Down to the wire : confronting climate collapse / David - Index of
Down to the wire : confronting climate collapse / David - Index of
Down to the wire : confronting climate collapse / David - Index of
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S<br />
xvi preface<br />
grounded, sober, and au<strong>the</strong>ntic hope. Our best chance <strong>of</strong> surviving<br />
through <strong>the</strong> long emergency ahead lies in our capacity <strong>to</strong> face<br />
diffi cult facts squarely, think clearly about our possibilities, and get<br />
down <strong>to</strong> work.<br />
The faith placed in better technology is tied <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> faith in<br />
unfettered markets and commerce, <strong>the</strong> reputation <strong>of</strong> which had<br />
been much improved due <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> efforts <strong>of</strong> Mil<strong>to</strong>n Friedman and<br />
his free-market disciples until <strong>the</strong> economic <strong>collapse</strong> <strong>of</strong> 2008. The<br />
appeal <strong>to</strong> economic self-interest as <strong>the</strong> engine <strong>of</strong> human progress<br />
has its origins in <strong>the</strong> writings <strong>of</strong> Adam Smith, and <strong>the</strong>re is much<br />
<strong>to</strong> be said on its behalf. Forgotten in <strong>the</strong> euphoria, however, are<br />
Smith’s own misgivings about <strong>the</strong> results <strong>of</strong> unalloyed self-interest,<br />
evident in both The Wealth <strong>of</strong> Nations and The Theory <strong>of</strong> Moral Sentiments.<br />
Until <strong>the</strong> great fi nancial implosion <strong>of</strong> 2008, amnesia also<br />
veiled <strong>the</strong> spotty and <strong>of</strong>ten shabby record <strong>of</strong> corporations and<br />
fi nancial institutions operating without <strong>the</strong> countervailing power<br />
<strong>of</strong> alert governments and an engaged and sometimes enraged citizenry.<br />
Economists, none<strong>the</strong>less, are inclined <strong>to</strong> attribute all societal<br />
shortcomings <strong>to</strong> a failure <strong>of</strong> markets, and sometimes, in some ways,<br />
<strong>the</strong>y are. But <strong>the</strong> belief that <strong>climate</strong> destabilization represents “<strong>the</strong><br />
largest market failure in his<strong>to</strong>ry” is misleading because it overlooks<br />
a prior and larger failure <strong>of</strong> political leaders <strong>to</strong> acknowledge<br />
<strong>the</strong> problem before it grew in<strong>to</strong> a crisis. Even with ample and<br />
increasingly urgent warnings, <strong>the</strong>y failed <strong>to</strong> restructure <strong>the</strong> rules<br />
and regulations that govern <strong>the</strong> use <strong>of</strong> fossil fuels when it would<br />
have been relatively easy and cheap <strong>to</strong> minimize or avoid much <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> crisis al<strong>to</strong>ge<strong>the</strong>r.<br />
I write, accordingly, as an advocate for better leadership, an<br />
improved democracy in <strong>the</strong> United States, and more creative and<br />
competent management <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> public business. Climate destabilization<br />
is obviously a global crisis, but I’ve chosen <strong>to</strong> narrow my<br />
focus <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> United States because we are <strong>the</strong> largest economy on<br />
Earth and <strong>the</strong> largest source <strong>of</strong> heat-trapping gases in <strong>the</strong> industrial<br />
era, and we have greater leverage on <strong>the</strong> issue than any o<strong>the</strong>r