Environment & Energy

applegrove

(118,492 posts) Sat Jun 7, 2014, 10:49 PM Jun 2014

"Trying to Reclaim Leadership on Climate Change"

Trying to Reclaim Leadership on Climate Change

By JUSTIN GILLIS and HENRY FOUNTAIN at the NY Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/02/us/politics/obama-tries-to-reclaim-leadership-on-climate-change.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

"SNIP.....................

For more than a decade, people working in the twin centers of American economic ingenuity, Wall Street and Silicon Valley, have been agitating to get going on the climate problem. But they have been stymied by lack of a clear national policy about where the country was headed.

Many of the nation’s technological luminaries, including Bill Gates, have urged Congress to double or triple the country’s spending on basic research and development in the energy field. Congress has largely ignored them, and Mr. Obama has no ability on his own to steer that kind of money toward the problem.

But some experts said his new plan may at least send a signal to private capital that now is the time to get involved in trying to solve the energy challenge.

“Once the rules are in place, then the engineers really are unleashed on the question of, oh, what’s the cheapest way to do this?” said Kevin Kennedy, director of the United States Climate Initiative at the World Resources Institute, a think tank. “American engineers are pretty good at this sort of thing.”

......................SNIP"

4 replies

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"Trying to Reclaim Leadership on Climate Change" (Original Post) applegrove Jun 2014 OP

While the engineers may very well be good at finding solutions that edgineered Jun 2014 #1

But the GOP are now saying "I'm not an expert in the field of climate change so I can't discuss it" applegrove Jun 2014 #2

In agreement, the snakeoil salesmen must first find a way to blame the D's, edgineered Jun 2014 #3

I think the Republican's greatest fear is that good information gets to the people. Their economic applegrove Jun 2014 #4

edgineered

(2,101 posts)

1. While the engineers may very well be good at finding solutions that

Reply to applegrove (Original post)

Sat Jun 7, 2014, 10:55 PM

Jun 2014

fit within budgets and time constraints, it is the inability of our politicians to identify with specificity the problem to be solved. Get them to agree first that there is a problem is difficult enough. Consensus on the exact problem? Impossible!

applegrove

(118,492 posts)

2. But the GOP are now saying "I'm not an expert in the field of climate change so I can't discuss it"

Reply to edgineered (Reply #1)

Sat Jun 7, 2014, 10:59 PM

Jun 2014

which to me says they need a neutral stage before they agree climate change exists. (They need a neutral stage where climate change should be discussed only by the scientists and where they are thus not at fault and the Democrats are thus not on the right side of the issue - low information people will fall for it). I'm hoping that is what the GOP are up to.

edgineered

(2,101 posts)

3. In agreement, the snakeoil salesmen must first find a way to blame the D's,

Reply to applegrove (Reply #2)

Sat Jun 7, 2014, 11:05 PM

Jun 2014

and move the (manufactured) controversy to calmer waters. Having fought this battle for so long sometimes makes me sound cynical - I harbor a personal belief that the fear of learning something is a republicans' greatest fear.

applegrove

(118,492 posts)

4. I think the Republican's greatest fear is that good information gets to the people. Their economic

Reply to edgineered (Reply #3)

Sat Jun 7, 2014, 11:21 PM

Jun 2014

theories have proven to be bullshit which you might expect from policy that was built around the outcome the rich wanted (low taxes - no unions, more money) and worked backwards from there. And now they engage in astroturfing. They are flim flam men. Nothing about them is real. And they are being found out. So they have to quietly reattach to discernible reality lest the magnitude of their lies be found out.

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