Darwin’s theory is often summed up as “the survival of the fittest.” But what makes one species more fit than another is not physical strength (a common misunderstanding), it is adaptability: the skill and perseverance to adapt to a changing world.
No one now denies the world is constantly changing. The change in climate that we are experiencing could very well prove the ultimate test of humanity’s ability to adapt. Do we have that skill to adapt? Our actions or lack thereof in the coming years will answer that question.
After nearly a decade of misguided inaction, American leadership finally has the opportunity and privilege to reeducate the public and lead the global climate discussion when the U.N. meets in Copenhagen this December.
President Obama has yet to announce whether he will attend the Copenhagen talks personally but his inaugural statement to “roll back the specter of a warming planet” will fail unless the U.S. has demonstrated results to give weight and credibility to that promise. He must show decisively that science in America has been restored “to its rightful place” in order to lead the Copenhagen talks to strong climate regulation and law.
On September 30th, Obama backed up words with action, announcing that the EPA would move forward with curbing emissions without waiting for Congress. “We are not going to continue with business as usual,” E.P.A. administrator Lisa Jackson said. “We have the tools and the technology to move forward today, and we are using them.” This long anticipated and highly controversial proposal (like most things worth their salt) is the first real step toward regulating emissions and could take effect as early as 2011. The announcement was strategically timed to fall on the same day that Democratic Senators John Kerry (MA) and Barbara Boxer (CA) unveiled their climate change and energy bill, which will face a long, hard haul across the Senate floor in the coming months.
And it’s not just government who are coming to realize the necessity of immediate action in response to our changing planet.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers have consistently worked against climate legislature and have threatened to sue the E.P.A. for imposing controls on CO2. Because of this stance, many companies have not renewed membership. The latest to jump ship was Exelon, the nation’s largest electric and gas utility company. Exelon CEO John Rowe had this to say: “Putting a price on carbon is essential because it will force us to do the cheapest things, like energy efficiency, first.”
Business as usual seems easy now, but will prove fatal in the long term. The Earth is changing around us and while we can’t suddenly grow gills that breathe CO2, we can and must adapt in other ways. The economic incentives are there, the moral incentives are there, and the eyes of future generation are on us.
As President Obama so eloquently stated during his campaign: “…our time is now, this is our moment.”
The New Darwinism Part II
No one now denies the world is constantly changing. The change in climate that we are experiencing could very well prove the ultimate test of humanity’s ability to adapt. Do we have that skill to adapt? Our actions or lack thereof in the coming years will answer that question.
After nearly a decade of misguided inaction, American leadership finally has the opportunity and privilege to reeducate the public and lead the global climate discussion when the U.N. meets in Copenhagen this December.
President Obama has yet to announce whether he will attend the Copenhagen talks personally but his inaugural statement to “roll back the specter of a warming planet” will fail unless the U.S. has demonstrated results to give weight and credibility to that promise. He must show decisively that science in America has been restored “to its rightful place” in order to lead the Copenhagen talks to strong climate regulation and law.
On September 30th, Obama backed up words with action, announcing that the EPA would move forward with curbing emissions without waiting for Congress. “We are not going to continue with business as usual,” E.P.A. administrator Lisa Jackson said. “We have the tools and the technology to move forward today, and we are using them.” This long anticipated and highly controversial proposal (like most things worth their salt) is the first real step toward regulating emissions and could take effect as early as 2011. The announcement was strategically timed to fall on the same day that Democratic Senators John Kerry (MA) and Barbara Boxer (CA) unveiled their climate change and energy bill, which will face a long, hard haul across the Senate floor in the coming months.
And it’s not just government who are coming to realize the necessity of immediate action in response to our changing planet.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers have consistently worked against climate legislature and have threatened to sue the E.P.A. for imposing controls on CO2. Because of this stance, many companies have not renewed membership. The latest to jump ship was Exelon, the nation’s largest electric and gas utility company. Exelon CEO John Rowe had this to say: “Putting a price on carbon is essential because it will force us to do the cheapest things, like energy efficiency, first.”
Business as usual seems easy now, but will prove fatal in the long term. The Earth is changing around us and while we can’t suddenly grow gills that breathe CO2, we can and must adapt in other ways. The economic incentives are there, the moral incentives are there, and the eyes of future generation are on us.
As President Obama so eloquently stated during his campaign: “…our time is now, this is our moment.”
Contact your elected officials here and tell them to go kick ass and take names in Copenhagen: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml