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Rainn Wilson is on a mission to learn more about climate change and the effects it’s having on our planet. In this episode, he talks with powerhouse and climate change activist Greta Thunberg about the state of our planet.
*This show was filmed before Covid-19 became a pandemic and stay at home orders were in place. We strongly believe in social distancing and wearing masks at this time.*
Transcript provided by YouTube:
00:02
– Oh hey Greta.
00:03
– Hey, could you get me Steve Carell’s autograph?
00:08
– Sure, sure Greta.
00:10
I can get you Steve Carell’s autograph.
00:11
Can you get me the autograph of former,
00:13
Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon?
00:16
– [Announcer] SoulPancake present An Idiots
00:18
Guide to Climate Change.
00:22
– Yeah sure I mean yeah.
00:24
I mean he’s on my speed dial.
00:27
– Okay.
00:28
– But no I’m interested, how was your arctic adventure?
00:34
– Greta it was amazing,
00:35
but I’m telling you it’s getting me really upset.
00:39
I’m getting kind of worried.
00:40
I feel like things are so bad.
00:42
I don’t know what to do.
00:43
I’m worried about the feedback loops,
00:46
and that it’s gonna make it impossible,
00:47
to solve climate change,
00:48
and there’s all these crazy weather patterns out there.
00:51
We’ve got go get to zero emissions by 2050 and there’s.
00:56
– Calm down, just breathe for a second okay?
01:00
– Okay, okay, breathing. – When I first understood
01:02
the science, I also got so worried,
01:05
and I got so scared,
01:07
and to be honest sometimes I still feel that way.
01:11
– I mean there’s so much to do, right Greta?
01:13
I mean I gotta do carbon offsets for all my travel.
01:17
I’ve gotta plant several dozen trees
01:18
for the seven planes, 18 cabs, 37 paper cups
01:22
and two helicopter rides I took.
01:24
– Rainn, I mean carbon offsetting is good,
01:28
but that shouldn’t be your focus,
01:31
Because there’s so much more,
01:34
that we need to do that needs to be done,
01:36
and I mean individually we all need to reduce
01:40
our carbon footprints,
01:42
but more importantly we need to pressure companies,
01:46
and governments to take real action,
01:50
and to do as much as possible,
01:53
and I mean you have an audience,
01:56
why don’t you talk to them?
01:58
Use your position and tell your audience
02:01
to vote for candidates
02:03
that support the science,
02:05
and end investments
02:07
in exploration of fossil fuels,
02:09
and get banks,
02:11
and investors to divest from fossil fuel companies.
02:15
– Okay, okay. – Phase out coal.
02:16
Also we need to tax pollution.
02:20
There’s so much that we can do,
02:23
and that we need to do right now,
02:26
and I really hope that your trip inspired you
02:29
to start taking some real action
02:32
because now you need to get to work.
02:36
– Okay, okay that sounds good, yes.
02:40
– and Rainn.
02:42
– Yeah.
02:44
– Don’t forget to spend more time in nature.
02:47
We as humans need to learn how to work
02:50
with natures natural rhythms again, not against them.
02:55
– That’s amazing Greta, thank you so much.
02:57
That has clarified things for me so much.
03:02
I will, I will take action.
03:04
But one last thing Greta.
03:06
Can I ask you a favor?
03:09
– Yeah.
03:11
– Would it be all right if I called you Greta Thunderberg?
03:19
– Now you’ll get me that Carrel autograph okay?
03:23
– Coming right up Greta, thanks so much.
03:27
Okay guys, I’ve come a long way
03:29
since I left for the arctic.
03:30
When I didn’t have a clue about climate change
03:33
and my good friend Greta never answered my call.
03:37
All of us celebrities know each other.
03:40
– [Automated] We’re sorry, the number you have reached.
03:43
– [Rainn] I’ve traveled from Los Angeles to Iceland
03:45
and Iceland to Greenland.
03:46
Made love to some glaciers,
03:48
howled with some sled dogs
03:50
and learned the fundamental basics of climate change.
03:53
– What happens in the arctic doesn’t stay in the arctic.
03:57
– What is happening in the arctic
03:58
is effecting all of our lives.
04:00
Droughts that we’ve had.
04:01
– Which caused the forest fires.
04:03
– Which caused the forest fires.
04:04
– [Rainn] I’ve flown from Greenland to New York,
04:06
and New York back to Los Angeles.
04:09
Where I found myself in the company
04:10
of those way woker than me. – [Protestor] Hey hey ho ho,
04:13
fossil fuel has got to go.
04:14
– [Rainn] and of course I was left
04:16
with a very large carbon footprint to offset.
04:20
That’s approximately eight flights,
04:21
12 paper cups, two chopper rides,
04:23
two boat trips and about 14 taxis,
04:27
and then something very strange happened.
04:30
The world came to a complete and utter stop.
04:36
Suddenly I was in COVID-19 lockdown.
04:39
Tweeting trolls, planting trees,
04:42
and reflecting on the planet.
04:45
If COVID-19 has taught us anything,
04:46
it’s that humanity can rapidly come together
04:49
across international lines and evolve to save lives.
04:53
My hope is that one day we’ll do the same for the planet.
04:57
There are many simple steps that we can ,
04:59
to reduce our carbon footprint,
05:01
and reverse the effects of climate change.
05:04
Steps like consume less,
05:07
or in other words, buy less crap.
05:11
Pressure leaders to divest from fossil fuels.
05:14
We need to radically rethink the way we commute.
05:17
Innovate kids, innovate.
05:20
Drive an electric car,
05:22
use renewable resources, clean energy like solar power.
05:27
Stop cutting down trees.
05:29
They’re like tiny little vacuum cleaners for the planet.
05:32
Leave the T-bone alone, ease up on the beef.
05:35
Reduce food waste.
05:37
If food waste were a country,
05:39
it would be in the top three contributors
05:40
of greenhouse gases worldwide,
05:43
and don’t forget to vote for political leaders
05:45
that are good for the environment.
05:49
There’s some eight billion people in the world
05:51
all living in the same house.
05:54
So don’t be an idiot guys, join me and do your part.
05:57
Think global, act local and keep our planet green.
06:03
After all, we only have one.
06:07
Maybe those hippies were right, idiot.
06:10
Thank you for watching An Idiot’s Guide to Climate Change.
06:15
♪SoulPancake ♪
—
This post was previously published on YouTube.
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Photo credit: Screenshot from video
