REVIEW OF EARLY COVID-19
TREATMENT OPTIONS.
NOW BACK TO WISCONSIN POLITICAL
NEWS AND A RARE BIPARTISAN
AGREEMENT.
THIS WEEK, DISPARATE GROUPS
MAKING UP 32 MEMBERS OF THE
GOVERNOR'S TASK FORCE ON CLIMATE
CHANGE SIGNED OFF ON ITS 55
CLIMATE SOLUTIONS AND RELEASED
ITS REPORT.
SOLUTIONS INCLUDE TO ENCOURAGE
UTILITIES TO ELIMINATE CARBON
EMISSIONS, SUPPORT PUBLIC
TRANSIT AND ELECTRIC VEHICLES,
CREATE CLEAN ENERGY AND
CONSERVATION JOBS AND CREATE AN
OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE.
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR MANDELA
BARNES IS CHAIR OF THE TASK
MORSE.
HE SAYS THE WORK AHEAD IS NOT
JUST ABOUT CLIMATE, BUT ECONOMIC
GROWTH AND RECOVERY WITH A KEEN
EYE ON CLIMATE JUSTICE AND
EQUITY.
HE JOINS US NOW AND THANKS VERY
MUCH FOR BEING MERE.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING
ME.
REALLY EXCITED TO TALK ABOUT
THIS.
>> GOOD.
SO WHAT IS CLIMATE JUSTICE AND
EQUITY?
>> CLIMATE JUSTICE AND EQUITY
MEANS THAT EVERYBODY SHOULD HAVE
A FAIR SHOT WHEN IT COMES TO
THEIR LIVING CIRCUMSTANCES AS IT
RELATES TO THE ENVIRONMENT.
WE SEE TOO MANY COMMUNITIES THAT
FACE ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS,
WHETHER IT'S WATER POLLUTION AND
CONTAMINATION OR AIR QUALITY
HAZARDS.
AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT
THE PEOPLE THAT CONTRIBUTE TO
THOSE ADVERSE SET OF
CIRCUMSTANCES OR SETS OF
CIRCUMSTANCES ARE, ONE, HELD
ACCOUNTABLE, BUT ALSO MAKING
SURE THAT QUALITY OF LIFE IS
SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE SHOULD
COME TO EXPECT NO MATTER WHERE
YOU LIVE IN WISCONSIN.
SO THIS IS A MONUMENTAL STEP
FORWARD FOR OUR STATE.
>> HOW DO TASK FORCE SOLUTIONS
BRING JUSTICE AND EQUITY TO THE
WORK OF CLIMATE CHANGE?
OH, EASILY.
IN MANY WAYS.
YOU LOOK AT WHERE WE ARE RIEFT RIGHT
NOW WITH COVID-19 AND THE
ADVERSE IMPACT IT'S HAVING ON
PEOPLE'S HEALTH AND ALSO
WISCONSIN'S ECONOMIC CONDITION.
NOT MUCH DIFFERENT THAN MANY
OTHER STATES IN THE COUNTRY.
AND WE NEED A REAL PLAN FOR
RECOVERY TO PUSH US FORWARD.
AND THAT MEANS ADVANCING OUR
OPPORTUNITIES WHEN IT COMES TO
GREEN ENERGY JOBS.
JOBS IN THE RENEWABLE ENERGY
SECTOR HAVE BEEN OUT PACING THE
REST OF THE ECONOMY FOR YEARS
NOW.
IT'S TIME FOR WISCONSIN TO BE A
PART OF THAT GROWTH.
BUT IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO MAKE
SURE THAT COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE
BEEN THE MOST IMPACTED, WHETHER
IT'S BY CLIMATE CHANGE OR
WHETHER IT IS DEVASTATING
ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES, HAVE A
SHOT AT THOSE TYPES OF JOBS AND
THAT TYPE OF EMPLOYMENT.
AND ALSO OUR AGRICULTURE
COMMUNITY, OUR RURAL
COMMUNITIES, WHO OFTEN GET
BLAMED FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO
CLIMATE CHANGE, BUT THE REALITY
IS THEY EXPERIENCE THE IMPACTS
OF CLIMATE CHANGE MORE THAN MANY
OTHER COMMUNITIES GIVEN HISTORIC
LEVELS OF RAINFALL AND FLOODING.
THAT IMPACTS CROP PRODUCTION AND
ALSO IMPACTS ECONOMIES ACROSS
OUR STATE.
WHAT WE HAVE IS A PLAN TO
INVOLVE THEM IN THE PROCESS OF
COMBATING CLIMATE CHANGE BUT
ALSO PROVIDING ECONOMIC
OPPORTUNITY.
I THINK THAT'S THE DEFINITION OF
CLIMATE JUSTICE.
>> SO DESCRIBE THE BREADTH OF
THE MEMBERS ON THIS TASK FORCE.
>> THAT'S GOT TO BE THE MOTOR
VEHICLES -- MOST
ON EXCITING PART ABOUT IT,
PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT WALKS OF
LIFE, DIFFERENT PROFESSIONS,
LIVE DISCIPLINES, LARGE
BUSINESSES, SMALL BUSINESSES,
YOUTH PARTICIPATION, BIPARTISAN
DISPATCH, UTILITIES AND FARMERS
TO COME TOGETHER TO COME UP
SOLUTIONS AND ALSO CLIMATE
ADVOCATES.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE WHO
FIND THEMSELVES OFTEN TALKING
ABOUT EACH OTHER, TALKING AROUND
EACH OTHER OR OVER EACH OTHER.
BUT THIS TASK FORCE GAVE SPACE,
PROVIDING AN OPPORTUNITY FOR
THEM TO TALK TO EACH OTHER AND
DISCUSS WAYS THAT WE COULD ALL
MOVE FORWARD.
>> THERE HAVE BEEN MANY TASK
FORCE REPORTS OVER THE YEARS.
WHAT IS YOUR EXPECTATION THAT
THIS ONE WILL BE ACTED ON?
>> I THINK PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE
URGENCY HERE AND I THINK THAT WE
LIVE WITH, AGAIN, ENVIRONMENTAL
JUSTICE AT THE FOREFRONT.
WHEN PEOPLE THINK ABOUT SOCIAL
JUSTICE, THEY HAVE A CERTAIN
IDEA.
BUT ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IS A
SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUE, BUT IT
MEANS THAT IF YOU ARE IN A
COMMUNITY AND YOU ARE -- YOU
HAVE YOUR WELLS THAT HAVE PFAS
OR NITRATE CONTAMINATION OR
YOU'VE IN AN AREA THAT HAS BEEN
DEALT WITH HAVING TO EXPERIENCE
THE TOXINS OF COAL BURNING POWER
PLANTS, THESE ARE ALL ISSUES OF
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE THAT WE
LIVE WITH.
WE LIVE WITH QUALITY OF LIFE,
MAKING SURE WE TALK ABOUT THE
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY THAT COMES
WITH US ACTING ON THIS ISSUE.
I'M NOT SURE IF THAT HAS ALWAYS
BEEN THE CASE BEFORE, BUT THE
CASE COULD NOT BE MADE MORE
CLEAR THIS TIME.
WHEN PEOPLE ALL ACROSS THE
STATE, ALL ACROSS THIS COUNTRY
ARE IN NEED OF SOMETHING NEW,
SOMETHING BETTER AND AN
OPPORTUNITY TO HELP THEM LIVE
HAPPIER, HEALTHIER, SAFER AND
MORE PRODUCTIVE LIVES.
>> VERY BRIEFLY, WHAT IS THE
NEXT STEP?
>> THE NEXT STEP, A NUMBER OF
RECOMMENDATIONS.
WE LOOK TO PUT FORTH IN THE
BUDGET A NUMBER OF
RECOMMENDATIONS.
WE'LL ALSO HAVE A CHANCE TO BE
EXPLORED WHETHER THROUGH SOME
SORT OF EXECUTIVE ACTION AND THE
LEGISLATURE WILL BE PRESENTED
WITH SOLUTIONS AS WELL.
SO WE HOPE THAT PEOPLE WILL ACT
ON IT AND WE JUST WANT THE
PUBLIC TO HAVE A CHANCE TO SIT
AND DIGEST THIS DOCUMENT AS WELL
SO THEY CAN SEE WHAT A CLEANER
FUTURE LOOKS LIKE FOR THE STATE
OF WISCONSIN.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
JOINING US, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR