Down to the wire : confronting climate collapse / David - Index of

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8 introduction
set the rules for the economy, enforce the law, levy taxes, ensure
the fair distribution of income, protect the poor and future generations,
cooperate with other nations, negotiate treaties, defend
the public interest, and protect the rights of posterity. 7 Errant
governments can wage unnecessary wars, squander the national
treasure and reputation, make disastrous environmental choices,
and deregulate banks and fi nancial institutions, with catastrophic
results. In other words, we will rise or fall by what governments
do or fail to do. The long emergency ahead will be the ultimate
challenge to our political creativity, acumen, skill, wisdom, and
foresight.
It is time for a higher level of realism about our situation and
the capacity of people in crisis to respond heroically. Many will
disagree. Even at this late hour some are inclined to dismiss out
of hand what they call “doom and gloom,” preferring to talk
about happier things. Believing that people can’t handle the truth,
they offer instead variations on the theme of “50 easy ways to
save the Earth” that threaten neither the lifestyles of consumers
nor the power of corporations. Many place their faith in heroic
technology of one kind or another. Some believe that climate can
be stabilized at a profi t, without pain, suffering, or sacrifi ce. Such
views, however, would have been far more plausible 30 years ago.
Those casting themselves as “optimists” underestimate the capacity
of people to respond while misleading them about the severity
of what lies ahead and the adjustments that will have to be made.
This book is written in the belief that people want to be told
the truth and that with intrepid and competent leadership and
encouragement most will rise to meet the realities ahead. And that
is the best chance we have to get through the long emergency
more or less intact.
I also write with the assumption that we will succeed in reducing
atmospheric CO 2 below the level that would cause runaway
climate change; otherwise, there is no point in writing anything
other than an elegy or funeral dirge. My focus, accordingly, is on