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Civil Rights Icon and U.S. Lawmaker John Lewis has Died; U.S. Fails to Get Pandemic Under Control as Cases Surge; Kremlin Denies Russian Spies Tried to Hack Vaccine Research; Global Energy Challenge: As the World Deals With the Effects of a Global Pandemic, Will It Accelerate a Faster Shift Towards Cleaner Forms of Energy? Aired 1-2a ET
Aired July 18, 2020 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00]
APRIL RYAN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: He saved his family, but he kept on marching.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. And April--
RYAN: And he did that in spite of his mother - his mother didn't want him to march.
LEMON: Yes.
RYAN: He marched with her faith (ph). And he can go--
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: April?
RYAN: --and see what we are today.
LEMON: Our time is short. Thank you so much. I appreciate it, April. And thank you very much, Dana Bash.
And I'm just going to leave you with the words from Congressman John Lewis's family. It says, "He was a stalwart champion in the ongoing struggle to demand respect for the dignity and worth of every human being. He dedicated his entire life to nonviolent activism and was an outspoken advocate in the struggle for equal justice in America. He will be deeply missed."
Perfect words to leave you on. John Lewis dead at the age of 80.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And breaking news coming into us here at CNN. The civil rights icon and U.S. lawmaker John Lewis has died. He was 80 years old. Lewis marched with Dr. Martin Luther King in the 1960s and later became the Congressman for Georgia district that includes much of Atlanta. That, as Martin Savidge now tells us, whatever the role, Lewis was steadfast in one thing. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Throughout his life, John Lewis stood for people's rights. Born on an Alabama cotton farm into a segregated America, he had not only lived to see an African-American elected President, he would be a major part of making it happen.
JOHN LEWIS, FORMER UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE (D-GA): Tonight - tonight, we gather here in this magnificent state in Denver because we still have a dream. We still have a dream.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Lewis, growing up, was angered by the unfairness of the Jim Crow South. He credited Martin Luther King Jr. for inspiring him to join the civil rights movement. And eventually, Lewis would become one of its most prominent leaders.
As a student, he organized sittings at lunch counters. In the early '60s, he was a freedom writer, challenging segregation at interstate bus terminals across the south. The embodiment of nonviolence, he frequently suffered beatings by angry mobs.
Lewis, 23 years old at that time, was the youngest speaker at the 1963 march on Washington.
LEWIS: We do not want our freedom gradually, but we want to be free now.
(CHEERS)
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Then, two years later, he led a march for voting rights in Selma.
On the Edmund Pettus Bridge, he and the other marchers were met by heavily armed state and local police they were set upon and beaten, Lewis suffering a fractured skull. It would be forever remembered as bloody Sunday. The images of brutality shocked the nation, galvanizing support for the Voting Rights Act signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson.
Lewis never lost his young activist spirit, taking it from protest to politics. Standing up for what he believed was right, Lewis was arrested more than 40 times by police, according to his Congressional office.
LEWIS: And on my way, and we're going to win this race.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): He was elected to city council in Atlanta, then to Congress in Washington, representing Georgia's 5th district, fighting against poverty and for healthcare while working to help younger generations by improving education. He reached out to young people in other ways, by writing a series of graphic novels about the civil rights movement, winning him a National Book Award.
In a life of so many moments and great achievements, it was the achievement of another in 2008 that perhaps meant the most, the election of President Barack Obama.
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: And we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states. We are and always will be the United States of America.
(CHEERS & APPLAUSE)
SAVIDGE (voice-over): A dream Lewis admits was too impossible to consider decades before, even as he fought to forge its foundation.
LEWIS: This is a unbelievable period in our history. Martin Luther King Jr. will be very pleased to see what is happening in America. This is a long way from the march on Washington. It's a great distance from marching across that bridge in Selma in 1965 for the right to vote.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): In 2011, after more than 50 years on the front lines of civil rights, Lewis received the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom placed around his neck by America's first black President.
Lewis wasn't content in just making history. He was also dedicated to preserving it. Considered the impetus of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. And he never stopped stirring up good trouble, as he liked to call it, boycotting the inaugurations of George W. Bush after the contested 2000 election and vocally opposing Donald Trump in 2017, citing suspicions of Russian election meddling.
At a protest against President Trump's immigration policy, the Congressman, by then an elder statesman of the Democratic Party, riled up the crowd with words he had lived by, as an activist, as a lawmaker, as a leader.
[01:05:00]
LEWIS: We must never ever give up. We must be brave, bold and courageous.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Now, Don Lemon, last hour, also spoke with civil rights icon, former lawmaker and U.N. Ambassador, Andrew Young. Lewis and Young marched together during the civil rights era alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and many others, of course. And while many people around the country mourn in this moment, Ambassador Young remembered his colleague and friend with a bit of levity. He spoke of the positive aspect of quote, "going home."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREW YOUNG, FORMER U.N. AMBASSADOR & CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST (voice- over): Going home is always good. You've got to die too. So you just as well get ready, and live a good life so that you're ready when your time comes. You know not the day nor the hour. And I don't think anybody has spent 80 more fruitful years on earth than John Lewis.
And I think he did it almost by the book. And when I say by the book, he did it by the Bible. I mean, he was started out in life preaching to chickens. And he went to see Dr. King when he was about 15. And from 15 to 80, he devoted his life almost totally to the service and sacrifice for others. And this country is better, and this city is better.
The Congress - I don't know anybody in the Congress in all the years that I have been around Congress, I don't know anybody that is respected by more people than John Lewis because I've never seen John Lewis angry, I've never seen John Lewis short-tempered. He's always understanding, he's always determined, but he's always - he demonstrates what I call the power of humility.
And he, more than anybody I know, doesn't have a trace of arrogance or hubris about him. He's genuinely humble. And he uses - well, I don't know. It's so genuine, he wins you over. He might not have the best argument, but he will quietly say the same thing over and over again. And you come around to realize the spiritual power of what he says. And so that's been the secret that very few members of Congress understand. And very few people - Jimmy Carter has some of that in him. And people always underestimate those with humility.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: That was former U.S. Congressman and former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young speaking there.
Now, John Lewis was, of course, a beloved and very influential figure, and there is understandably an outpouring of tributes to him coming in right now. The NAACP civil rights group tweeting, quote, "We are deeply saddened by the passing of John Lewis. His lifelong mission for justice, equality and freedom left a permanent impression on our nation and our world. The NAACP extends our sincerest condolences to his family, and we send prayers of comfort and strength to all."
And Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter, Bernice, tweeted about the man she called Uncle John. She said, quote, "You did, indeed, fight the good fight and get into a lot of good trouble. You served God and humanity well. Thank you. Take your rest."
Now, breaking news, a giant in the history of civil rights and the U.S., Congressman John Lewis, dead at the age of 80.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEWIS (voice-over): All of us - it doesn't matter whether we are black or white, Latino, Asian American, or Native American, it doesn't matter whether we are straight or gay, we are one people, we are one family, we are one house, we all live in the same house.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:10:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: More tragic evidence that had to get coronavirus in the United States under control are not working and the curve is - well, it's far from flat. The latest figures from Johns Hopkins show infections trending upward in 38 of the 50 states, as the daily case counts rise. Thursday setting a new record for the ninth time in a month.
South Florida seems to be the American epicenter for new cases at the moment while Texas reporting record death tolls. In fact, the City of San Antonio has brought in refrigerated trucks to relieve overcrowding at the morgues. And the disturbing development in Southeast Texas, officials in one county say 85 babies tested positive for COVID-19, all of them under the age of one.
And as the U.S. cases surge, the debate over masks comes to ahead at least in one state. CNN's Athena Jones reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATHENA JONES, CNN U.S. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a new epicenter for the virus, Florida now leading the nation in cases per capita.
ALBERTO CARVALHO, SUPERINTENDENT, MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS: We are at the center of America's epicenter for COVID-19.
JONES (voice-over): The virus even forcing the temporary closure of part of the state's emergency operation center after a dozen employees tested positive. The toll on Southern Florida particularly evident as hospitals and hard-hit Miami-Dade County have started to overflow. Intensive care units now at 119 percent capacity.
Coronavirus infections now trending upward in 38 states, with national coronavirus case numbers hitting new highs on a near daily basis, topping a record 77,000 on Thursday.
The nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, with a warning.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: People keep talking about the possibility of a second wave in the fall when you're having up to 70,000 new infections in certain areas of the country. That's something you need to focus on right now as opposed to looking ahead at what's going to happen in September or in October.
JONES (voice-over): And the debate over masks rages on--
FAUCI: Masks are important.
JONES (voice-over): --despite clear guidance from public health officials.
FAUCI: I would urge the leaders, the local, political and other leaders in states and cities and towns, to be as forceful as possible in getting your citizenry to wear masks. JONES (voice-over): In Georgia--
DR. KATHLEEN TOOMEY, GEORGIA PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSIONER: We continue to see outbreaks in workplaces, in businesses, in congregate settings, daycares, camps, fraternity houses, many churches.
JONES (voice-over): A legal battle over the Mayor of Atlanta's mask order.
GOV. BRIAN KEMP (R-GA): Mayor Bottoms' mask mandate cannot be enforced. But her decision to shutter businesses and undermine economic growth is devastating. I refuse to sit back and watch as disastrous policies threaten the lives and livelihoods of our citizens.
MAYOR KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS, (D) ATLANTA, GA: What I see happening is that the Governor is putting politics over people. For the Governor to sue us on a mask mandate when the CDC has told us that it helps save lives really speaks to his lack of leadership.
[01:15:00]
JONES (on-camera): And there's more news on the mask front, one of the hardest hit communities in one of the hardest hit states. Starting Monday, people in Miami will no longer get a warning when they fail to wear a mask. They will be fined for the first offense. The fine starts at $50 and increases with each additional offense.
Athena Jones, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And recapping the breaking news coming into here at CNN, the U.S. civil rights icon and lawmaker, John Lewis, has died. He was 80 years old.
And CNN Political Analyst April Ryan joins me now.
Glad you could stick around, April. I mean, for an international audience, give us a sense of the man and the significance of his life well lived.
RYAN: A life well lived, a life to bring equality, a life to bring people who are underserved to the table of brotherhood, to make a difference. When the world looks at the late Congressman and - Congressman John Lewis - I'm sorry, I'm emotional this morning - Congressman John Lewis, they look at a man who - if it weren't for him working with Dr. King, if it weren't for many others working with Dr. King, we would not have a lot of the laws, the civil rights laws, that we have today.
Let's talk about the Voting Rights Act, the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, Bloody Sunday. This man was one of those men, very young at the time, who had a billy club slapped over his head, cracked his skull. At that time, you had many people who had fire hoses turned on them.
The sting of the hose on the flesh, all for the right to vote, because at that time, black people had to go to the polling place and count bowls in a jar or take crazy tests just to make them turn around because they didn't have the answers.
But because John Lewis stood with Dr. King - he was one of those mighty lieutenants who stood with Dr. King - we got the Voting Rights Act. But now, over 50 years later, we are dealing with the fact that the Voting Rights Act is now been gutted and we're voting without the full protections of the Voting Rights Act and all the laws that go with it. But at the end of the day, this man has been pivotal in bringing equality and justice for all - not just for black people, but for all.
He is a congressman, a politician who was in Georgia, one of the seats, the beginnings of the civil rights movement. And he was the last person alive from the "I Have a Dream" speech - one of the speakers from the "I Have a Dream" speech. He was someone who talked about peace and doing things nonviolently.
He was a man who helped Barack Obama in his bid to become President. He was a man who fought against the issue of guns in schools. He had a sit-in in the House. We had Elizabeth Warren come join him. Everyone was so excited to join him when he sat in for justice in the House of Representatives at the Capitol. And--
HOLMES: I read a quote of his, actually. You mentioned Barack Obama. He said, if you ask me whether the election is the fulfillment of Dr. King's dream, I say no, it is just a down payment. There's still too many people - 50 years later, still too many people--
RYAN: Yes.
HOLMES: --being left out and left behind. Do you have a sense that despite a legacy that runs really deep, he felt that there was much more to do?
RYAN: So - oh, yes, most definitely. And John Lewis's life came full circle because he, when he was a teenager, was marching for justice and equality. And then at the very end of his life, just a few weeks ago, he viewed the mural of "Black Lives Matter" on the street leading to the White House. The same thing that he marched for then we're still marching for today.
And when it comes to Barack Obama again, he was very pivotal in making the decision to throw his support behind Barack Obama. This was a nation that had never seen a black man as President of the United States of America. That was history.
And for this civil rights icon to lend that support at a time when people were saying, oh, we're post-racial. No, we're not post-racial. We're now post-Obama.
[01:20:00]
But he lent to support at a time when people thought things were changing, changing from a time when race, the color of your skin, would stop you from going to a bathroom, going to a theater, going shopping, buying homes, sitting in the front of the bus. Race is still a matter in this nation. And he was one of those who stood.
Again, he had a billy club crack his skull. He witnessed racism. He witnessed jail. He went to jail 40 times for people of color. And underserved community in this nation, still in 2020, has the highest numbers of negatives in every category, in 2020.
HOLMES: There's still a long way to go, but he certainly did his part.
April Ryan, thanks so much for talking with us on what is a sad day for the United States. Thank you, April.
Civil rights icon and U.S. Congressman John Lewis dead at 80. We'll be back after a short break. You're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: The Kremlin again rejecting accusations from the U.K. that Russian hackers tried to steal its coronavirus vaccine research. A spokesman says the Cozy Bear group supposedly involved in the hacking has nothing to do with Russian secret services. Even if that is the case, and many say it's not, there are a lot of unanswered questions about Russia's race for a vaccine, as CNN's Matthew Chance reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Russia, the search for a coronavirus vaccine is a global race. And this research lab in Moscow, it hopes to win. Access to the Gamaleya Institute is tightly controlled. No CNN cameras were allowed through these doors. But they did give us exclusive footage of the sensitive scientific work taking place inside. A unique glimpse of Russia's rapid push for coronavirus vaccine.
They even sent recorded comments from their director, who controversially injected himself before human trials officially began.
[01:25:00]
ALEXANDER GINSBURG, GAMALEYA INSTITUTE DIRECTOR (through translator): It has become a task of unprecedented complexity. In a very short time, we have to create a vaccine against this disease.
CHANCE (voice-over): But that need for speed in Russia means corners may have been cut. Russian soldiers or volunteers, according to the Defense Ministry, were used in the first phase of human trials. And now, allegations denied by the Kremlin that Russian spies have been hacking U.S., British and Canadian labs to steal their coronavirus secrets, allegations we put to the head of the organization funding much Russia's coronavirus research.
CHANCE (on camera): Russia desperately needs to develop and wants to develop a vaccine. Isn't that one reason why the Kremlin would try and get ahead by stealing other nations' vaccine secrets?
KIRILL DMITRIEV, CEO, RUSSIAN DIRECT INVESTMENT FUND: Well, first of all, Matthew, we are very surprised by timing of this because basically it happens the next day after we announced that we expect approval of our vaccine in August.
CHANCE (on-camera): Sure, but how do you explain that extraordinary speed? I mean, other countries are working flat out. Why would Russia be so far ahead? I mean, there are allegations or concerns that this country has been cutting corners when it comes to its research.
DMITRIEV: Well, we have lots of infrastructure for vaccine development. And once again, we will be the first ones because of our scientists and because of the research we have done to date.
CHANCE (voice-over): Lack of transparency and no access to the lab means it's hard to know where Moscow actually is with its vaccine. But with or without the help of its hackers, it seems Russia is going all out for a quick result.
Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Thanks for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Michael Holmes. "Global Energy Challenge" is after the break. I'll see you in about 30 minutes with more news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TONY BLAIR, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: If you look at the countries that have done well through this crisis and - Germany, for example, South Korea, for example, you can look at Israel, other countries in Europe like Greece actually have done well - the key to the success has been to understand that this disease is bad enough for people really not to want to get it. And therefore, unless you are taking really tough action at the beginning and locking down, as I say, hard and fast, and then combining this with testing on a mass scale, it's very hard to get people the confidence to come back out of it again.
I can't see any way out of this other than to get behind the innovations that are now happening so that you can get an on-the-spot test, antigen and antibody that allows you to decide very quickly what the disease status of an individual is.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:30:00]
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN BUSINESS EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR & ANCHOR (voice- over): Energy, the power behind humanity. Progress at a cost, and still close to 1 billion of us are without electricity. As we aspire for quality and equality of life, our numbers rise. With each new generation, expectations will demand more efficient power from cleaner and greener sources. In this edition, as the world deals with the effects of a global
pandemic, will it accelerate a faster shift towards cleaner forms of energy?
DEFTERIOS (on-camera): Our very existence may depend on how we face up to the global energy challenge.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): The COVID pandemic has cost hundreds of thousands of lives, shuttered countless businesses, and forced at least half of the world's population indoors at its peak. This catastrophic event has sparked the biggest drop in energy demand in 70 years.
MEGHAN O'SULLIVAN, DIRECTOR OF THE GEOPOLITICS OF ENERGY PROJECT, HARVARD UNIVERSITY'S KENNEDY SCHOOL: This is a shock that is hard to over-exaggerate. It's been absolutely unprecedented.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): Fossil fuels were hardest hit. Coal saw global demand plummet. And oil wasn't far behind, as many commercial flights were grounded and cars parked up, as millions work from home.
DEFTERIOS (on-camera): But with the crisis can come new opportunity. And in this new case, it might just mean a cleaner, greener future.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): During lockdown, we witnessed what is possible, as smog lifted from cities free of traffic congestion, and we saw a historic plunge in greenhouse gases.
O'SULLIVAN: The message is hopeful, but it's also sobering because it's a reminder of the huge scale of the challenge we face.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): Like many, I spent the lockdown at home in the United Arab Emirates and adjusted to the new normal of juggling home life with the day-to-day demands of the office.
DEFTERIOS: --of around 6 percent.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): Over the next half hour, as society adjust to a new reality, we'll see how some are seeking out more energy- efficient solutions.
ANGEL CARRAZCO, LAWYER, VENTURA COUNTY: I'm looking to save 325 a month. It's a no-brainer.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): And look at the energy opportunities that lie ahead, as I e-meet experts and industry leaders.
DAN JORGENSEN, DANISH MINISTER FOR CLIMATE, ENERGY AND UTILITIES: If we want to make a difference, the best way we can do it is through hope to inspire others, develop new technology that others can use, and really, try and be a leader in these issues.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): At the International Energy Agency in Paris, they know all too well the major predicaments facing many governments right now. How to push ahead with the global energy transition by phasing out fossil fuel sources of energy? Reduce climate-harming greenhouse gas emissions, and begin de-carbonizing entire economies by removing massive amounts of CO2 from the air, all in the midst of a major health pandemic.
FATIH BIROL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY:: I think it is a big challenge. But what we understood here, John, once again, how important the energy is even in these difficult times. The - it is essential for communication, for hospitals and so on. The trucks delivering food to the markets using, of course, energy.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): The IEA has warned that 8 percent of energy sector jobs are at risk this year. That's why it has set out a new clean energy roadmap for governments to take, calling for a global investment of $3 trillion dollars over the next three years.
BIROL: Improving energy efficiency, especially in the buildings; second, accelerating the renewable, especially solar power; and third, modernization of the electricity grids that we are using. These three will prepare a better energy future but also boost the economic growth and create millions of jobs around the world.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): Facing economic downturns, governments have been forced into action. Several are putting green energy initiatives at the heart of bailout plans, and the contribution to combating climate change could be significant.
So far, it's Europe that's leading the way. From e-mobility in Germany to a radical plan shakeup of aviation in France, to wind energy innovation in Denmark. At the sprawling Zwickau plant in Germany, Volkswagen is cautiously resuming production. Its last gasoline power car rolled off the production line here last month.
[01:35:00]
Now this facility is looking to a greener future, one where only electric cars will be produced. Its first EV, the ID.3, will start deliveries in September.
JURGEN STACKMANN, BOARD MEMBER, VOLKSWAGEN PASSENGER CARS: The group is investing about 33 billion euros into electric cars, electric car transformation, battery cells, battery cell production. We have committed, at Volkswagen, to the Paris climate agreement to become a neutral suit or neutral company by 2050s. And we're well underway of getting there.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): It's all part of Germany's push towards climate-friendly industries and technologies. It has just announced one of the world's greenest stimulus plans, a $45 billion package to wean it off fossil power and gasoline cars, all with the aim of de- carbonizing Europe's largest economy.
CLAUDIA KEMFERT, GERMAN INSTITUTE FOR ECONOMIC RESEARCH: The main areas of transportation for electric mobility, for railway infrastructure, for public transportation, to make the whole transportation sector more green, and on the other hand, money spent also for buildings insulation to improve energy efficiency of buildings and also to increase the whole energy transformation toward smart renewable energy.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): It's taking other radical steps too. Germany is set to abandon coal as a fuel source by 2038. By 2030, it hopes to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent when compared to 1990 levels.
O'SULLIVAN: The plan that Germany has put forward, I think, is unquestionably impressive, both in scope and in scale. It sends the right messages to the private sector and other investors. It's a very clear direction of travel.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): France too is sprucing up its green credentials. Its President, Emmanuel Macron, wants France to become Europe's clean car producer. He's announced a $9 billion plan to revive the country's motor industry. It includes increased subsidies for buyers of electric and hybrid cars, and support for research into hydrogen power and self-driving cars. All part of France's goal to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
But another plan that caught many by surprise is to make the national carrier, Air France, the greenest airline in the world. In return for a $7.7 billion government bailout, the airline must cut its carbon emissions within France in half by 2030. Where there's a train service under 2.5 hours, flights will be scrapped. It must use 2 percent renewable jet fuel by 2024.
KEMFERT: I think it sends the benchmark at setting standards because we need to transform the holy aviation sector in order to get in line with the global climate goals, and this company is now setting the standards, the benchmark, and the others should follow.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): But it's tiny Denmark that is punching above its weight. It has just concluded a landmark climate agreement that will have ramifications far beyond its shores.
JORGENSEN: If I look a little bit tired, it's because I am. We've been negotiating day and night for weeks now.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): Minister Dan Jorgensen is leading its ambitious targets. Denmark wants 100 percent of its power from renewables by 2027, up from 50 percent today. It has committed in law to cutting its CO2 emissions by 70 percent by 2030 when compared to 1990 levels and be carbon-neutral by 2050.
JORGENSEN: I think, first of all, it's important to say that we don't actually know how to achieve that target. If we knew it, then it wouldn't really be that ambitious. We are saying, instead of asking what is possible, we ask what is necessary. Our task then is to make the necessary possible.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): To reach its renewable target, it has an enterprising plans. It intends to construct two giant offshore wind energy islands in the Northern Baltic seas. They will help quadruple Denmark's total offshore wind energy capacity and make it a green energy exporter. JORGENSEN: And one of the reasons why we're doing that is that we hope
to be able to take the electricity from the wind turbines on the sea, make it into gas, make that gas into e-fuels and put it on planes. So, basically, this is future technology that we are hoping to be able to implement within a few years, and that will help us reach our goals.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): But what about the rest of the world, especially the three big producers of planet-warming gases, the United States, China, and India?
[01:40:00]
One person who I know will provide me with the answer is future energy expert Varun Sivaram. I met him last year when he was an energy journey in India.
VARUN SIVARAM, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR GLOBAL ENERGY POLICY: India's emissions are growing very rapidly. It's also the world's fastest growing major economy over the last five years.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): Now, in light of the COVID pandemic, he finds himself back in the United States trying to see what course the energy transition takes next.
SIVARAM: I worry that in China we actually could see back-fighting (ph). In China, you have a tale of two proposals. On the one hand, new infrastructure investment in electric vehicle charging, digitalization, and in ultra high voltage transmission lines. But on the other hand, you see a resurgence of coal power. In India, another major emitter, you see renewable energy actually increasing on the grid by 40 percent, but you see a large investment back over the next decade, half a trillion dollars.
And in the U.S., we've seen $3 trillion of stimulus measures, but none of that is going toward climate-friendly measures. I think we lack a long-term strategy in the U.S.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): When it comes to energy and climate change, America finds itself at a crossroads. What happens in November's crucial election will decide which future course it takes. That's why Varun is laying out what needs to be done in a new book called "Energizing America."
SIVARAM: Look, we spend enough on energy innovation. We spend five times more on health innovation, 10 times more on defense innovation. Our book argues that the federal government should triple federal funding for clean energy innovation to $25 billion per year.
We lay out a roadmap over the next five years, 10 technology areas. But investing in clean energy innovation in the U.S. would enable us to help fight climate change with new and improved technologies, and it would help us build the industries of the future from which the U.S. can prosper.
DEFTERIOS: We've just witnessed this seventh energy shock in six decades. What's going to be the impact of that? SIVARAM: Just like the last six energy shocks, as soon as economic
growth rebounds, so too do emissions. And so we shouldn't pat ourselves in the back and say, look, energy use is going to be down or emissions are going to be down unless what we do is take this opportunity to invest not only in near-term green infrastructure but also long-term innovation and really transform the sector.
Look, six out of the 46 technologies we need to combat climate change are on track. The remaining 40 are not on track. We need those new technologies. We need to invest in them urgently, both here in the U.S. and in India and in China.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): And as society adapts to the new reality in light of COVID-19, it's these new technologies that we'll need more than ever to play our part in driving the energy transition forward.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The "Global Energy Challenge" in association with BP.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In February, we launched a new ambition for BP to be a net zero company by 2050 or sooner and to help the world get to net zero. That ambition is underpinned by 10 aims. Our Aim 2 covers roughly 360 million tons of emissions, the full into scope three. These are emissions generated if the oil and gas we produce gets combusted.
Now, here's where it gets a bit complex. Once reduced, oil and gas often changes hands many times before it's ultimately combusted by an end-user perhaps in that car that has likely been bought and sold many times. Each molecule of carbon only needs to be made net-zero once between coming out of the ground and being combusted. Once it's been made net-zero, the whole chain from here to here is net-zero. So we need it to peg one point in the chain and say, we aim to be net-zero for this point in the chain.
And if the same could be done for all the oil, gas and coal at the same point in the chain, then the energy system would be net-zero for all of the carbon flowing through it. And we pegged the point of production over here, where the oil and gas comes out of the ground. It makes sense for us because most of our investment goes into oil and gas production, which over time we aim to shift towards our non-oil- and-gas businesses.
For the whole energy system to be net-zero, it needs to get to net- zero for the carbon flowing through it. And for all the operations along the way, there must be a transformation of the whole energy system, including other ways energy is used. This transformation needs everyone to play their part; producers, sellers, policy-makers and everyone who uses energy. And we plan to play a leading role.
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DEFTERIOS (voice-over): From adjusting to new colleagues to creating makeshift work spaces, tens of millions of us have been adapting to working from home.
DEFTERIOS (on-camera): Daily routines have changed in almost every respect, including energy consumption.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): As more laptops switch on, coffee makers fire up, and air conditioning operate all day, residential electricity demand is spiking. Like most workers at home, I've spent a lot of time on my computer. But I've also been setting up lighting kits and filming on my smartphone for about five months now and have seen my electric bills rising.
DEFTERIOS (on-camera): As we transition to this new normal, will these extra costs prompt some to stop searching for more energy-efficient solutions?
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): As California settles into yet another hot summer, months of staying at home is forcing many to rethink how they use and pay for power. In Ventura County, lawyer Angel Carrazco has crunched the numbers. He and his fiancee are now both working from home and schooling their children online.
CARRAZCO: The bill started rising. It almost tripled. We're using a lot more energy during the peak hours. We're using our computers constantly from eight in the morning until eight at night.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): Angel switched to a sustainable energy source choosing a solar lease plan over buying the panels outright. This locks in a monthly rate even if it draws more power from additional sources like an electric vehicle.
CARRAZCO: Yes. It was able to guarantee a cost of 175 per month for the life of the lease, which is for 25 years. So, regardless of the type of energy that we use, the fee is going to stay the same.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): And with the battery, Angel can store his clean energy as a backup for possible power outages. Last year, his house was one of millions in the state to have days of blackouts due to wildfires. You can also draw from the battery at peak times when the cost of energy from the grid is greater.
CARRAZCO: I'm looking to save 325 a month. For the first, let's say, 10 years, it's 50,000. For the next 10 years, another 50,000. That's 100,000. It's a no-brainer.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): California is the largest residential solar market in the U.S. And despite an industry-wide slump during the pandemic, companies like Sunrun have been finding ways to make sales and installation practices contactless. As the country's leading residential solar and battery provider, they say they are seeing more people turn to green energy.
ANNE HOSKINS, SUNRUN CHIEF POLICY OFFICER: Customers were at home, and they were realizing how vulnerable we all are to, whether it's a health care crisis, whether it's the climate, the dependence that we all have now on our electricity and access to it in our homes really has shown us that - has helped customers see the value of generating their own electricity.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): One U.S. non-profit is learning how people use and produce energy in their home by analyzing down to the circuit level of 1,000 households in three states. Pecan Street says they run through 2.5 billion data points a day of electricity, gas, and water.
SCOTT HINSON, PECAN STREET CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER: People slept in longer. They used 20 to 40 percent more energy in that stuff per day, in all the computers and the entertainment systems and the videogame systems and things like that, and then they stayed up later at night. And we were able to see all of that. Refrigerators got exercise more. Everything else, besides the electric vehicle charging, went up.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): The study shows how a new work life at home can impact not only the wallet, but how energy markets may need to adapt to a shifting load demand on a grid already feeling the heat of summer.
From the United States, one of the world's largest energy users, to a continent that remains very much in darkness. A staggering 600 million people in Africa, around half the continent's population remain without electricity. In West Africa, 14 countries are coming together to bring reliable and affordable renewable energy to millions.
In the tiny village of Sipane, it's a momentous day.
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For something most of us take for granted, this village of over 2,000 is getting electricity for the first time.
MOUSTAPHA DIOME, VILLAGE CHIEF, SIPANE (foreign language): There are people's professions that require electricity. With electricity, they can stay in their villages and do their jobs
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): Of the 600 million people without access to electricity in Africa, almost 180 million live in West Africa. Those with power often rely on expensive oil-fired power generation. But in Sipane, things are different. Its electricity is coming from renewable sources. And the local school is one of the first to be connected.
TALLA DIAW, HEAD TEACHER, SIPANE SCHOOL (foreign language): The arrival of electricity will ease our work at school. We can do many more things with electricity. This is a sigh of relief.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): Africa needs to build a lot of its energy systems from scratch. And with its population set to quadruple by the end of the century, it needs a lot of energy and it needs it fast.
MAKHTAR DIOP, VICE PRESIDENT FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, WORLD BANK: The lack of electricity in Africa is affecting everybody, affecting the poorest who cannot access basic services, cannot send their kids to school, cannot have access to health services. It affects companies because they're going to compete as they should be able to do in the world economy. DEFTERIOS (voice-over): The source for Sipane's electricity is a
nearby solar farm at a crossborder power line from a hydropower plant in neighboring Guinea. Compared to some of the other countries in West Africa, Senegal is small, too small to attract investment in large infrastructure power projects. That's why a group of countries have come together to create the West African power pool.
It's a simple idea. The 14 countries are pooling their resources together to construct an integrated regional power market. In a few years, more than 16,000 kilometers of new power lines should be in place, making it possible to trade electricity between Dakar in Senegal to Lagos in Nigeria. By creating a large unified power market, West Africa is hoping to attract more investment to build cleaner sources of power.
DIOP: We estimate at $665 million per year of savings. The savings will come by a reduction of power outage, by lowering the cost of electricity production.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): While many solutions and financial investment to reduce energy poverty in Africa are coming from the West, more and more Africans are working on expanding energy access across the continent. Among them is Kenyan, Rose Mutiso.
ROSE MUTISO, RESEARCH DIRECTOR, ENERGY FOR GROWTH HUB: Hey, hello. Can you hear me? We have such low reception. Videogaming in California uses more (inaudible) energy than the entire country of Senegal.
DEFTERIOS: What needs to be done to solve that problem of 600 million people without electricity on a daily basis?
MUTISO: I think the 600 million is just a tip of the iceberg. It's - why do we not have any industry? Globally, only about 25 percent of our energy is used at home. And so, focusing on just the residential piece of the Africa electrification gap, which is 600 million people, is missing the bigger picture.
So, I think, we need to focus in on the bigger problem. It's not just 600 million people, give them a light bulb, declare victory. It's why are we not powering our economic centers that will create jobs, that will generate incomes that will then help people have electricity in their homes?
DEFTERIOS: How does COVID-19 play into this? Will it widen the poverty gap between Africa and the rest of the world?
MUTISO: Oh, yes, for sure. I mean, already the COVID is laying bare just to the extent of this disparity. While the west is retreating into its homes, working remotely, in Africa, we have no electricity. Many people don't have any electricity at all, or even in big cities like Nairobi or Lagos, the reliability is so bad that professionals are struggling to work remotely and are struggling to adapt to this kind of COVID way of life.
DEFTERIOS: The IMF is suggesting that over $10 trillion worldwide now has been put in place after COVID-19. How much of any of that money is going to come in to the African power sector in your view?
MUTISO: It's really hard to tell. One thing we do know is that a lot of countries are turning inward at this time. And so I think a lot of the friends and allies (inaudible) Africa relies on, both from the private and public sector to support infrastructure development, including power, I think a lot of that is likely to dry out.
BIROL: Three very important challenges arising in Africa in energy.
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DEFTERIOS (voice-over): That's why the International Energy Agency is pushing Africa's energy ministers into action by hosting a virtual conference recently.
BIROL: What breaks my heart should break everybody's heart that Africa is the continent which has the highest resources in terms of energy potential. Solar, wind, hydropower, natural gas, whatever you want, I believe Africa has now a wonderful chance, for two reasons. One, the cost of solar energy is very, very cheap, and second, there are many African governments now taking electricity access as a top priority. We may well see some good news from Africa sometime soon in terms of electricity access numbers.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): As the world, including Africa, deals with the impact of the COVID pandemic, many lessons will be learned in the weeks and months ahead. One that we've realized already is how interconnected our world really is. Apply that to the power sector. And global collaboration is required more than ever to address the urgent issues we collectively face in our journey on the global energy challenge.
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