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 />
190 far<strong>the</strong>r horizons<br />
lazy—is capable <strong>of</strong> great dedication and heroism if wisely led”<br />
(Greenleaf, 1977, p. 21).<br />
Genuine leaders, including those in <strong>the</strong> media, must summon<br />
<strong>the</strong> people with all <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir fl aws <strong>to</strong> a level <strong>of</strong> extraordinary<br />
achievement appropriate <strong>to</strong> an extraordinarily dangerous time.<br />
They must ask people, o<strong>the</strong>rwise highly knowledgeable about <strong>the</strong><br />
latest foibles <strong>of</strong> celebrities, <strong>to</strong> be active citizens again, <strong>to</strong> know<br />
more, think more deeply, take responsibility, participate publicly,<br />
and, from time <strong>to</strong> time sacrifi ce. Leaders must help <strong>the</strong> public see<br />
<strong>the</strong> connections between <strong>climate</strong>, environmental quality, security,<br />
energy use, equity, and prosperity. We must relearn how <strong>to</strong> be creative<br />
in adversity. As quaint and naïve as that may sound, people<br />
have done it before, and it’s worked.<br />
Telling <strong>the</strong> truth requires leaders at all levels <strong>to</strong> speak clearly<br />
about <strong>the</strong> causes <strong>of</strong> our failures that have led us <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> brink <strong>of</strong><br />
disaster. If we fail <strong>to</strong> treat <strong>the</strong> underlying causes, no small remedies<br />
will save us for long. The problems can in one way or ano<strong>the</strong>r be<br />
traced <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> irresponsible exercise <strong>of</strong> power that has excluded<br />
<strong>the</strong> rights <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> poor, <strong>the</strong> disenfranchised, and every generation<br />
after our own. This is in no small way a direct result <strong>of</strong> money in<br />
politics, which has aided and abetted <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>ft <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> public commons,<br />
including <strong>the</strong> airwaves, where deliberate misinformation<br />
and distraction <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> public is a growth industry. The right <strong>of</strong><br />
free speech, as Lincoln said in his address <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> Cooper Union in<br />
1860, should not be used “<strong>to</strong> mislead o<strong>the</strong>rs, who have less access<br />
<strong>to</strong> his<strong>to</strong>ry, and less leisure <strong>to</strong> study it.” But <strong>the</strong> rights <strong>of</strong> capital over<br />
<strong>the</strong> media now trump those <strong>of</strong> honesty and fair public dialogue,<br />
and will continue <strong>to</strong> do so until <strong>the</strong> public reasserts its legitimate<br />
control over <strong>the</strong> public commons, including <strong>the</strong> airwaves.<br />
Transformational leadership in <strong>the</strong> largest crisis humankind<br />
has ever faced means summoning people <strong>to</strong> a higher vision than<br />
that <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> affl uent consumer society. Consider <strong>the</strong> well-studied<br />
but little-noted gap between <strong>the</strong> stagnant or falling trend line<br />
<strong>of</strong> American happiness in <strong>the</strong> last half century and that <strong>of</strong> rising