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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42 politics and governance<br />
<strong>the</strong> present administration faces a long rebuilding effort <strong>to</strong> res<strong>to</strong>re<br />
morale, competence, pr<strong>of</strong>essionalism, and purpose <strong>to</strong> many federal<br />
departments and agencies.<br />
It is possible <strong>to</strong> undo <strong>the</strong> damage <strong>of</strong> decades <strong>of</strong> neglect and<br />
<strong>to</strong> equip government <strong>to</strong> meet <strong>the</strong> conditions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> long emergency.<br />
But <strong>to</strong> do so will require creating <strong>the</strong> capacity necessary<br />
<strong>to</strong> solve multiple problems that cross <strong>the</strong> usual lines <strong>of</strong> authority,<br />
departments, and agencies as well as those between federal, state,<br />
and local governments. In <strong>the</strong> long emergency, governments at<br />
all levels will have <strong>to</strong> be smarter, more farsighted, more agile,<br />
and more strategic. That does not necessarily mean a larger and<br />
more intrusive role, but ra<strong>the</strong>r one that steers more effectively by<br />
incremental adjustments and not by revolution. 32 We will need<br />
<strong>to</strong> build new alliances between <strong>the</strong> public, nongovernmental<br />
organizations, local and state governments, and business. Above<br />
all, government must enable creative leadership at all levels <strong>of</strong><br />
society, and it must lead fi rst by example, not simply by fi at. It<br />
must help catalyze <strong>the</strong> redesign <strong>of</strong> infrastructure, food systems,<br />
communities, transportation, and energy systems that are resilient<br />
and secure by design. Every increase in local capacity <strong>to</strong> grow<br />
food, generate energy, repair, build, and fi nance will streng<strong>the</strong>n<br />
<strong>the</strong> capacity <strong>to</strong> withstand disturbances <strong>of</strong> all kinds. Distributed<br />
energy in <strong>the</strong> form <strong>of</strong> widely disbursed solar and wind technology,<br />
for example, buffers communities from supply interruptions,<br />
failure <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> electrical grid, and price shocks. Similarly, a regionally<br />
based, solar-powered food system would res<strong>to</strong>re small farms,<br />
preserve soil, create local employment, rebuild stable economies,<br />
and provide better food while reducing carbon emissions and<br />
dependence on long-distance transport from distant suppliers. 33<br />
The primary goal in rethinking development and economic<br />
growth is <strong>to</strong> create resilience—<strong>the</strong> capacity <strong>to</strong> withstand <strong>the</strong><br />
disturbances that will become more frequent and severe in <strong>the</strong><br />
decades ahead. 34