You ask why I’m angry about this. Well, there’s the obvious reason: because we’re not doing enough. But the reasons we’re not doing enough vary, and there’s no leadership to look at them, say what’s effective and what’s not, and then point out the facts. In addition, there’s this attitude that we can’t do it, which is reinforced by our media in describing all the problems and not describing credible solutions in the same articles.
The same media who pay great amounts of attention to fear-mongering in politics without calling out liars for who they are, and without giving weight to those providing real answers to real questions.
Back to climate change. We have NO leaders that will say, clearly and unequivocally, that the catastrophe (which is here) is stoppable. It is stoppable (Unfortunately, we have lost a lot and there will be more casualties along the way – to avoid that we’d have needed to have real leadership starting a long time ago). We need to have leaders who are clear that the crisis is here, help us acknowledge the loss of the world we had, and then get us moving. It’s possible.
It requires leaders with courage (those with courage are often unaware of our capability to move on this, or unable due to pressures that are more critically urgent like the Ukraine, or both). We also have and have had leaders (like Ronald Reagan and his leadership ‘team’)that look at facts and run in the other direction. There was a significant multi-national plan to deal with climate change in the late ‘80’s. Reagan’s team destroyed it. I don’t know whether they lacked courage, brains, or were simply corrupt in service to the fossil fuel industry. The Biden Administration’s approval of the Willow Project in the Western Arctic is an example of moral cowardice (I do NOT believe they have no understanding of the stakes involved here).
Environmental groups rarely provide real comprehensive leadership even though they are really focused on the problems (I say problems because everything, from biodiversity to CO2 levels, interacts). They are not cohesive as they approach the issues from many different directions and don’t confer to get everything moving in the same direction. Virtually all of their solutions look at problems and provide solutions that people believe in but are narrow in focus. Or because they believe the interactive problem is ‘too big’ they retreat from trying to develop bold proposals in concert – back to the problem with leadership. Finally, environmental groups are not cohesive (they sometimes even advocate seemingly contradictory solutions).
Of special note is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (shorthand, IPCC). They do great work – they really do. They don’t communicate it well to leaders. I recently read the most recent section on Information for Policy Makers. Yes, it contained lots of good information for people who implement policy, not make policy . A lot of people think that when a politician votes for something and turns it over the staff makes policy. I disagree, the staff implements policy based on the overarching information available. And that is directed by what the legislation is – i.e., policy at the highest level. The Information for Policy Makers provided by the IPCC is almost certainly out of that loop.
Politicians don’t get that information except in, at best, watered-down forms from their staff. Their eyes would glaze over if they saw what the IPCC sends out (mine practically did, and I’ve been trained in reviewing the kind of material they send). Even the Headlines for it, when provided, are difficult for a ‘non-technical’ person.
In order to solve this major disconnect I am advocating that the IPCC generate a document for leaders: people who are politicians and their SENIOR staff, presidents, prime ministers, premiers and other people in charge (e.g., admirals, generals, cabinet ministers). A document that concentrates on problems and their solutions at the leadership level.
There’s another issue that makes me angry. We here in Western, 1st World societies have two problems (well there are more, but let’s start with these): 1) we don’t want to be less comfortable and virtually all the solutions are presented as ‘take your medicine’ when we don’t believe it’s necessary. We won’t be much less comfortable, if at all, if we do it right. Investing in clean energy everywhere and saving biodiversity are the two most important things that can be done.
Clean energy is one place where there is a boom. It’s a major part of the solution and it’s easy, low hanging fruit. It requires leadership with the courage to take on the fossil fuel industry. Don’t get me wrong. There are other necessary steps to get us all the way to stopping climate change but they are also doable. It would require change (and leadership) and some dislocation but we would end up with a high standard of living.
Our leaders are driven by our economics (growth at any cost, rather than smart growth) with no clear view how it can be different (if they’re not simply corrupt). That’s because they are led around by the nose by very rich fossil fuel companies that are continuously driving us into believing we can’t do without them, and seducing us into thinking we can only have more when we don’t switch our energy economy.
Meanwhile, fossil fuel companies and investors laugh all the way to the bank. The current fuel price ‘issues’ are supposedly driven purely by inflation without mentioning that this has been one of the most profitable periods for fossil fuel companies ever. That money comes from people struggling over gasoline and worse, heating prices. Our investment markets don’t actually take future climate change costs into account (and like they’re supposed to – there are rules about this). If they did, fossil fuel stocks and bonds would drop like a rock.
This brings us back to courage. Our leaders need to take a clear look at the future (that takes courage too) and act against any industry that is preventing us from moving forward. It doesn’t require nationalization or any of the horrible ‘socialist’ buzzwords that offend Americans. It requires that we stop supporting outdated industries. Stop giving them tax breaks, stop allowing them depreciation on things they don’t own. Make them pay for public infrastructure their industry requires. (for example, heavy duty roads in coal country are paid for by municipalities, not the companies that need them).
Leadership is a major reason we’re not solving climate change. I’m (really) angry about the lack of international progress on the issue. We have big meetings but little every happens. Much of it is because countries are saying to each other “you go first” in order to delay. More is because they play ‘kick the can down the road’ so someone else deals with it. Moral cowardice, pure and simple.
Real leaders would take the bull by the horns and act.