Climate Chaos: The Fight against Exxon, BP & Co.

Kontext TV interview with: Bill McKibben, Environmental Journalist and Activist, Founder of the Global Grassroots Movement 350.org, Author of „The End of Nature” The 18th UN climate conference in Doha, Qatar is likely to fail as national self-interests dominate the negotiations. At the same time a new report by the World Bank indicates a temperature rise of 4 degrees Celsius by the end of this century with devastating consequences unless substantial cuts in global CO 2 emissions are made. But at this moment not even a moderate continuation of the Kyoto Protocol seems likely in Doha. “Copenhagen, Durban, all of those demonstrate that until we can break the stranglehold of the fossil fuel industry on the national governments, that there is not really that much to be done internationally”, says environmentalist und founder of 350.org Bill McKibben. The oil, gas and coal corporations have become a “rogue industry”, which writes laws of countries, finances climate denial and receives almost 1 trillion dollar per year of taxpayer money from governments around the world. In an article for the Rolling Stone McKibben found out that the fossil fuel industry already has close to 2800 Giga tons of coal, gas and oil in their reserves. The fossil fuel industry plans to burn this vast amount of carbon – six times more than regarded safe for staying below the two degrees temperature rise. To counteract the climate havoc the global warming movement 350.org has launched a divestment campaign to urge colleges, foundations and pension funds to withdraw their money from the fossil fuel industry. The massive protests against the Keystone XL Pipeline show that people are ready to resist the destruction of the planet, says McKibben.

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