[Terrapreta] Bold Course on Climate

[David Yarrow]

an informed opinion from a long-time, front line solar-renewable advocate and action figure.  this is the op-ed article in the premier issue of E360 -- yale university's new environment & climate journal.  and there's much more gold to mind in this newly launched sounding space for earth action and sustainable stewardship:
http://www.e360.yale.edu/

yet, still denis doesn't use of the new term "carbon-negative", no mention of soil, micro-organisms & photosynthesis in managing carbon & nitrogen in the biosphere, no recognition of the role of agriculture & food supply to the modern carbon footprint.

for a green & peaceful planet,
David Yarrow
44 Gilligan Rd, E Greenbush, NY 12061
www.championtrees.org
www.OnondagaLakePeaceFestival.org
www.farmandfood.org
www.SeaAgri.com


Charting a Bold Course on Climate
Posted by Denis Hayes, E360, June 10, 2008
http://www.e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp?id=2026

What emerged from [the] unexpected alliance [between business and the environmental movement as evidenced by, among other things, the U.S. Climate Action Partnership] was a consensus that the centerpiece of climate policy should be a cap on CO2, generally applied as close to the point of emission as realistically possible. Additionally, there was widespread agreement that 
(a) between 25 and 80% of all emissions permits should be given away to major emitters for a transitional period; 
(b) the law should provide ample 'offsets' available for purchase by companies failing to meet reduction targets; and 
(c) 'safety valves' should permit relaxed enforcement in case greenhouse gas reductions cause temporary economic hardship. 

Unfortunately, these are genuinely terrible ideas... They don't merely ignore the way that the global economy responds to real-world policies; they ignore everything we have learned about human nature since Rousseau's belief in humanity's innate goodness crashed on the shoals of 18th-century reality... 

Europe has already attempted a cap-and-trade program, and it belly-flopped. Senators Warner and Lieberman, who should be applauded for at least acknowledging that global warming is a problem, failed to absorb some important lessons from Europe, including: The most important part of cap-and-trade is the 'cap.' Any successful law must place an impermeable lid on the amount of carbon that enters the atmosphere... 

In contrast to regulating a sea of smokestacks, the best course is to 
require carbon permits at the 2,000 sources where carbon enters the economy... 
All carbon permits should be auctioned -- not given away... 
Most of the revenues would be to serve... climate-related public purposes... [though] a portion... should compensate for the regressive nature of what is effectively a carbon tax... 
Arguments for a national smart grid are legion... 
Get serious about automobile mileage... 
Build high-speed electrified railways for our busiest corridors... 
Set strong building energy performance standards... 
Train the labor force... 
It's not too late to get back in the game... 

But we have been dragging our heels, as if this were a problem for our children to fix. Global warming is our problem, and it's time to get serious about solving it.

Denis Hayes is president of the Bullitt Foundation and board chair of the American Solar Energy Society. He was director of the federal Solar Energy Research Institute during the Carter administration and was national coordinator of the first Earth Day in 1970, and he now is chair emeritus of the International Earth Day Network. 
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