Down to the wire : confronting climate collapse / David - Index of

6 S introduction
the climate destabilization already under way. Most believe that a
few minor adjustments, a few policy changes, and improvements
in energy effi ciency will be enough to get us through without
jeopardizing the “American Dream” or upsetting the consumer
society. But a sober reading of the science of climate change indicates
something else: we have already set in motion forces and
trends that threaten the stability of the biosphere in a few decades
and that will persist far longer. Some highly credible scientists like
James Lovelock (2009) believe the stability of civilization could
similarly fail by the end of the century or even sooner. We are
simply unprepared to respond adequately for anything so devastating.
If the United States were a sailing ship heading into stormy
seas, we would be well advised to lighten the load, secure cargo,
trim sails, and batten down the hatches. But no comparable actions
are being discussed in the United States or elsewhere. With a few
exceptions, climate change is still regarded as a problem to be
fi xed by small changes, perhaps profi tably, and not as a series of
dilemmas or as a challenge to consumerism, the growth economy,
or—in a more abstract but no less real way—to our institutions,
organizations, philosophies, and paradigms.
The crisis ahead is fi rst and foremost a political challenge, not
one of economics or technology, as important as those are. The
global crisis ahead is a direct result of the largest political failure
in history. The U.S. government and elected offi cials, particularly
in recent years:
• Ignored the increasingly urgent and rigorous warnings of
danger, and thereby
• Failed to anticipate ecological and climate trends, and so
• Made little or no effort to alert the public to the dangers
ahead;
• Were oblivious to the security implications of rapid climate
change;
• Took none of the obvious steps to recalibrate the economy
to protect natural capital, including climate stability;