I am thrilled to share this brilliant piece from Our Children’s Trust, the group suing the federal government on behalf of youngsters (see Juliana v. US for more on that effort).
My friend Janet Weil saw this performed in Portland, Oregon and procured a copy of the script for me to share with you. The play is being prepared for use in schools -- yay!
#GOVKNEW PRESIDENTS PAGEANT
by David Solnit & Our Children's Trust
YOUTH : When did you know burning fossil fuels would cause climate change?
GRANDPARENT : Well, when I was 10 year old like you, way back in 1958, we were warned about climate change in movies and on TV shows, including the TV science show, “The Unchained Goddess” by the director of “It’s a Wonderful Life” ( Source ). The U.S. Navy was one of the lead government agencies studying climate change.
YOUTH : Did the Fossil Fuel Industry know too?
GRANDPARENT : Yes, Exxon Knew. Big Oil Knew. Big Coal Knew. Their own scientists warned them. And they spent millions to lie and cover up the scientists’ warnings. They created and funded climate denial and skepticism disinformation campaigns to undermine science and prevent any efforts to stop the climate crisis to protect their profits.
YOUTH : What about the Presidents? Did they know?
GRANDPARENT : The last 11 Presidents all knew. And You can ask them yourself!
(Presidents lined up, one behind the other, backwards on stage right. Or They are hidden behind leg curtain formed by vertical banners. A “#GovKnew” banner will be on stage left. After each president recites lines they line up shoulder to shoulder behind the #GovKnew banner. It is held in front of puppeteers, and below the jackets of presidents, With each president we will walk through this call and response question, followed by succinct answers.)
( A prop person holds speech bubble above head of each president as he takes center stage. Then lowers it as the president exits to line up behind banner.)
YOUTH : President Kennedy, may I ask you a question? ( Enter President) When did you know about the looming climate crisis?
KENNEDY: “My fellow citizens, in 1961, I was warned by Senator Clinton Anderson that there could be 25 percent more atmospheric carbon by the year 2000.”
YOUTH : What did you do President Kennedy?
KENNEDY : “I expanded both private and public fossil fuel projects.”
YOUTH : ( All eleven times this question is asked it is directed to the audience) “Did our
government know?”
CROWD/GRANDPARENT ( BIG cue sign held up ): “Government Knew!”
CHILD : President Johnson may I ask you a question? (Enter Pres Johnson, Speech bubble in place) When did you know about the looming climate crisis?
JOHNSON : “In 1965, my Administration published an official report showing the steady rise of CO2 from burning Fossil Fuels and the dangerous impacts to come.”
YOUTH : And what Did The Johnson Administration Do?
JOHNSON : “Despite the dire warnings, we put our report on a shelf and didn’t take any actions that would address this crisis and build a great society.”
YOUTH : “Did our government know?”
CROWD/GRANDPARENT ( BIG cue sign held up ): “Government Knew!”
YOUTH : President Nixon may I ask you a question? ( Enter President; Speech Bubble in place) When did you Know about the looming climate crisis?
NIXON : “My fellow Americans, in 1969, I received a memo that predicted a 10 foot sea level rise due to climate change. It read: ‘Goodbye New York. Goodbye Washington.’ I knew then that we needed to build an electric vehicle fleet.”
YOUTH : So what did The Nixon Administration Do?
NIXON : “My Administration leased huge swaths of the Outer Continental Shelf for oil drilling and development. ”
YOUTH : “Did our government know?”
CROWD/GRANDPARENT ( BIG cue sign held up ): “Government Knew!”
YOUTH : President Ford. ( Enter President; Speech Bubble in place) When did you Know about the looming climate crisis?
FORD : “In 1975, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences put out the following warning: ‘our vulnerability to climate change is seen to be all the more serious . . .and we simply cannot afford to be unprepared for either a natural or man-made climatic catastrophe.’"
YOUTH : So What Did The Ford Administration Do?
FORD : At my 1975 State of the Union address, I proudly announced a program that proposed 250 major new coal mines, 150 major coal-fired power plants and 30 major new [oil] refineries within 10 years!”
YOUTH : “Did our government know?”
CROWD/GRANDPARENT ( BIG cue sign held up ): “Government Knew!”
YOUTH : President Carter. ( Enter President; Speech Bubble in place) When did you Know
about the looming climate crisis?
CARTER : “By 1978, I had received multiple warnings that fossil fuel expansion would cause catastrophic climate change and global socio-political disruption by the year 2025. The scientists advised switching to renewable energy!”
YOUTH : So What Did The Carter Administration Do?
CARTER : “Instead of planning for renewable energy expansion, I proposed drastic increases in fossil fuel production since we had it in abundance!”
YOUTH : “Did our government know?”
CROWD/GRANDPARENT ( BIG cue sign held up ): “Government Knew!”
YOUTH : President Reagan. ( Enter President; Speech Bubble in place) When did you Know
about the looming climate crisis?
REAGAN : “In 1985, my scientists recommended specific energy policy changes like permanently ending the use of coal by the year 2000 after informing me that climate change may “overwhelm earth's life-support system. ’”
YOUTH : So What Did The Reagan Administration Do?
REAGAN : “During my presidency, my Administration developed fracking technology for the fossil fuel industry, moved funds away from renewable research and development, and reduced automobile fuel economy standards!
YOUTH : “Did our government know?”
CROWD/GRANDPARENT ( BIG cue sign held up ): “Government Knew!”
YOUTH : President Bush may I ask you a question? ( Enter President; Speech Bubble in place) When did you Know about the looming climate crisis?
H.W. : “In 1989, We knew so much about the dangers of the climate crisis, that I announced that I would issue an executive order for government action on climate change!”
YOUTH : So What Did The Bush Senior. Administration Do?
H.W. : “I never issued that Executive Order, and instead, my Administration refused to join 63 countries in a pledge to curb emissions!”
YOUTH : “Did our government know?”
CROWD/GRANDPARENT ( BIG cue sign held up ): “Government Knew!”
YOUTH : President Clinton. ( Enter President; Speech Bubble in place) When did you Know
about the looming climate crisis?
CLINTON : “Acknowledging the compounding evidence of our climate crisis, I supported the 1998 Kyoto Protocol, an international climate agreement to cut emissions.”
YOUTH : So what Did The Clinton Administration Do?
CLINTON : “My Administration was lobbied by the American Petroleum Institute, and expanded coal leasing, despite knowledge that global warming would reverse our nation’s prosperity.
It’s the economy, stupid!”
YOUTH : “Did our government know?”
CROWD/GRANDPARENT ( BIG cue sign held up ): “Government Knew!”
YOUTH : President Bush. ( Enter President; Speech Bubble in place) When did you Know
about the looming climate crisis?
GEORGE W : “During my presidency, I publicly announced my concern about global warming!”
YOUTH : So what Did The Bush Administration Do?
GEORGE W ( Bush characterization: pronounce “s” as “ch” ): “You may have misunderestimated me, because we censored climate scientists and blocked EPA climate reports about the gravity of the climate crisis and we promoted ‘clean coal’ propaganda!”
YOUTH : “Did our government know?”
CROWD/GRANDPARENT ( BIG cue sign held up ): “Government Knew!”
YOUTH : President Obama. ( Enter President; Speech Bubble in place) When did you Know
about the looming climate crisis?
( Obama characterization: pauses )
OBAMA : “People of America, I am your Green President. My administration spoke openly of the daunting climate projections and I vowed to address our climate Crisis.”
YOUTH : So what Did The Obama Administration Do?
OBAMA : “I proudly expanded oil infrastructure and commissioned the highest number of coal plants in 25 years! That was me, people!”
YOUTH : “Did our government know?”
CROWD/GRANDPARENT ( BIG cue sign held up ): “Government Knew!”
YOUTH : President Trump. ( Enter President; Speech Bubble in place) When did you Know
about the looming climate crisis?
TRUMP : “Last year, we put out the National Climate Assessment. Very, very bad. The report says we are facing a YUUUUUGE existential threat.”
YOUTH : What Is The Trump Administration Doing?
TRUMP : “I’ve increased coal exports and expanded oil and gas extraction everywhere I can on federal public lands and committed to making the US fossil fuel energy dominant in the world. We’ll burn it at home and promote fossil fuels throughout the world. We’re going to bring back coal!”
YOUTH : “Did our government know?”
CROWD/GRANDPARENT ( BIG cue sign held up ):
“Government Knew!”
YOUTH : So They did know all about the dangers of the climate crisis! And they didn’t just do nothing about it! Instead, they took sides with the fossil fuel industry for decades to cause this climate crisis and to violate my rights. Now what do we do?
( Silk flags begin to jog towards the stage area from both sides with choreographed waving, passing by the presidents and circling the crowd. )
GRANDPARENT : You’re doing it; you’re taking the government to court. And you are part of the people power and street heat necessary to help the courts force our government to address the climate crisis, just as we needed the civil rights street heat and people power to push the courts to stand up to racism. We need climate strikes and the recognition of these 21 plaintiffs’ constitutional right to safe climate system!
GRANDPARENT/YOUTH : LET THE YOUTH BE HEARD!
CROWD ( Cue Sign ): GOVERNMENT KNEW!
GRANDPARENT/YOUTH : LET THE YOUTH BE HEARD!
CROWD ( Cue Sign ): GOVERNMENT KNEW!
GRANDPARENT/YOUTH : LET THE YOUTH BE HEARD!
CROWD ( Cue Sign ): GOVERNMENT KNEW
-----
Photos added by me. Photo credits:
Heat map of global surface temperature anomalies 2014 - 2018. Red indicates higher than normal temperatures, blue indicates lower than normal temperatures. By Kathryn Mersmann/NASA - Scientific Visualization Studio/AP
JFK By Cecil Stoughton, White House - This media is available in the holdings of the National Archives and Records Administration, cataloged under the National Archives Identifier (NAID) 194255., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1394145
LBJ By Arnold Newman, White House Press Office (WHPO) - http://photolab.lbjlib.utexas.edu/detail.asp?id=18170, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1455862
Nixon By Jack E. Kightlinger (White House Photo Office) - This media is available in the holdings of the National Archives and Records Administration, cataloged under the National Archives Identifier (NAID) 194674., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3853635
Ford By David Hume Kennerly - This file was derived from: Gerald Ford - NARA - 530680.jpg:, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77034670
Carter screenshot from C-SPAN coverage of national address on the "energy crisis" February 2, 1977
Reagan Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2107951
H.W. Bush From Wikipedia, captioned "President Bush visits American troops in Saudi Arabia on Thanksgiving Day, 1990" By Unknown - http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/image.php?id=957, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=485045
Clinton From Wikipedia, captioned "The Clintons in a White House Christmas Portrait, 1993" This picture was formerly found on the site of The White House. A mirror is found here: http://clinton4.nara.gov/WH/kids/html/children.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=834851
W. Bush & Obama By White House photo by Eric Draper - https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2008/11/images/20081110_5e5u4007a-515h.html (Original, broken link: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/11/images/20081110_5e5u4007a-515h.html), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5177362
Trump From a tweet by Saudi Embassy on Twitter, May 21, 2017 Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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