Can we reverse global climate change? Part I

Demand for low-carbon high-efficiency products will spur innovation, making our products more competitive on international markets. Carbon emissions will plummet as energy efficiency and renewable energies grow rapidly.

Will the public accept a rising carbon fee? Surely - if the revenue is distributed 100 per cent to the public, and if the rationale has been well-explained to the public. The revenue should not go to the government to send to favoured industries. Will the public just turn around and spend the dividend on the same inefficient vehicle, etc.? Probably not for long, if there are better alternatives and if the public knows the carbon price will continue to rise. And there will be plenty of innovators developing alternatives. Of course, cost incentive alone is not sufficient - efficiency and building standards also must be improved.

Marshalling public opinion and political will is a tremendous task, given the forces aligned for business-as-usual. In Washington there are four energy lobbyists for every Congress-person. Political leadership is desperately needed. We must recognise our responsibility to our children and grandchildren, as well as our moral obligation to them and the millions of species that will be affected by our choice to take, or not to take, needed actions.

Cap-and-trade is the Temple of Doom. It would lock in disasters for our children and grandchildren. It would do nothing to preserve a planet resembling the one that we inherited from our elders, and to allow continued existence of the remarkable species that co-habit Earth with humanity.

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