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They Knew: The US Federal Governments Fifty-Year Role in Causing the Climate Crisis

by James Gustave Speth

Speth served as Chair of the US Council on Environmental Quality during the Carter Administration, and as Administrator of the United Nations Development Program, Professor of Law at Vermont Law School and Dean of the Yale Law School of the Environment. He is CoFounder of the World Resources Institute and the Natural Resources Defense Council, a charity I support along with Our Children’s Trust. He is an expert witness for Our Children’s Trust.

Publisher: The MIT Press

Published August 24, 2021

• https://www.amazon.com/They-Knew-Federal-Governments-Fifty-Year/dp/0262542986/

From the Publisher: A devastating, play-by-play account of the federal government's leading role in bringing about today's climate crisis.

In 2015, a group of twenty-one young people sued the federal government for violating their constitutional rights by promoting the climate catastrophe, depriving them of life, liberty, and property without due process of law. They Knew offers evidence for their claims, presenting a devastating, play-by-play account of the federal government's role in bringing about today's climate crisis. James Speth, tapped by the plaintiffs as an expert on climate, documents how administrations from Carter to Trump--despite having information about climate change and the connection to fossil fuels--continued aggressive support of a fossil fuel based energy system.

What did the federal government know and when did it know it? Speth asks, echoing another famous cover up. What did the federal government do and what did it not do? They Knew (an updated version of the Expert Report Speth prepared for the lawsuit) presents the most compelling indictment yet of the government's role in the climate crisis, showing a forty-year failure to take action.

Since Juliana v. United States was filed, the federal government has repeatedly delayed the case. Yet even in legal limbo, it has helped inspire a generation of youthful climate activists.

Editorial Reviews

"A rousing condemnation of a system bent on short-term gain against long-term health." —Kirkus Reviews

"Drawing on first-hand knowledge from his time as chair of the US Council on Environmental Quality during the administration of president Jimmy Carter (1977–81), and his founding role in several major environmental non-governmental organizations, Speth gives a clear and concise account of the scientific evidence available to successive US presidents and Congresses over five decades. He provides a chilling description of the gulf between the safer course of action recommended by scientists and advisers, and the reality of federal policy." —Nature

"Working pro bono [for Juliana v. United States], Speth produced a lengthy report tracing nearly 60 years of federal action on climate change and fossil fuel development. That report is the foundation for this book. Parts of the story have been told before... but Speth's volume covers a broader period of time, says more about federal encouragement of fossil fuels, and as befits a legal filing, is richly documented." —Science Review

“Devastating. Enraging. Indispensable. Would that the world had more heroic elders like Gus Speth. He has produced a damning record that will become a potent tool for justice.” —Naomi Klein, Gloria Steinem Chair in Media, Culture, and Feminist Studies at Rutgers University; author of This Changes Everything, The Shock Doctrine, and No Logo

“With skill and dedication, Gus Speth has documented precisely what we knew and when we knew it. This book is a shocking reminder of the chances for action we've already missed, and a spur to finally move with the vigor the climate crisis demands.” —Bill McKibben, Schumann Distinguished Scholar in Environmental Studies at Middlebury College; founder, 350.org

“Wondering how in the world the catastrophe of climate change could be happening and whom to hold responsible? Look no further than They Knew — Gus Speth’s enlightening and infuriating new book.” —Van Jones, CNN commentator, author, and founder of the Dream Corps

“Gus Speth has written a history of federal action and inaction on climate change that spares neither Democrats nor Republicans. They Knew is at once a searing indictment and a fascinating read.” —Elizabeth Kolbert, staff writer, New Yorker; author of Under a White Sky and The Sixth Extinction

“Speth reveals the smoking gun of the climate crisis in the US government’s unholy alliance with the fossil fuel industry. The history presented in They Knew makes clear that democratic action is needed now to ensure a future for seven generations to come.” —Catherine Flowers, Founder and Director, Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice; Professor of Practice, Duke University; 2020 MacArthur Fellow; author of Waste

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