The Climate Solutions Debate: An Opportunity for Conservation
Channel: Jim Geraghty
Date: 2013-07-25

Conservation biologist Roger Harris makes a PowerPoint presentation on the basic science based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and raise some political questions on how to respond to the challenge. Please join us for a robust discussion.

The climate solutions debate has been hijacked by the energy corporations who profit from their concessions, the politicians who serve the corporations, and the major environmental organizations who legitimize the whole show. The debate is framed by the corporate interests to be a debate about alternative technologies -- which portion of their portfolio will receive the latest and greatest public subsidies. Should we have more "green energy" or should we invest in "clean coal." Is wind better than solar? Can nuclear be made safe? How long will it take and how much of a "commitment" (read -- public paying private corporations to make  a profit) will it take to bring new technologies on line?

Progressives need to promote a program now to (1) raise conservation as the key and immediate demand in regards to climate change, and let the energy corporations duke it out among themselves over who gets the biggest public subsidies; (2) raise the environmental consequences of the US wars of aggression as a climate change issue; (3) forget about arguing with the Neanderthals about climate realities, but focus on holding the politicians' feet to the fire on getting them to enact real climate solutions; and (4) work to unite rather than counter pose the jobs vs. environment conundrum.