Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks on environment
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for his international work and exhausted efforts as an environmental activist and New York district attorney, spoke to USC students, faculty and alumni on Thursday evening at Town & Gown about the importance of the United States’ responsibility to utilize energy and natural resources in a way that promotes the quality of life for future generations.
During the discussion, Kennedy tied economic policy and environmental initiatives together, explaining that environmental prosperity can be directly traced to economic policy.
The event was hosted by Visions and Voices, and co-sponsored by the Environmental Student Assembly and USC Sustainability.
Daria Yudacufski, executive director of Visions and Voices, welcomed Kennedy on stage, calling him an international model for his achievements.
Kennedy, known for his global work on environmental issues — in particular, aiding indigenous tribes in Latin America and Canada — has been recognized by environmentalists as a staunch protector of traditional homelands. His movement toward the passage of the New York City Watershed Agreement was noted by Yudacufski as an international model in consensus negotiations for sustainable practices. In 2004, he was named by TIME magazine as one of the greatest “Heroes for the Planet” for providing aid toward the restoration of the Hudson River. In 1998, Kennedy co-founded Waterkeeper Alliance, a global movement uniting more than 250 Waterkeeper organizations around the world and focusing citizen advocacy on issues that affect waterways, from pollution to climate change. He currently serves as the senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Counsel and is a chief prosecuting attorney for Hudson Riverkeeper.
Kennedy began his speech by explaining the importance of restoring and maintaining natural resources. He said America’s future generations would be protected by creating a world with shared resources that cannot be reduced by private property management.
“You cannot have a clean environment unless you have a functioning democracy,” he said. “The two go together … Anywhere you see tyranny, you will also see environmental destruction. Democracy is the only thing that can protect the environment and we need to restore our democracy in our country. The biggest threat to democracy today is corporate power.”
Furthermore, he compared the levels of mercury found in fresh water fish from local polluted rivers, lakes and streams to a science-fiction nightmare. This nightmare, he explained, is due to the exhausted efforts of the coal company. Kennedy also said that energy markets must be rationalized to harness social purpose.
“Today, we don’t need to abolish carbon to understand that our deadly addiction to it is the principal drag on American capitalism,” Kennedy said. “Until recently, we were borrowing a billion dollars a day mainly from nations that don’t share our values in order to import a billion dollars worth of oil … We were, in essence, funding both sides of the war in terror.”
Kennedy addressed the current state of oil in the free market system as crony capitalism, referring to the practices which subsidize the price of oil translating in higher taxes.
“If we were paying the true price of oil it would cost $12 to $15, but because the subsidies are hidden you are paying them through taxes and the market gets the wrong signals,” Kennedy said. “We think gasoline automobiles is a pretty good deal, but it is bankrupting our country and society, as well as making us sick. Nuclear energy and all the incumbents are heavily subsidized. This is not free market capitalism, it is crony capitalism.”
Kennedy also cited the example of asphalt roads created by coal companies seen in West Virginia, Kentucky, Wyoming, Illinois and other states, stating that coal companies leave the burden of high costs to regular individuals through high taxes and by subsidies.
“Corporate crony capitalism is when you get the government to pay your cost,” he said. “It is where you externalize and shift them to the public and that is what is happening here.”
Kennedy also frequently referred to corporate kleptocracy, explaining the term as a concept which includes executives from wealthy corporations who fund politicians to enact policies that follow their ambition at the expense of shareholders.
In order to reverse the issue, Kennedy suggested the process of designing a system that served the public interest, one that would include free energy accessible to all through the creation of universal energy grids. In order to do so, he cited countries such as Sweden and Iceland, explaining that being completely coal-free correlates to stronger economies.
Correction: A previous version of this story stated that Waterkeeper Alliance is a bottled-water company that donates proceeds to the organization Riverkeeper. It is actually a global movement uniting more than 250 Waterkeeper organizations around the world and focusing citizen advocacy on issues that affect waterways, from pollution to climate change. The Daily Trojan regrets the error.