, responded to the fire. When we came around the corner, we saw the ambulance excuse me, the fire department, and it was like, whats happening . They said someone tried to blowup a mosque. Why . For what reason . We are peaceful people. We dont terrorize people. We dont bomb people. I have been a muslim all my life, and ive never had to deal with this. Amy the mosque fires are part of an apparent spike in islamophobic incidents in the aftermath of the paris and San Bernardino attacks and amid calls by republican candidate donald trump to ban muslims from entering the United States. More than a dozen incidents have been reported over the past week alone. In tampa, florida, two muslim women reported being attacked in separate incidences one said she was shot at, while another said she was nearly run off the road by a man who threw stones at her. In gwinnett county, georgia was 13 oh muslim girl was asked by a teacher if she had a bomb in her backpack. Multiple mosques from new jersey to arizona have been vandalized or received hate mail. Funerals continued over the weekend for the 14 People Killed in the San Bernardino, california shooting attacks by Tashfeen Malik and her husband syed rizwan farook. The New York Times reports malik passed three background checks by u. S. Immigration authorities as she moved from pakistan to the United States, despite her posts on social media saying she wanted to take part in violent jihad. Immigration Authorities Say they dont routinely review social media as part of the background check process. Ecuador and sweden have reportedly reached a deal to allow wikileaks founder Julian Assange to be questioned by swedish authorities on sex guns allegations in the ecuadorean embassy, where he has been holed up for more than three years. Assange has long requested he be questioned by swedish prosecutors inside the embassy. He fears if he travels to sweden, he could end up being extradited to the United States, where a secret grand jury has been investigating wikileaks revelations. Sweden has never charged assange with a crime. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. In whats been described as a historic turning point, nearly 200 nations agreed in paris saturday to a global accord to rein in rising Greenhouse Gas emissions blamed for warming the planet. Under the deal, nations will make voluntary commitments to begin cutting emissions. In addition the deal provides , billions more dollars to help poor nations cope with the transition to a greener economy powered by Renewable Energy. French foreign minister Laurent Fabius announced consensus on the deal had been reached. I now invite the cop to adopt the draft decision entitled Paris Agreement which features in the document, im looking around the room and i see the reaction is positive. I dont hear any objection. The Paris Agreement for the climate is accepted. Amy the Paris Agreement was reached at the conclusion of the two week u. N. Climate change summit in paris known as cop21. U. N. Secretary general ban ki moon praised the deal. Going to have for the first time a universal and global an ambitious Climate Change agreement. Our is the beginning and common efforts to make our lives for people sustainable and prosperous as well as a healthy planet. Amy despite the Paris Agreement, many scientists and environmental groups say nations need to be far more ambitious to prevent Global Temperatures from rising. Current Emission Reduction pledges put the world on pace to warm by as much 6. 3 degrees fahrenheit, or 3. 5 degrees celsius, above preindustrial levels. The globes temperature has already risen by nearly 1 degree celsius and the impact of Global Warming has been felt across the globe. 2015 is on pace to be worlds hottest year on record. The United States has also been criticized for failing to take more responsibility for causing the Climate Crisis as the Worlds Largest historic emitter. Greenpeace executive director kumi naidoo said climate activists will continue to mobilize after paris to push nations to do more to address the crisis. This is neither a moment for triumph or four despair. We cannot be triumphant of the deal that is done here when tens of thousands of lives have been lost already as a result of Climate Impact and furthermore, tens of thousands of lives on the precipice of survival. Indigenous peoples, people in lowlying states and so on. Neither should it be a message of despair for us in the Climate Movement. We have one the core argument that Climate Crisis is serious, it requires urgent action, and we will continue to mobilize tomorrow to make sure the end of the fossil fuel in europe starts today, tora starts 100 Renewable Energy future by no later than 2015. Amy to talk more about the Paris Agreement, we are joined by two guests. George monbiot is a british journalist and author. A columnist with the guardian and author of the 2006 book, heat how to stop the planet from burning. His latest piece is called, grand promises of paris climate deal undermined by squalid retrenchments. He is joining us from london. And in San Francisco is Michael Brune, executive director of the sierra club. His book coming clean breaking , americas addiction to oil and coal. Michael, you have just flown in from paris as we have. You were there for the final moments of this Paris Agreement. Your assessment of what close to 200 countries have agreed on . Is a turningk it point. What we saw it shows to every country in the world made a commitment to either cut their own carbon or peak the growth in their emissions. There was meant was an acknowledgment what was committed to is not nearly enough and so there is a process that was established to take stock of the progress being made and then to commit to its reductions in the years ahead. What we saw in the last two weeks was that every country around the world agreed we have to do much, much more to fight Climate Change effectively and to begin to set up a dialogue and mechanism for rich countries to aid the poor countries, and to make room for continuous ambition moving forward. So it is a good start, and there is, of course, a very long way to go. Amy George Monbiot, your assessment . Well, i wish i could be as optimistic as michael. What i see is an agreement with no timetables, no targets, with vague and while aspirations. It is a must as if it is safe to adopt 1. 5 degrees centigrade as their aspirational target now that it is pretty well impossible to reach. I see a lot of backslapping, a lot of self congratulation and i see very little in terms of the actual substance that is required to avert climate breakdown. That is what we are facing. We are facing an axis dental crisis for humankind existential crisis for humankind. And the response by the world leader has been anything but come and see what with that crisis. Amy what did you feel needed to be done, george . Well, we needed a clear set of binding commitments based around percentage cuts bite certain dates. Those were initially in the text, but they got stripped out as the process went along. Got the phrasee as soon as possible, which could mean anything or nothing. Amy Michael Brune . Thats not accurate. The targets are established first, there are targets. It were never in the text. What we have is they were in the text we have india that has committed to 175 gigawatts of power, clean energy over the next decade. That is equivalent to about half of the u. S. Coal fleet in the United States. African nations have committed to install about double that. China has committed to install as much solar and as much wind as we have coal, natural gas, and Nuclear Power combined by 2030. The best news i think that we saw from cop is every country has realized this i