Down to the wire : confronting climate collapse / David - Index of
Down to the wire : confronting climate collapse / David - Index of
Down to the wire : confronting climate collapse / David - Index of
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S<br />
206 far<strong>the</strong>r horizons<br />
system. Theories <strong>of</strong> laissez-faire, however useful for short-term<br />
wealth creation, have proved <strong>to</strong> be ecologically ruinous. Henry<br />
<strong>David</strong> Thoreau in our circumstances would have asked what good<br />
is a growing economy if you don’t have a decent planet <strong>to</strong> put<br />
it on.<br />
Few have even begun <strong>to</strong> reckon with changes <strong>of</strong> this magnitude;<br />
instead, we place our faith in better technology and<br />
incremental changes at <strong>the</strong> margin <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> status quo, hoping <strong>to</strong><br />
keep everything else as it comfortably is. There is much <strong>to</strong> be<br />
said for better technology and particularly for measured policy<br />
changes and doing things piecemeal, mostly because we are<br />
<strong>of</strong>ten ignorant <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> side effects <strong>of</strong> our actions. Revolutions<br />
generally have a dismal his<strong>to</strong>ry. But in <strong>the</strong> age <strong>of</strong> consequences,<br />
we have no real choice but <strong>to</strong> transform our conduct <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> public<br />
business in at least three ways. First, and most fundamental,<br />
as a matter <strong>of</strong> public policy we must quickly stabilize and <strong>the</strong>n<br />
reduce carbon emissions. To do so will require policy changes<br />
that put an accurate price on carbon-based fuels and create <strong>the</strong><br />
incentives necessary <strong>to</strong> deploy energy effi ciency and renewable<br />
energy technologies here and around <strong>the</strong> world on an emergency<br />
basis. Success in this effort requires that <strong>the</strong> president and<br />
his successors regard <strong>climate</strong> policy as <strong>the</strong> linchpin connecting<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r issues <strong>of</strong> economy, security, environment, and equity as<br />
parts <strong>of</strong> a comprehensive system <strong>of</strong> policies governing energy<br />
use and economic development. The details <strong>of</strong> such a policy<br />
were recommended <strong>to</strong> President Obama’s transition team by <strong>the</strong><br />
Presidential Climate Action Project (www.<strong>climate</strong>actionproject.<br />
com) immediately after <strong>the</strong> election <strong>of</strong> 2008, and many <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
recommendations subsequently appeared in <strong>the</strong> president’s <strong>climate</strong><br />
policy. Beyond <strong>the</strong> policy details, <strong>the</strong> president will need<br />
<strong>to</strong> establish some mechanism by which <strong>to</strong> reliably coordinate<br />
national policies across federal and state agencies whose missions<br />
<strong>of</strong>ten confl ict with <strong>the</strong> overriding goal <strong>of</strong> reducing carbon<br />
emissions.