All language subtitles for years.of.living.dangerously.s02e08.1080p.web.h264-cbfm_track4_[eng]

I'm in China,
to try to answer a question

that could determine
the fate of our planet.

I hear China burns more coal
than any other country,

and that coal is the biggest
contributor to climate change.

It's making some Americans
I know wonder

why we should take climate change
seriously if China isn't.

But I've also heard
a different story,

that these days China is taking huge
steps to reduce carbon emissions

and keep the planet from melting.

Which is it?
I'm here to find out.

It's no secret
that the pollution here,

caused mainly
by the burning of coal,

has been horrible for decades.

But I didn't realize how bad.

The images at this art exhibit
are arresting.

Do you like these?

You like that one.
Do you know what these are?

They're all medicine bottles
for coughing or a lung issue.

-Like this one is for kids.
-Yeah.

I meet a family
who recently left Beijing.

They tell me the pollution
was making their son sick.

So do you think
you'll go back to Beijing?

We love Beijing,
all my family is still there.

But he won't be able
to go to school,

because he's got some lung issues.

And how many days of schools
do you think he had to miss?

-One to two days per week.
-One or two.

So you actually had to keep him home
one or two days a week?

Yeah. Also, one or two times a month

he needs to go to the hospital
for treatment.

That's unbelievable.

Zachary. Why don't you show
your mask in Beijing then.

-The special mask.
-Oh my goodness.

When he was playing at home even
that he has to actually wear.

-Really? Is that you?
-Yes.

-Do you like it here in Hong Kong?
-Yes.

-Because?
-Because, because.

Because you don't have
to wear one of these.

Because you can go to school?
That's more fun, right?

I'm surprised to hear
Zachary's family

to return to Beijing
sometime soon.

Their friends say the air
quality is improving.

Is this wishful thinking?

Or is the air getting better
because China is overcoming

its reliance on coal?

When I'm not busy acting
on television

I'm a passionate advocate
for a number of issues,

especially climate change.

I've come to Chicago
to learn more about a fight brewing

between big coal and the country's
largest environmental group,

the Sierra Club
and their Beyond Coal campaign.

Christine Nannicelli is right
in the middle of it.

Why was this a place
that Sierra Club came to?

Illinois is a coal state in a lot of
ways this has been ground zero.

Christine says that even though coal
is on the decline,

due to the skyrocketing use of wind,
solar, and cheap natural gas,

the U.S. is still second
only to China

in the amount of coal it burns.

which is why the campaign is trying
to close as many plants as it can.

Coal pollution threatens things
that we all care about.

Since 2010, over a third of the coal
plants in the nation have closed,

or are about to.

Hundreds of workers
are going to be out of a job.

But big coal, and its backers,
are fighting back hard.

The Supreme Court
has temporarily blocked

the administration's
Clean Power Plan.

Twenty-nine states
are suing over the plan,

which limits greenhouse gas
emissions from power plants.

Christine is meeting
with the leaders

of the Beyond Coal campaign
in Chicago

to figure out what comes next.

These are

the plants that we have
to get announced to retire.

This could be a map that doesn't
change much over the next few years.

If the coal industry has their way,
we'll stop here.

Illinois is one of the top five
coal mining states

and it has a lot of coal-fired
power plants.

So getting Illinois right
is critical to our overall success.

One of the big players here is NRG.
Let's talk about them.

That company is trying to squeeze
as much money out

of these coal plants
before they have to retire them.

That may be decades away,
what will we do about that?

Everything's on the line.

People's lives are on the line,
the climate's on the line.

Do you think
we have a strategy here?

We do. We do.

If the Sierra Club
is going to take on NRG,

they've got their work
cut out for them.

NRG energy is a massive company
with a presence in 22 states.

It is one of the biggest burners
of fossil fuels in the nation

thanks in part to its large fleet
of coal plants,

including one that is nearly
a century old

in a city on Lake Michigan
called Waukegan.

Wow.

NRG bought this coal plant in 2014.

-That recently?
-That recently.

You know, while they have made
some upgrades,

even with those bare minimum
controls that they installed

it's still the largest source of air
and water pollution in the county.

It just doesn't make sense to me
to invest in something that seems

old and dying and not instead invest
in other kinds of energy.

Unfortunately that kind of a
business model leaves communities

like Waukegan,
basically being held hostage.

So what would it mean
for the Beyond Coal campaign

to succeed here in Waukegan?

If we can do it here
in the industrial heartland

against one of the largest energy
companies in the country,

we can do it anywhere.

Some of the worst air pollution
in the world

has blanketed China for years,

and the international media
has been all over it.

This is what everybody in Beijing
is talking about today.

This grey pall of smoggy stuff
that's just hanging over the city.

A report published
at the Lancet Medical Journal

says that air pollution in China
is responsible for between 350 000

to 500 000 premature deaths
every year.

Chinese officials say the murky air
over Beijing this month is just fog,

but measurements taken
at the U.S. Embassy there

show dangerously high levels
of air pollution.

We were all warned, before we went
to Beijing, about the air quality.

But once you arrive and actually see
it, you sense it, you breathe it,

then it really hits you
like a brick.

Former U.S. Ambassador Gary Locke

tells me the embassy
had been uploading daily air quality

readings from the monitors
on its roof,

but the U.S. numbers conflicted
with official Chinese reports.

That's when the Chinese citizens
on the Internet say, hey what gives?

How come the U.S.
Government says it's hazardous

and the Chinese Government's
downplaying it?

Did they try to block
the information at first?

A lot of influential bloggers,
some with millions of followers,

they were being pressured to not
basically re-tweet

the readings that we gave out.

What kind of signals
were you getting

from the Chinese government?

They asked us to stop and desist
and to not set up the program

or to shut it down, and we said no.

At a certain point the government
must have changed their attitude,

we're breathing the same air.

That's right. The turning point
was in January of 2013.

We had almost three weeks
of hazardous air.

It was so bad that you could not
even see across the street.

And finally
the Chinese government acknowledged

this was severe air pollution,
they could not hide it anymore,

that there needed to be action
by the Chinese government.

And do you feel that this was
a turning point in the way

that the Chinese government
started to approach climate change?

This is like the genie
that's been let out of the bottle.

There's more concern over
environmental issues every day.

But I do believe that the attention
on air pollution,

thanks to the efforts
of the embassy, galvanized

Chinese opinion and concern
over air pollution,

and therefore greenhouse
gas emissions and climate change.

Chinese social media sites exploded.

Protests sprang up
against polluting factories.

In 2013, the government,
under pressure to clean up the air,

started moving coal plants away
from cities to rural areas.

A year later, the government
took things even further.

Those concerned about climate change

are calling this the breakthrough
they've been waiting for.

A deal brokered between the U.S.
and China

to greatly reduce carbon emissions.

This is an ambitious goal,
but it is an achievable goal.

China may not be a democracy,

but when smog made life unbearable
for its people,

the government finally acted.

What is this community like?

Seventy percent are Latino
and African American.

It's a working class community.

How hard is it to get people
in a town like this

motivated to take on
something this big?

There are amazing people
that I have met here,

that maybe have not ever been part
of a campaign in their lives,

never spoken publicly or knocked
on doors and they're doing it.

It's almost like everyday people
have to learn how to be activists?

Absolutely.

Christine says that while a big part
of the Beyond Coal strategy

is to encourage locals
to lead the charge,

talking only about climate change
isn't enough.

In this community the potential
health impact is more of a concern.

And Christine says I'll understand
why if I meet Dulce Ortiz,

who lives and works downtown just
a stone's throw from the coal plant.

Oh wow. It's right outside
your window, huh?

Yes it is.

What's that like?

It's frustrating, and inspiring.
But mostly frustrating.

Dulce tells me she's worried
about the health impact

the pollution from the plant might
have on her 14-year-old son, Ivan,

and her mother Sonya,
who also lives in town.

So what are some
of the personal impacts

that the coal plant
has had on you guys?

I'm having problems with my lungs.

Constantly. You know?

I never in my life smoked.

And it's not just me.
She started getting sick, too.

-You've developed similar issues?
-Yes.

Is this something that is more
widespread in the community

or is it just your family?

No, it's in the community,
you know. It's bad.

Of course we can't say that asthma
is caused by the coal plant.

But the pollution
that's being put out into the air

creates the asthma attacks.

Dulce explains that such attacks
are common in Waukegan.

One study found that one in three
school children

had asthma or asthma-like symptoms,

a rate far higher
than in the rest of the state.

But before meeting Christine,
Dulce didn't even realize

what the plant outside
her window was.

You didn't know there was
a coal plant here?

I told Christine you know,
what can I do?

What do you want me to do?
Whatever you want, I'll do it.

So Dulce and other locals learned
the power of going door to door,

telling residents about the risks
of the plant.

-Hello!
-Hi! My name is Dulce Ortiz.

I'm Dominisha Blake
and I'm here with Clean Power,

-and this is Jordan.
-Hey Jordan.

Um, do you have any children?

I've got three of them.
I've got a little one coming, too.

That's why we're doing this.
There is a coal plant

less than a mile away
from your home.

Our children should have clean air,
a clean environment.

Yeah. I don't mind signing.
That's a good thing.

After collecting signatures
for a petition,

this group of everyday citizens
organized to get

more than 150 residents
to march on the coal plant.

We ask that NRG come to the table

to transition away from coal.

Then, just before Christmas,
they took their petitions

directly to the mayor
and town council,

demanding that the city come up
with a plan to retire the coal plant

and attract cleaner, greener jobs.

That's what our community,
more than 2000 residents, ask of you

Mayor Motley
and the members of the city council.

Activists delivered 2000 petitions
and asked Mayor Wayne Motley

to set up a meeting with NRG.

If I can arrange that meeting,
which I told you I would,

I will certainly do that.

-Thank you so much.
-Thank you ladies and gentlemen.

Now just pray.

So what was the response

to delivering the 2000 petitions
to the Mayor?

Nothing has come of that.

And does the mayor think
that conversation should happen?

I don't know what the mayor thinks.
We haven't heard from him.

We don't know what his plans are.

With no response from NRG
or their local government,

the activists are stuck.

So I'm going to meet the mayor
to find out where he stands.

China has changed a lot since
I first came here in the late '70s.

What used to be sleepy villages
are now thriving mega cities.

Back then, China's most valued asset
was cheap labor.

And so, they became
a "factory to the world,"

growing their economy seventy-fold
in less than four decades.

Think about that!

Nothing like it has happened before
in the history of mankind.

To power it all, China built more
than a thousand coal plants,

which contribute to an energy sector

that pumps out an astounding 20%
of the gases warming the planet.

-I like this one.
-Try it.

Nice!

-Is it me?
-Yes, It looks nice on you.

Were you born in China?

Kevin Mo is a top climate advisor

to the American
and Chinese governments.

He came down from Beijing
to meet with me.

In Wal-Mart, a lot of "Made in
China" stuff exactly like here.

That's why they're saying
this is a factory of the world.

-Yeah.
-That's what China becomes now.

He tells me if China
is going to quit coal,

it will have to pivot away from so
much reliance on manufacturing

and dirty industry.

So how will the economy
have to adjust?

How will it change?

Well, now you have to transition to
service-based economy,

-which is finance.
-Finance.

-IT...
-OK.

Insurance... those kinds of things.

Not like energy-intensified
industries,

like steel, cement,
those kind of things.

So it's different.

So, if they can make
that transition.

If they can make that transition,

the economic growth
will be more sustainable

and it consumes less energy
but generate more revenues.

Okay, in your opinion,
can they do it?

And can they do it as fast
as they hope to?

Well let's say this: If China
doesn't make all these changes

and still use the previous
growth model, economic growth model,

then the scenario would be,

by 2050, China's carbon emissions

will be more than

the current total carbon emissions
in the world.

That much carbon dioxide in the air
would make life on earth unbearable.

But Kevin claims China's leaders
acknowledge this threat

and are making plans to ensure
that doesn't happen.

The problem, is that if China shifts
away from manufacturing,

other countries, including ones
that burn lots of coal,

will be picking up the slack.

And so the benefit to the climate
is unclear.

Today I'm meeting the mayor
of Waukegan,

who said he would set up a meeting
between the plant owner, NRG,

and a local group leading the fight,
called Clean Power Lake County.

What is your take on this group
and what they're trying to do?

They have every right
to do what they're doing,

but the one thing that people
have to realize

is I have a business in my community

that pays almost a million dollars
a year in taxes.

Provides 100 skilled jobs.

Should that business close,
where would I get that revenue from?

How could I balance my budgets?

I happen to have a very good
working relationship with NRG,

they're just not prepared to discuss
any future dealings with the plant.

Do you think that
Clean Power Lake County

speaks for the majority of residents

and how they feel
about the coal plant?

'Cause they recently delivered
2000 petitions.

I guess what you really have
to look into and understand

is how they acquired
those signatures

and what pretense
they used to get them.

The people I talked to
didn't know what they were signing,

so I don't know what to tell you.

NRG has a huge,

millions and millions of dollars
investment in this.

Clean Power Lake County
has no financial investment,

nor does Sierra Club.

I think that they would argue
that their investment

may not be a financial one,

but their investment is their health
and the future of their hometown.

I'm not saying
one matters more than the other.

But you have heard from residents
of Waukegan that they themselves...

experience, health impacts,
namely asthma.

I've had no list of people
or a line of people

coming into my office
complaining about those issues.

Isn't it the duty
of elected officials

to have those people's voices
get heard?

-I'm trying.
-You're trying.

-I'm trying.
-Yeah.

And believe me, I've tried to remain
neutral through this whole process,

but over the last 20 years, we've
lost 30 000 jobs on our lakefront.

Should the coal plant close,
it's a real dilemma.

I mean, it's a dilemma for me.

I get where the mayor
is coming from.

Waukegan did once employ
tens of thousands

in factories on its waterfront.

But those factories closed, and left
behind a legacy of toxic pollution

that's still being cleaned up.

The coal plant is virtually all that
remains of that industrial past.

I go back to Dulce's,
to tell her what Mayor Motley said.

I wish I had better news.

His response was
that he couldn't be sure

that those 2000 signatures
were legitimate.

Or whether or not the people knew
what they were signing,

so, personally I'm frustrated,
so I can't imagine how do you feel?

For him to say that these people
didn't know what they were signing,

I find that very...

how can I say... very disturbing.

And he's completely wrong.

Waukegan has five Superfund sites.

So, there is a trail of corporations
polluting our lands,

taking their profits,
and just leaving.

And leaving us, the residents
with the health issues

and no opportunity
for economic development.

We don't want that to happen again,

and it's difficult
that he's not understanding,

what we're trying to do here.

Tell me what that was like,
to be the first here.

It was a little bit odd; I felt
like a pioneer in the beginning.

Barbara Finamore is an energy expert

who has been helping China find ways
to get off coal since the early 90s.

There was almost no awareness
at the time of climate change

and there was no awareness of the
need to use energy more efficiently.

But China really is the key
to the future of our planet.

The fact of the matter is
things are changing very fast here.

As part of its agreement
with the U.S.,

China pledged to get 20%
of its energy from non-fossil fuels

by 2030.

And Barbara says this plant,
that powers Hong Kong Island,

is representative of what's
happening all across China.

-Good Morning!
-Good Morning!

-Hi!
-Hi, Mr. Wan, Sigourney Weaver.

Meeting us is the managing director
of Hong Kong electric: C.T. Wan.

Thank you for having us.

This power station started in 1979,
originally from oil to coal.

But now, because of the climate
change agenda.

We'll, eventually,
get rid of all the coal

towards the end of the next decade.

-Really?
-Yes.

Science tells us that we need to do
something before it's too late.

So the minimum thing we need to do
is to reduce carbon emissions.

And we decided to build
8600 solar panels now.

Sometimes in America, the people
who run these coal plants say,

"We're not so sure
that what we're experiencing

is because of climate change."

I'm an engineer by training.
We only look at data and facts.

Those prove that it is coming
and we need do something,

otherwise, it's too late.

And do you feel that China
will make its commitments

in terms of lowering fossil fuels?

Are you optimistic?

Last year is a real turning point
in China.

The total investment
in renewable power generation

is more than conventional power
for the first time in history.

This speaks for itself.

C.T. takes us on a tour
of the plant.

-OK, sit tight ladies.
-OK, don't be a speed demon!

Not only is China making enormous
investments in green energy,

this year the government halted
construction on 30 coal power plants

with a capacity greater than
Britain's entire coal fleet.

Even more important,
I'm surprised to hear, two years ago

coal consumption in China leveled
off and is actually going down.

-Here we are!
-Thank you!

This is quite extraordinary.

This is the perfect place to talk
to you because you have the past,

the coal and the future,
this amazing solar array.

Five years ago, there was virtually
no solar power in China.

And by 2030, China will have added
as much wind and solar

-as exist in the world today.
-Are you kidding me?

Last year was huge
for renewables here.

China now has more solar power
than any other country,

and it installed almost half
of the world's new wind turbines.

All in all, China spent more than
one hundred billion dollars

on renewables last year

and became the world's top investor
in clean energy.

In Waukegan,
Dulce and the other volunteers

have been dealt a setback.

The plant's owner, NRG,
isn't willing to meet with them.

So they're gathering to plot
their next move.

There are some who ask,

"Well, if you don't like it
then why don't you move?"

Well because we have, we own homes
here, because our families are here,

because our jobs are here,

and just because
something isn't right

doesn't mean you walk away from it,
you try to fix it,

and that's what we're trying to do
is make it better for everybody.

With this campaign,
we're trying to say,

"We're here,
we're going to fight for you,

we're going to be your voice
and we're gonna put pressure

on every single person

that has anything to do
with that coal plant."

So, you've tried city hall,
you've tried the mayor,

what is the next level?

We need to get people in a bus,
down to Springfield.

We need to show their
citizens are behind them.

Let's put some passion into this the
next few months and get it going.

As I look around at the people here,
I realize how remarkable it is:

a pastor, a nun,
a college grad coming home.

Regular people
coming together to fight this fight,

and it's clear
they're not giving up.

Here we go!

The Waukeganites have decided
to take the fight to Springfield,

the capital of Illinois.

They're joining forces with people
from across the state

to lobby their representatives

to support
the Illinois "clean jobs bill,"

which would create incentives
to bring new, clean energy jobs

to communities like Waukegan.

If you look to the left,
don't miss this wind farm.

That's what clean energy looks like.

Dulce and the rest of the activists
are making the 4 hour journey

in the hopes that passing
this clean jobs legislation

will put pressure
on their mayor and NRG

to start talking with them about
a transition away from dirty energy.

-What do we want?
-Clean jobs!

-When do we want it?
-Now!

-What do we want?
-Clean jobs!

-When do we want it?
-Now!

I come here
with one clear message today.

Communities like Waukegan deserve
a clean energy future

and it's time to finally pass
the Illinois Clean Jobs Bill.

In addition
to lobbying the governor,

the activists spend the entire day

pressing their case with every state
legislator they can find.

They are hoping their local
representative, Rita Mayfield,

will sign on to a letter
calling on NRG to meet with them.

But she's declining to do so.

She's not going to sign until
she feels there's a united front.

-I just feel frustrated.
-Yeah, me too. Me too.

At the end of the session,

they're not much further along
than when they started.

The "clean jobs bill"
is in legislative limbo

and their local officials seem
reluctant to sign the letter to NRG.

The effort to get coal
out of Waukegan is faltering.

The transformation in China
has been truly remarkable.

Bringing more people out of poverty

than any other time
in human history.

Dan Dudek witnessed
that transformation first hand.

For more than two decades

he's been working with the Chinese
on their pollution problems.

The Chinese government asked Dan
to help them reduce emissions

by getting polluters to pay for the
CO2 they spew into the atmosphere.

It's called cap and trade.

Today he's invited me out
to Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor

to explain exactly what that means.

I'll do my best; we have
a fabulous backdrop for that here

on the Hong Kong skyline.

Imagine that each building
is an emission source.

And the height of each building is
the level of its annual emissions.

So for example the tall one

might be a very old traditional
coal-fired power plant.

A shorter building would be
natural gas,

which has a lot less in the way
of carbon content, than coal does.

Okay so if the tall building
is the heavy polluter,

and the little building
is the low polluter

how do they work together
to decrease the emissions?

Well, the government
is going to set a limit,

a maximum level
in terms of total emissions,

and we could imagine that as a line
drawn across all of these buildings.

Dan tells me this line, or "cap,"
is the amount of pollution

the government
is willing to tolerate.

To avoid a steep penalty, companies
above this line must pollute less

or buy "credits"
from the companies below the line.

Then, over time,
the cap gets lowered,

allowing less carbon pollution,
and making credits more expensive.

So over time,
as the level of emissions drops,

they'll have to switch over
to cleaner energy, right?

With a market like this,
we stimulate innovation.

People gonna come up with new ideas.

In fact, the race toward the future

is gonna be about
the global clean energy economy,

and I think China's
a lot more prepared for that

than the United States is.

If Dan seems pessimistic
about the U.S.,

it's because president Obama
tried to pass

a national "cap-and-trade" bill
7 years ago.

But it died in Congress.

When I think about the future
and you know my real anxieties,

it's probably as much about
what the United States won't do,

as what China will do.

And now there's little hope
that a similar bill

would even surface
in a Trump presidency.

Still, China is planning to roll out

a nationwide cap and trade program
next year.

After months of trying,

Waukegan has been unable
to bring NRG to the table

to discuss the future
of its coal plant.

And then I see
that in the middle of their fight,

the company's CEO,
David Crane, was fired.

He was supposed to have been
very progressive.

That's right.
It's a company in transformation.

Trying to turn a brown company
green.

... and clean energy future.

Believing a big
fossil fuel energy company

could transform itself
into a clean energy leader.

I want to ask him
why won't NRG let go of coal?

I was trying to transform NRG

from being a fossil fuel-based
electricity company

into a renewable-based,

and we were moving
in that direction.

If I had been a person
that had kept my head down

and never talked about these issues,

then I think
I would still be in the job.

So is that why you got fired?

Because what you were trying
to do failed?

I would not say that
what I had done had failed,

and I would say probably
that it hadn't succeeded yet.

When you were the CEO, NRG bought
a coal plant in Waukegan, Illinois.

Why did NRG buy that plant?

So we bought that plant as part
of a much larger acquisition

because the portfolio of power
plants we bought

had a very valuable set
of wind farms,

and four coal plants in Illinois
outside of Chicago.

So to get the wind farms
you had to buy the coal plants?

Probably should have just sold the
coal plants when we bought them,

because there's no future in coal
in the United States.

Do you still believe that?
That coal is on its way out?

Oh, coal is very much
on its way out.

In the United States coal
has stage IV cancer.

I would suggest that there's
not a single coal-fired power plant

in the United States that's making
money today.

So you're saying that NRG is keeping
the plant in Waukegan open

in case coal makes a comeback?

Uh, yes. And you're hoping that
at some point prices turn around,

and then you can make
a lot of money.

-Well I've been to Waukegan.
-Oh you have?

And I met with a woman
named Dulce Ortiz,

who, she herself
has developed asthma.

Her mother has developed asthma.

My question is,

do the people inside
of a company like NRG

ever stop to think about the Dulces?

No business allows itself
to be stymied

by just some people living
near something,

like that.

NRG invested 100 million dollars
in environmental controls

on the Waukegan plant
within the last year.

And when a company spends
100 million dollars,

they don't want to close it
the next year.

So then, looking forward, you know,

is it possible to move these huge
companies that exist

from a brown industry
into a green industry?

Your question is an unbelievably
important question

that nobody is asking.

I'm not confident
that fossil fuel energy companies

will lead
the clean energy revolution.

And unfortunately the lesson
of what happened to me

is not going to be encouragement for
anyone who wants to radically change

what their company is doing.

Based on what David's telling me,
getting NRG's new CEO,

Mauricio Gutierrez,
to come to the table seems unlikely.

He declined to talk to me,

but the Waukegan activists
say they might have come up

with a way to confront him directly.

Now that China is about to unveil
a national cap and trade program,

making companies
pay a price for carbon emissions,

I imagine utility executives
here will be up in arms.

It turns out there's a big time
energy executive

who welcomes action on climate.

Richard Lancaster is CEO
of China Light and Power,

one of the largest independent
energy companies in China,

which for decades has relied on coal
to generate profits.

We identified, quite early on,
that climate change is a risk

that we had to bring
into our thinking in the business.

We had to really adopt
the scientific targets

that said the electricity industry,
as a whole,

had to reduce its carbon intensity
by 75%, or more, by the year 2050,

if global temperatures
were to be stabilized.

David Crane was running NRG
and he also shifted his company,

or tried to, from brown to green.

And, in the end,
the company balked and he got fired.

So, how have you been able to manage
this transition so successfully?

The strongest argument I have

is the risks
that this business would be facing

if we don't make that shift.

But the reality is
that we are where we are today.

We have built
coal-fired power stations;

we've built fossil-fuel
power stations;

we run our economies on energy.

And all of that infrastructure
has been built.

Had we known what we do today,

we may have made
different decisions earlier.

But we now need to accept
that this is an urgent problem

and work as quickly as we can.

China said it's going to go ahead
and put a price on carbon.

That's what you mean
when you say the risks to

the coal power business.

It might sound strange,

but I actually welcome the clarity
of having a price on carbon.

And it actually makes our job
a lot easier.

If you recognize
that carbon emissions,

they bring about climate change
and there is a cost for that.

Then that represents a risk for us

if we're making investments
in coal-fired power.

Knowing that there is price
makes our job of persuading

our shareholders
and government policymakers

that this is a sensible choice

to go for renewable energy
rather than coal.

So, for the sake of argument,
pretend that I am...

I am a dissatisfied board member.

You want to move away
from coal into renewables.

And I say,
"Richard, it's too expensive."

"I want my monthly dividends."

"I'm against this."
What do you say to me?

Renewable energy is affordable.

It comes with support
from governments.

It comes with subsidies
to close that gap.

And if we're not taking advantage
of that,

we're not acting in the longer-term
interests of our business.

So can you guarantee to me
that it will be as profitable

as the coal power business?

I can't guarantee that it will be as
profitable as coal today.

But I can say that, in the future,

renewable energy will be
far more profitable than coal.

Renewables will be
more profitable than coal?

That's good news.

To confront NRG's new CEO,
Mauricio Gutierrez,

Dulce and the rest of the activists
have hatched a clever plan:

they've become shareholders
of NRG's stock

so they can attend today's
annual meeting.

We should definitely be expecting
the CEO, Mr. Gutierrez

to respond to our question.

Do you think
he's gonna come to Waukegan?

I'll be very surprised
if he himself actually comes.

Which is what we need.

This is nerve-wracking.

But it's critical to remember

we have a right as shareholders
to be there.

Our voices deserve to be heard,
so go in there and tell your story.

I think we should all practice
at least part of our speech,

if not the whole thing just so that
we don't get too nervous.

Thank you President Gutierrez
and members of the board

for the opportunity to speak today.

I am Dulce Ortiz and I am a proud
resident of Waukegan, Illinois,

where one of your
many coal plants resides.

Your Waukegan coal plant is the
biggest air polluter in my county

and is responsible
for over 55% of all toxic releases.

Even with your new controls
the plant is still by far

the largest source of air and water
pollution in the entire county

and our community
continues to suffer.

One in three children
in Waukegan have asthma

or are undiagnosed
with asthma symptoms.

It damages my health,
the health of my children,

and the health of all residents
of Waukegan.

Continuing to do the minimum
is not effective leadership.

You must do more.

I have a lot of pride in my hometown

and that's why I traveled 800 miles
as a representative

of the up and coming
young people in Waukegan.

Mr. Gutierrez,
Waukeganites are counting on you

to come to Waukegan and work with us

to develop the transition plan
for the coal plant.

Will you do it?

We cannot wait any longer.

The shareholders meeting
lasted only 45 minutes.

But everyone was able
to make their speech.

And the CEO, Mauricio Gutierrez,
was listening.

After I spoke to him, and even
though he didn't give us a date,

he mentioned it,
that he will be going to Waukegan.

As soon as he has some time,
he will visit Waukegan.

I really think this may be a pivot
point in our relationship with them.

Where do we want to be in a year?
Do we want to be coming back here?

No, absolutely not.
I do not want to be here.

Because it's ridiculous
that we have to come here.

All of us here have made sacrifices
away from our friends,

away from our families,
taking time off work.

And some of us don't have the luxury
to take the time off.

So, no. I don't want to be here.

We've got to keep the issue

at the forefront of every elected
official's minds moving forward,

and make sure he comes to Waukegan
and move this forward.

The activists' persistence
has paid off:

they were able to get
the CEO's attention.

But after all their time and effort,

I'm beginning to wonder
if they will ever be able

to close the coal plant.

So I travel to New York City
to meet the man

who's funded
the Beyond Coal campaign

to the tune of 80 million dollars.

Now some call this progress
a war on coal.

The truth is that coal
is waging a war on American lives.

Michael Bloomberg has been
a fierce advocate

for reducing carbon emissions
as mayor of New York City

and as a philanthropist.

I want to ask him

how can a campaign like the one
in Waukegan be successful?

So I went to Waukegan and they're
having trouble.

NRG, the company that owns
the coal plant in Waukegan,

they have no intention
of closing the coal plant.

Um, so they've hit a wall there.

Just think about this:
In the United States 14000 deaths

were attributed every year
to coal-fired power plants.

That is now down
to roughly 7000 deaths.

Oh, wow.

So 7000 people are living

because we reduced the use
of coal in this country.

Not only that,

but America dramatically reduced its
greenhouse gases in the 10 years.

Why? The public is picketing the
power plants and elected officials

are coming around because
their constituents are saying,

"Do something about it."

What is it really going to take
for us to stop burning coal?

Governments exist with the will
of the majority of the people.

And I'm telling you if you complain,
they will do something about it.

So will the owners of the coal-fired
power plants. That's happening.

So then do you think
your investment has been worth it?

-Has it been successful?
-Yes.

From my personal point of view,

what better thing could I do
for my children?

You want to go home
and say to your kids,

"Daddy could have made
your life and your children's lives

better and healthier, but
he didn't want to spend the money."

I don't want to have
that conversation with my kids

and you with yours.

So how long are you committed
to fighting this fight?

Until it's won.

China and the U.S. have ratified
the Paris Climate Agreement.

This is not a fight
that any one country,

no matter how powerful,
can take alone.

But now it's up to each partner to
live up to its end of the bargain.

I sit down with one
of the key figures responsible

for the U.S.-China partnership:

Obama's former climate advisor,
John Podesta.

And joining us is Orville Schell,

one of the world's leading experts
on U.S.-China relations.

I found it very refreshing to be in
a country where everyone agreed

that climate change was real

but there seems to be tremendous
pressure in China

to keep economic progress
rolling along.

Can we trust them to do
what they say they're going to do?

There's always the question of
if in an economy is slowing down,

will they continue that commitment?

They don't make
idle public commitments.

This was done
at the standing committee level,

endorsed by The People's Congress.

They don't do that
unless they mean it.

The entire fundament of
the Chinese Communist Party's rule

is on delivering economically.

So if push comes to shove,
we're going to run into problems.

I think that's why we have
to constantly monitor and verify

that the actions are taking place.

Even in that context their growth
is going to be in clean energy.

Making it ever more cheaper
to shift to clean energy sources.

That will help us, that will help
people all around the world,

as these two gigantic economies move
forward in unison to decarbonize.

China is not going to move
on climate if the U.S. doesn't.

And the U.S. is not going to move
if China doesn't.

-So we're in this kind of strange...
-Minuet.

-We're married.
-Yeah.

We wanted ambition from China,

they wanted to see real commitment
from the United States.

We're headed in the right direction,

we just need to accelerate
the pace of the movement.

Lots of Chinese would agree
with that.

Back in Hong Kong, where people are
more free to speak openly,

they're doing just that.

The government
should be doing a lot of things,

but they are not doing enough.

We as citizens we have to stand up,
make our voice heard

we are ready to sacrifice
our short term economic interest

for the long term welfare.

Before I left, I
met these climate activists

with the local chapter of 350.org.

Excuse me.
Is this the meeting for the march?

Oh yes! Hi Sigourney.
Hi welcome!

Ringo and Eddy.

-You've come to the right place.
-Thank you.

We're planning the preparations
for tomorrow's parade.

-Tomorrow's the bomb parade.
-It that what that is?

Ringo and Eddy are organizing
a march using fake atomic bombs

which represent the amount of heat
trapped in the atmosphere

by global warming,

the equivalent of
4 Hiroshima bombs every second!

Eddy is a former meteorologist
and Ringo worked for a toy company.

They are united in their passion
to fight climate change.

We really want the young people to
organize their own movement,

own action.
That's the whole idea.

I work on climate change in America

and sometimes it just seems
kind of hopeless.

How do you keep your spirits up?
'Cause you're very positive guys.

You first.

I think the momentum has been
building up gradually, gradually.

We think this is the
priority of the world.

Of course as a man of science

we look at the data actually
I am on the pessimistic side,

I have to be frank.

But as a human being
I am always optimistic.

-Yeah.
-That's the spirit.

Yes.

In the U.S., thanks in part
to the Beyond Coal campaign,

242 plants have closed,
or will soon,

but 281 remain.

And the coal industry
is fighting regulations

at all levels of government.

In Waukegan, NRG's new CEO still
hasn't come to talk to the activists

many months
after he promised to do so.

But Rita Mayfield and 26 other local
and state representatives

eventually signed the letter
to the company.

Mayor Motley did not,

and the Waukeganites
want to make that an issue

in his upcoming reelection campaign.

Dulce hasn't lost hope

that Ivan will grow up
in a Waukegan without coal.

And she's found a part of herself
she never knew existed.

I can be an agent of change
and say this is wrong.

This is what we need and
we need it now and who's with me?

Let's go.

Have you ever even entertained
the idea of

how nice it would be
to just give up the fight?

Never.

We have the right to clean air
and clean water.

And we shouldn't even be fighting
about it.

Why is this such a struggle?

The fight against climate change
and the transition to cleaner energy

is messy and difficult.

But there's so much
to be hopeful about.

Ordinary people,
like those in Waukegan,

are doing what they can
to take on climate change,

in their corner of the world.

I'm reminded of an ancient
Chinese proverb that says:

be not afraid of growing slowly,
be afraid only of standing still.

For now, at least, the U.S.
and China are moving together.

But, if President-elect Trump
has his way,

he is likely to undo this hard won
partnership with the Chinese.

Once again, we could be standing
still on a melting planet.

Are we really
going to let that happen?

Subtitles: Amaury Pinos
plint.com