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Letter to the editor
Jun. 15th, 2009 10:23 pmI haven't submitted this anywhere yet. Haven't even had time to edit it, and it's probably too long as is, but it's my bedtime, so I figured I'd post it and see if anyone has suggestions:
This is it, people--the endgame on climate. What happens this year will decide, not the fate of life on Earth or probably even humanity, but certainly the survival of civilization as we know it. The world's biggest polluters are not nearly afraid enough to change their whole business models--after all, their leaders and major shareholders will be among those least impacted by climate catastrophe, while islands and coastal cities drown and poor farmers watch their lands turn to desert. Governments must act, and we only have one chance to ensure that they do: the negotiations in Copenhagen this December to hammer out a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol.
American leadership will be crucial here. We failed to sign onto Kyoto, and as a result it has accomplished very little--most of the pollution reductions it "caused" were already in progress as eastern European nations shut down or modernized dirty Soviet-era industries. This time, we can't afford such a fiasco. According to the latest science, we only have a few years left to get moving if we want to prevent irreversible warming substantial enough to kill nations and economies. If these negotiations fail to produce a truly effective international commitment to action, there will be no third chance.
And if Congress can't even pass strong domestic climate legislation, they're scarcely likely to be willing to ratify such a strong treaty. That's why we have to strengthen and pass the American Clean Energy and Security Act. It may be our last best hope for our children's future.
This is it, people--the endgame on climate. What happens this year will decide, not the fate of life on Earth or probably even humanity, but certainly the survival of civilization as we know it. The world's biggest polluters are not nearly afraid enough to change their whole business models--after all, their leaders and major shareholders will be among those least impacted by climate catastrophe, while islands and coastal cities drown and poor farmers watch their lands turn to desert. Governments must act, and we only have one chance to ensure that they do: the negotiations in Copenhagen this December to hammer out a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol.
American leadership will be crucial here. We failed to sign onto Kyoto, and as a result it has accomplished very little--most of the pollution reductions it "caused" were already in progress as eastern European nations shut down or modernized dirty Soviet-era industries. This time, we can't afford such a fiasco. According to the latest science, we only have a few years left to get moving if we want to prevent irreversible warming substantial enough to kill nations and economies. If these negotiations fail to produce a truly effective international commitment to action, there will be no third chance.
And if Congress can't even pass strong domestic climate legislation, they're scarcely likely to be willing to ratify such a strong treaty. That's why we have to strengthen and pass the American Clean Energy and Security Act. It may be our last best hope for our children's future.
