A century ago, Taft was built on top of California’s most productive oil field. Since then, the local economy hasn’t stopped relying on oil extraction to provide jobs. But with California committed to halting petroleum production by 2045 and suing the world's largest oil companies over climate change deception, producers worry the town will die before the last drop is extracted. "Scientifically we’re 2.5% of the problem in California pollution or air pollution, but we get about 100% of the credit," says Fred Holmes, chairman of the board at Holmes Western Oil Corporation.
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00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:03 We want clean water and clean air just like everybody else.
00:26 And probably the burning of the fossil fuels
00:32 is more pollution than producing it.
00:34 We're actually-- scientifically, we're
00:36 2 and 1/2% of the problem in California of pollution
00:40 or air pollution.
00:42 But we get about 100% of the credit.
00:44 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:47 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:51 I'm not worried about the climate change.
01:09 We'll go with the flow for climate change.
01:13 But I do worry about the oil and stuff
01:15 because we've got grandkids, we've got great-grandkids
01:18 coming up on this.
01:19 And it's not good for them.
01:21 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:25 There are communities across this country, overseas,
01:36 that are facing incredible, catastrophic effects
01:40 of climate change.
01:42 And they're bearing the costs of having
01:43 to deal with and adapt and build resilient communities
01:46 in response.
01:48 And the reality is that the major fossil fuel companies
01:51 not only knew about the causes and consequences of climate
01:55 change, but they lied and concealed what they knew.
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02:12 (gentle music)