Net Zero versus Real Zero

David Klein and Aura Vasquez will speak on the subject of “Net Zero vs Real Zero: Decarbonizing LA and Defeating Capitalism.”

A clarion call for “net zero” greenhouse gas emissions has been embraced by nearly everyone — politicians, corporations, nations, even many environmentalists. But what does that really mean, and can “net zero” sufficiently address the climate crisis? These questions will be addressed along with a brief summary of the state of the climate, the insidious role of capitalism, and a survey of climate activism in Los Angeles. The talks will be followed by an open Q&A and discussion of strategies to combat the disinformation around this false solution.

David Klein is a mathematical physicist and emeritus professor of mathematics at California State University Northridge, where he helped to establish a NASA-funded Climate Science Program. He is a member of Democratic Socialists of America and System Change not Climate Change and author of the ebook Capitalism and Climate Change: The Science and Politics of Global Warming.

Aura Vasquez chairs the Democratic Socialists of America-Los Angeles Climate Justice committee and previously served on the Board of Commissioners to the L.A. Department of Water and Power. She led the Sierra Club’s ‘Beyond Coal’ campaign, securing a commitment from Los Angeles to go coal-free by 2025.

This event will stream via Zoom and Facebook Live simultaneously. The first 100 participants to log in via Zoom will be able to join the Zoom meeting. If you arrive too late to join on Zoom, just visit our Facebook page at https://fb.me/SystemChangeNotClimateChange/ where you will find the live streamed video during the event. Soon after the event, we will post an archival copy of the video to our YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/systemchangeonyoutube.