In my interview with Robert Redford for Parade, the noted environmental activist had some pointed words about the current state of the environment:
On how America is dealing with environmental issues.
“Sadly, not well. The attempts of the previous administration to do away with all the laws and regulations that were put into place over the last 30 years to protect the people of this country had a devastating effect. They attempted to cynically take out the EPA, to do away with the Bureau of Land Management, to open up everything to gas and oil exploration, which are non-renewable resources. I’ve been involved with the environment for years, and I always will be. People need to wake up. The climate’s changing. Water doesn’t reach its destination anymore. We need to realize that this planet is home to all of us. There’s not a lot one person can do alone, but I will sleep better at night knowing that I did whatever I could.”
On whether President Obama has addressed environmental issues the way Redford hoped he would.
“I’m sympathetic to everything the president has to deal with–the world around us is in chaos. It’s a tough job for anybody. Is he doing as much as he could [for the environment]? No. I think he has not used the political capital he has been given. I think he could do better if some of his advisers weren’t from some of the Old School places. So I’m disappointed, but I think he’s doing okay, better than anybody else would have. What worries me is that our political system is so degenerated that there’s nothing but a war zone. There’s no cooperation, there’s no moderation, there’s no compromise. There is no middle, there’s just a demarcation line. Somebody just doesn’t see the bigger picture, and we’re going to pay.”
On his hopes for the future.
“I do have hope, and it sits with the young people. As we see in the Middle East, it’s the young people and the women who are stepping up, at the risk of their lives. What I notice is that Lions for Lambs [his 2007 film] was about the end of the generation of people asking, ‘What’s in it for me? I’m not going to join the political system, it’s a waste of time. I’m going to Silicon Valley and get into games.’ They became cynical and apathetic, and they didn’t take education seriously, just as something to get a job. This generation now, boy, do they want to get the reins! They’re saying, “Don’t talk to us about Baby Boomers! We don’t want to hear it. Just give us the reins! We know what to do.” The hope of this country is with young people, it really is.”