Earth Equity News

Copenhagen Meltdown May Prove Best for Planet. Commentary by Marshall Saunders, Tennessean, January 5, 2010. "The failure to reach a binding agreement at the climate change conference in Copenhagen elicited much hand-wringing and soul-searching -- and more than a little finger-pointing -- but I'm glad it happened. Coming from a guy who's presented the Al Gore slide show on global warming 43 times, that might seem like a shocking response. But here's why the meltdown in Copenhagen might actually be good news for the planet... The reductions in carbon dioxide emissions that were proposed fell far short of what's needed to keep global temperatures in check... Had such an agreement been signed, leaders would have congratulated each other and the public would have been deluded into believing that something meaningful was accomplished... Dr. James Hansen, whose prophecies on climate change have proven correct since 1988, said prior to the conference, 'I would rather it not happen if people accept that as being the right track, because it's a disaster track.'

"We can transition quickly to carbonless energy -- without crippling our economy -- by placing an escalating fee on carbon and returning the revenue to all households equally. The carbon fee makes clean energy competitive with fossil fuels, and the rebated revenue allows people to pay higher energy bills without taking a hit economically... It's easy to blame politicians for inaction in Copenhagen, but the onus really falls on us, as citizens, to educate ourselves and communicate our concerns with elected officials. Once we do this, we'll stop asking what the politics will allow on climate change and start asking what the Earth will allow, because it's cutting no deals." Marshall Saunders is founder and president of Citizens Climate Lobby, whose stated purpose is working to reverse global warming by advocating for effective nonpartisan environmental legislation. CCL is closely allied with CCC.