Why the World Started Fighting About Climate Change Every Year
Former U.S. EPA Chief William Reilly reflects on the beginning of climate diplomacy and what we should expect for the future.
President George H.W. Bush, left, and William Reilly in Rio De Janerio, Brazil on June 12, 1992.
Photographer: Dennis Cook/AP PhotoSign up to receive the Green Daily newsletter in your inbox.
As chief of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President George H.W. Bush, William Reilly helped set in motion both global climate diplomacy and a critical law — the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 — that prevents an estimated 370,000 pollution-related premature deaths a year. On the eve of November’s United Nations negotiations in Glasgow, Scotland, Reilly looked back at the birth of global climate debates and what their future may bring. The transcript has been edited for length.