Other fav quote's by Mr. Hasen:
Young people (who deserve a large share of credit for helping Obama get the nomination and win the election) had better ask what is happening.
The answer, or so it seems: not much.
If that impression is right, there had better be a hue and cry soon, or the opportunity for fundamental change may be missed.
I could harp about the greenwashed (or worse) politicians, but what is the point of that?
Now, given the election that has occurred, it should be possible to solve the problem. Solution is possible, but will it happen? The national government has all the power that it needs to, in effect, declare a moratorium on any new coal plants that do not capture and store the CO2.
Is Obama going to explain the need for a substantial and rising carbon tax on coal, oil and gas in his first fireside chat? The tax does not have to start out large, though it should be substantial. It has to be a tax that covers all fossil fuels.
It should not be a cap-and-trade that allows some carbon to escape and makes Wall Street millionaires on the backs of the public.
Reasons for concern:
1. The big action so far is the indication that the government will demand fuel efficient cars.... will not prevent the world's major oil pools from being used, but efficiency helps buy time,
2. Jesse Ausubel makes a case that government policies don't matter much -- the energy-fossil fuel situation determines things.
Conclusion
We are only weeks into the Obama administration. But people are getting restive. I have been asked to speak at or support several different actions, in different parts of the country, by young people and not so young... s he begins to address the nation's energy, climate and economic challenges, he needs to remember these people, among his core original supporters. They are counting on him to change direction -- a real change.
Read full from James Hansen at the gristy