WEBVTT MIKE: WELCOME BACK TO UPFRONT. WISCONSIN WILL JOIN THE U-S CLIMATE ALLIANCE, A GROUP THAT WORKS TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE AT THE STATE LEVEL. GOVERNOR EVERS SAYS IT’S A NEW DAY IN WISCONSIN AND TIME TO EMBRACE SCIENCE. CLIMATE ALLIANCE MEMBER STATES COMMIT TO REDUCE THEIR GREENHOUSE GAS EMMISSIONS IN LINE WITH THE U.S. TARGET UNDER THE PARIS ACCORD. THERE WERE MIXED REACTIONS TO THE GOVERNOR’S DECISION. ) THE PRO BUSINESS ORGANIZATION WISCONSIN MANUFACTURERS AND COMMERCE SAID THE PARIS ACCORD STANDARDS WOULD "NEGATIVELY IMPACT" THE STATE’S ECONOMY. BUT WISCONSIN CONSERVATION VOTERS APPLAUDED WHAT IT CALLED EVERS’ BOLD MOVE. IS PRESSURE GROWING ON POLITICIANS TO ACT ON CLIMATE CHANGE ECHO -- CHANGE? WE’RE ASKING KERRY SCHUMANN OF THE CONSERVATION VOTERS. THE 2020 ELECTION CYCLE IS ALREADY STARTING IN WISCONSIN. YOUR REACTION TO THE GOVERNOR’S DECISION, YOU LIKE IT? IT IS MORE THAN SYMBOLISM. WE HAVE SEEN SO MANY CASES WHERE THOSE OF US WHO LIVE HERE ARE FEELING THE EFFECTS OF TIME CHANGE. THE FLOODING IN THE LAST DECADE HAS BEEN DISEASE -- THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, SO SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE AS VOTERS. WE KNOW SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE AND WE’RE EXCITED GOVERNOR EBERT HAS TAKEN THIS STEP AND SAID EMMA I AM GOING TO MAKE THIS A CORNERSTONE OF WHAT I DO. MIKE: YOUR ORGANIZATION WANTS TO SEE HIM DO MORE. WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THE GOVERNOR DO? KERRY: THERE IS LOTS MORE HE HAS TO DO. THIS IS A GREAT STEP HOLDING US ACCOUNTABLE. WHAT HE NEEDS TO DO IS DIG AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THAT. HE HAS A LEGISLATURE THAT WILL NOT HELP HIM MUCH. HE CAN DO IT THROUGH STATE GOVERNMENTS. HE CAN WORK ON THINGS LIKE IMPROVING STATE OFFICE BUILDINGS, THE TRANSPORTATION FLEET. HE CAN DO IT BY USING HIS PULPIT TO HAVE LOCAL COMMUNITIES DO MORE. THEY ARE ALEADY DOING A LOT. WE SEE SO MANY CITY SAY, WE ARE GOING TO GET TO 100% CLEAN ENERGY. GOVERNOR EBERT’S CAN USE HIS PLACE -- EBERT’S --EVERS CAN USE HIS PLACE. WE WILL BE LOOKING AT THE MEASUREMENTS TO SEE IF WE ARE REDUCING GREENHOUSE GASES. MIKE: AS YOU MAKE KNOWLEDGE, THERE WILL BE PUSHED BACK. YOU HEARD FROM WMC SAYING THIS IS GOING TO DAMAGE ECONOMY. WE ARE SEEING A REDUCTION IN URBAN DIOXIDE EMISSIONS. WE SEE MORE ENERGY EFFICIENCY. IS THERE TRUTH TO THAT? COULD THIS HAPPEN ON ITS OWN WITHOUT A NEW STANCE BY THE STATE? KERRY: THIS IS ONE OF THOSE PLACES WHERE EVERYTHING IS AHEAD OF POLITICIANS. PEOPLE ARE AHEAD OF POLITICIANS. OUR UTILITIES ARE AHEAD. THEY ARE MOVING FORWARD FASTER THAN OUR LAWMAKERS IN MADISON. IT COULD HAPPEN BUT IT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN FAST ENOUGH. CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL AND LOOMING LARGE. WE HAVE TO BE AGGRESSIVE. A REPORT CAME OUT LAST WEEK THAT SHOWED WE COULD CREATE 162,000 JOBS BY MOVING TO A CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY. WE EXPORT $14 BILLION A YEAR TO BRING IN COAL AND OTHER FUELS, WHICH IS NOT SMART FOR OUR OWN WISCONSIN HOMEGROWN ECONOMY. WE NEED TO FOCUS ON HOW CLEAN ENERGY CAN HELP OUR ECONOMY. MIKE: SO RENEWABLE ENERGY, IS IT SOMETHING YOU FEEL WE ARE NOT COMMITTED TO IN THE PAST? KERRY: WE HAVE BEEN BYPASSED BY THE STATES AROUND US IN TERMS OF HOW MUCH CLEAN ENERGY WE ARE PRODUCING. WE ARE BEHIND. IT IS EXCITING TO HAVE HIT THIS POINT WHERE THE GOVERNOR IS SAYING WE ARE GOING TO CATCH UP. WE ARE GOING TO MAKE THIS A PRIORITY. MIKE: YOU SAID SOMETHING INTERESTING. YOU SAID THE PEOPLE ARE AHEAD OF THE POLITICIANS. WHY? WHY ARE POLITICIANS SLOW TO MOVE IN THIS DIRECTION? KERRY: I HATE TO BE CYNICAL BUT THE CYNICAL PART OF ME INC. IT IS ABOUT WHO IS INVOLVED IN ELECTIONS. THE INDUSTRIES, THE FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRIES PUTTING MONEY INTO ELECTIONS IS PROBABLY A BIG PIECE. VOTERS ON THE OTHER HAND, ARE FEELING THE IMPACTS. THEY SEE THE MASSIVE FLOODING. THEY KNOW OUR AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY IS STRUGGLING AND CLIMATE CHANGES MAKING THAT WORSE. -- CHANGE IS MAKING THAT WORSE. THE VOTERS ARE AHEAD OF POLITICIANS. MIKE: AS AN ISSUE, BUT INTERNATIONAL RACE WE ARE BEGINNING THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CYCLE. HOW BIG OF AN ISSUE IS CLIMATE CHANGE GOING TO BE? KERRY: APRIL CAME OUT YESTERDAY THAT SHOWED WITH DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY VOTERS, IT IS ONE OF THE TOP TWO ISSUES THEY CARE ABOUT. MIKE: WE WILL HEAR A LOT ABOUT THAT. KERRY: WE ARE GOING TO HEAR A LOT ABOUT IT. WE HAVE HIT THIS POINT WHERE WE CANNOT IGNORE IT ANYMORE. THE POLITICIANS WHO SAY IT IS NOT REAL ARE BECOMING SMALLER AND SMALLER. MIKE: WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. KERRY: THANK YOU. MIKE CO -- MIKE: THE 2020 ELECTION CYCLE IS ALREADY STARTING IN WISCONSIN. POSSIBLE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, FORMER DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN BETO O’ROURKE, VISITED MADISON ON FRIDAY. WHILE CONFIRMED CANDIDATE, MINNESOTA SENATOR AMY KLOBUCHAR, VISITED EAU CLAIRE ON SATURDAY. OUR EDITORIAL PARTNER, WISPOLITICS DOT COM TRACKS THE CANDIDATES’ WISCONSIN VISIT ON THEIR ELECTION BLOG