Yesterday the federal government released the latest National Climate Assessment, documenting more forest fires in the Southwest, thawing permafrost in Alaska, less water for crops in the Great Plains, more heat waves and flooding in the Northeast, and droughts in the Northwest. We know what has to happen. The best way to slow climate change is to put a price on carbon -- giving companies that produce it a financial incentive to produce less. The EPA’s proposed emissions rules for new and existing power plants will help, as will tax incentives to encourage the capture and use of carbon. We also need to get solar and wind up to scale as quickly as possible. The biggest roadblock is political – not just the reluctance of big corporations and Wall Street to pay the extra charge, but, more fundamentally, the near certitude among the super-rich (who hold most of the political cards) that they and their children can avoid the worst consequences of climate change. They won’t face shortages of food and water because they have enough money to pay for all they need, they won’t suffer flooding and higher sea levels because they’ll occupy the higher ground, they can insure against fire and weather damage. Are they right?
Posted on: Thu, 08 May 2014 14:20:24 +0000
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