Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
The double free-riding diffi culties are aggravated by interest groups
that muddy the water by providing misleading analyses of climate sci-
ence and economic costs. Contrarians highlight anomalies and unre-
solved scientifi c questions while ignoring the strong evidence supporting
the underlying science and current projections of climate change. The
need to introduce effective policies has been particularly diffi cult in
the United States, where ideological opposition has hardened even as
the scientifi c concerns have become increasingly grave.
THREE STEPS FOR TODAY
Concerned citizens naturally wonder what we should do right now
to slow the trajectory of global warming. This is a complex process in-
volving the public, the economy, and technology. I would emphasize
three specifi c items to focus on.
• First, people around the world need to understand and accept the
gravity of the impacts of global warming on the human and natu-
ral world. Scientists must continue intensive research on every
aspect from science to ecology to economics to international rela-
tions. People should be alert to the trumped-up claims of contrar-
ians who fi nd a thousand reasons to wait for decades to take the
appropriate steps.
• Second, nations must establish policies that raise the price of
CO
2
and other greenhouse-gas emissions. While such steps meet
resistance—like our aversion to taking foul-tasting medicine—
they are essential elements for curbing emissions, promoting low-
carbon technologies, and thereby inoculating our globe against
the threat of unchecked warming. Moreover, we need to ensure
that actions are global and not just national. While politics may
be local, and the opposition to strong steps to slow warming comes
from nationalistic attitudes, slowing climate change requires co-
ordinated global action.
• Third, it is clear that rapid technological change in the energy sec-
tor is central to the transition to a low-carbon economy. Current
low-carbon technologies cannot substitute for fossil fuels without
